Don’t Buy a Used Car on This Day of the Week
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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Few things are as exciting as buying a car. Few things are as nerve-wracking, excruciating and exasperating, too — especially when it comes to used cars. You can never be sure if you’re buying someone else’s former treasure or someone else’s old lemon.
This means you should do everything you can to get the best deal. A good first step is to research prices so you know the going rate for the models you’re interested in. After that, you should research the car itself on sites like AutoCheck or Carfax to get its accident history and other information.
Beyond that, you should time your visit to the used car dealership to maximize your chances of getting the best deal. As with many products, the day of the week you buy a car can play a major big role in your ability to get the best deal.
What Are the Best Days To Buy a Used Car?
When it comes to which days are best to buy a used car, most experts recommend shopping early in the week — ideally on Tuesday. This is partly because it tends to be a slow day, which means you’ll get the salesperson’s undivided attention. And because there’s not a lot of foot traffic, the salesperson might be motivated to offer discounts or perks to close a sale.
“You can ask plenty of questions and the transaction should take far less time,” according to a blog on the Edmunds website.
Monday is a different story. Although you might think this is a slow day because it comes after the busy weekend, that’s not always the case. Some dealerships are closed on Sundays, meaning customers pour in on Monday. When there are more customers, sales staff have less time and motivation to negotiate a lower price because they can always move on to the next customer.
Even if the dealership was open on Sunday, salespeople might still be occupied with fallout from the previous weekend on Monday. This means they’re less motivated to negotiate a better deal, according to Investor Times.
Is Saturday the Worst Day in Terms of Buying a Used Car?
The one day you want to avoid buying a used car if you can possibly avoid it is Saturday. There are a few reasons for this, most of which will seem pretty obvious. Because most people work during the week, Saturday is the first full day they have available to go car shopping. More customers typically means higher prices and fewer deals.
And because the dealerships are so busy, staff have less time to answer your questions and spend time listening to your monologue about what you are looking for in a used car, from the torque delivered by the driveshaft to the number of USB ports.
You might also find yourself having to wait a long time to get service on Saturday, which only adds to the stress and exhaustion. A tired shopper usually means a less motivated shopper, making it more likely that you’ll cave on the price and features just to get the whole thing over with.
There are always exceptions to these rules, of course. If it’s a rainy Saturday, you might find less foot traffic and more negotiating power. If Saturday falls at the end of the month, used car dealers might offer deals to hit their monthly sales quota.
Conversely, if Tuesday falls on a holiday when dealerships are open, such as New Year’s Day, you might find yourself competing with a bunch of other customers, which drives prices higher.
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