If you are looking for a new car right now, history teaches that you should sign on the dotted line this month before the New Year.
December has seven of the ten very best days of the year to shop for a car.
When direct-to-consumer rebates plus extra cash that dealers have to play with in order to meet end-of-year sales targets, discounts can run up to 30% off sticker prices.
The best days to buy based on historical data? December 10, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31st.
"We think December is going to be a mad crazy month for buying," says AOL Autos editor-in-chief David Kiley. "You have end-of-year sales targets and competitions between automakers to top one another, plus shoppers still out there replacing cars destroyed by Sandy in the Northeast."
And there are stock market reasons for a big month of sales activity. "There is a lot of stock selling going on anticipating a rise in the capital gains taxes, and when people end up with new cash in their accounts they often find stuff to spend it on," says Kiley.
There is a tussle going on between Mercedes-Benz and BMW to see how is the top luxury brand for 2012, so there is extra dealing going on in the luxury category. Chevrolet reports having an excess of inventory of pickup trucks, which means extra dealing.
How does that extra money the dealer has work? An automaker, say Chevrolet, tells dealers if they sell 20 Silverado trucks above their monthly average for the year they can get an additional $500 or $750 per truck. The dealer will use some of that money to discount the sticker price further to reel a customer in.
Some tips before you go into the dealership to sign up for a new car and loan? See our gallery of tips here that will arm you to the teeth for what can be a tough negotiation with a car sales-person.
Also...check out our Technology of The Year voting. Go here to see the best new tech offered in the in new cars in the last year and vote for what you think is the best idea.
December has seven of the ten very best days of the year to shop for a car.
When direct-to-consumer rebates plus extra cash that dealers have to play with in order to meet end-of-year sales targets, discounts can run up to 30% off sticker prices.
The best days to buy based on historical data? December 10, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31st.
"We think December is going to be a mad crazy month for buying," says AOL Autos editor-in-chief David Kiley. "You have end-of-year sales targets and competitions between automakers to top one another, plus shoppers still out there replacing cars destroyed by Sandy in the Northeast."
And there are stock market reasons for a big month of sales activity. "There is a lot of stock selling going on anticipating a rise in the capital gains taxes, and when people end up with new cash in their accounts they often find stuff to spend it on," says Kiley.
There is a tussle going on between Mercedes-Benz and BMW to see how is the top luxury brand for 2012, so there is extra dealing going on in the luxury category. Chevrolet reports having an excess of inventory of pickup trucks, which means extra dealing.
How does that extra money the dealer has work? An automaker, say Chevrolet, tells dealers if they sell 20 Silverado trucks above their monthly average for the year they can get an additional $500 or $750 per truck. The dealer will use some of that money to discount the sticker price further to reel a customer in.
Some tips before you go into the dealership to sign up for a new car and loan? See our gallery of tips here that will arm you to the teeth for what can be a tough negotiation with a car sales-person.
Also...check out our Technology of The Year voting. Go here to see the best new tech offered in the in new cars in the last year and vote for what you think is the best idea.
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