When is the best time (of the month) to go car shopping?

"As Du Volant" (skuhnphoto) 11/14/2014 at 17:05 • Filed to: car buying

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Having spent some time in the car business (I just got my 7-year commemorative plaid sport coat a few weeks ago) I get asked a lot of questions about car buying. Today's topic is this: When is the best time to go car shopping? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , though the accuracy of that infographic can vary depending on the car model. No, I'm talking about the best time of the month.

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"But Steve," you might say, "Everyone knows the best time to shop for a car is the end of the month." Except for every person who says that, you've got another who'll gladly tell you about the time they did just that and got the keys to their trade-in thrown onto the dealership roof after they wouldn't let the salesman strong-arm them into buying a car on the spot.

So what's the answer, then? That depends on what you want to accomplish. Since so many people swear by the end of the month, I'll start with that period.

The end of the month is a crazy time in car sales. That's when us slimy, sleazy, greasy salesmen are trying to hit our quotas- and the quota isn't just for bragging rights. Most times it's tied to a generous incentive from the manufacturer that can determine if the dealership's new car operations are profitable that month. It's a really big deal for the sales team. One of many things I'm thankful for after moving from sales to operations management last year is not dealing with the end of month rush- when I clock out at 5:30 on the last day of the month I know that many of the people I've spent the last 9 hours with still have another 4-5 hours or more left in their day. If you want to experience what the end of the month at a dealership is like, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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What does this mean for the car shopper? It means when you walk in the door you're going to meet a mess of stressed-out salespeople, wired on stale coffee, with threats of doom and gloom from their managers still ringing in their ears from that morning's meeting. They're going to do everything in their power to get you to buy a car RIGHT NOW. There's going to be a ton of people there and in many cases the level of service you receive won't be so great. What WILL be great, though, are the deals. With amounts that can top $100,000 of manufacturer bonus money on the line a dealership won't think twice about losing a couple thousand bucks on the last car deals they need to hit their target.

But if you're not ready to make a purchase right away, chances are good your questions and kicking of tires will be met with annoyance, grouchiness, and pressure to buy. Now, I'm not saying everyone is like that- it's never okay to be a dick, and a good salesperson respects his/her customers no matter the circumstances. Just be aware at this time of the month the jerks will have their asshole dial cranked to eleven. If you ARE ready to buy though, you've got a good chance at saving a helluva lot of money.

On the flip side, there's the rest of the month. The first three weeks are usually pretty stress-free for the salespeople, with more laid-back attitudes around the dealership. Want to test drive three different cars, get a brochure, and then go home? No problem! Not only will there be fewer customers in the building, the salespeople also won't be staring at a deadline. If you want to take a long test drive, ask lots of questions, take the new car on a run for beer and cigarettes (I had a customer ask to do this, I obliged, and he bought the car), now's the time. Just please don't be that person who walks in five minutes before closing time wanting to take 40 minutes worth of test drives.

TL;DR Version: do your shopping early in the month, but buy at the end of the month for the best deal.

But wait, what about MY time? Yep, one more thing. I'm sure you've heard the horror stories. "Those scumbags kept me waiting in the dealership so long I was forced to eat my children, and then they conned me into buying the TruCoat!"

You can avoid this by choosing the timing your trip. When should you visit the dealership to minimize your time there? Try to avoid the weekend, because that's when everyone else is going to be there too. And DEFINITELY not the evening of the last day of the month.

Your average dealership is going to have fifteen or so salespeople. Show up on a Saturday afternoon and odds are good that those 15 salespeople will be helping 20 customers, so you're going to have to wait your turn to get in front of a flustered and tired sales rep. And on the last evening of the month, if 8 of those 12 sell a car, that means Customer #8 has to wait for the store's two finance managers to print and complete all seven other sets of paperwork before their turn is up. Normally when this happens you can just schedule an appointment to finish the deal up the next day, except at month end the dealer can't do that because the manufacturer's books close at midnight. Often times their month end coincides with expiring rebates, and you wouldn't want to lose out on those either.

For the best service the best time to visit is during the day on a weekday. If your work schedule won't allow it, a weekday evening is your next best opportunity- but please be mindful of the store's hours. And I can assure you you'll get just as good of a deal two days before the end of the month as you would on the last day.

Shop early in the month if you don't want to be pressured. Buying, you can get yourself a good deal any time of the month- but for one of those amazing, too-good-to-be-true "my boss has never done this before" kind of deals, buy at the end of the month.

Nibby > As Du Volant 11/14/2014 at 17:09

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The best time of the month to go car shopping is when your wife is on her period and you have her bargain for you.

shop-teacher > As Du Volant 11/15/2014 at 00:33

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Makes sense!