The best time to buy a car

Dealerships work against sales targets. Buying when a target is close and time is short is the cheapest form of leverage there is.

End of the month

Most sales staff and stores are measured monthly. The last three or four days of a month are when a manager is most willing to take a thin deal to hit a bonus tier.

End of a quarter — and end of the year

March, June, September, and December stack a quarterly target on top of the monthly one. Late December is the strongest window of all: quarter-end, year-end, and low showroom traffic at once.

Model-year changeover

When next year's models arrive (typically late summer into fall), the outgoing model year becomes aging inventory that costs the dealer money to floorplan. Used inventory follows the same logic: a car that has sat 60+ days is priced to move.

Weekdays beat weekends

Saturday is the busiest day on any lot, which means the least attention and the least urgency to close you. A Monday or Tuesday afternoon gets you a salesperson with an empty pipeline.

Timing matters less than competition

Even a perfectly timed visit to one dealership is weaker than three dealerships bidding against each other on the same day. Collect written quotes first; then use good timing to close.