The Best and Worst Days of the Week To Buy a Car May Surprise You
Written by
T. Woods
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Shopping for a new car can often seem like an overwhelming process, one that requires research into various makes and models that could potentially meet your needs, as well as working within your projected budget. Further, there are such issues as financing, add-ons, insurance and price negotiations that also come into play, all before you’re able to roll your new set of wheels off the lot.
As a result, finding any advantage you can to save money and ease some of your car shopping burdens is worth pursuing — including knowing which are the best and worst days to buy a new car.
The Best Days To Buy a Car
As GOBankingRates previously reported, after speaking to a number of car experts, buying a car earlier in the week is far better than later in the week.
“The best days to visit a car dealership are usually weekdays, particularly early in the week” Nick Musica of Cash For Your Junk Car told GOBankingRates. “Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be less busy, as many people are occupied with work and other weekday commitments.
“By visiting the dealership on these days, you’re more likely to receive prompt attention from salespeople and have more negotiating power. Additionally, early mornings or weekdays around opening time are good options, as you can avoid the later rush and have more time to discuss your preferences and options.”
As such, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the optimal days to purchase a car, as they allow you broader leeway to avoid competition and have greater negotiating power at the dealership.
Additionally, GOBankingRates has also reported car dealerships typically spend the end of the month trying to maintain their high sales goals (specifically on the 29th, 30th and — when possible — the 31st of the month); they also run lucrative “end of the year” sales to meet their yearly sales goals (typically from October through December).
What’s that mean for you? If you can shop on the last Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of October, November or December, you’re most likely to find new cars being sold at their cheapest possible prices, with the additional bargaining power and decreased competition that comes with an early day of the week.
The Worst Days To Buy a Car
Conversely, Musica added Saturdays tend to be the worst days to attempt buying a new car, as they are usually the busiest (and thus, most crowded and competitive) car shopping days of the month. It’s recommended that you skip the rush and stick to the first few days of the week.
That said, there’s a new wrinkle to car shopping: Tariffs. President Donald Trump’s recent trade war with America’s various trade partners (via his implementation of tariffs) has threatened to increase the price of new cars — but that hasn’t happened just yet.
Per CNN and CNBC, despite the looming threat of tariff-based price hikes, the cost of new cars is still holding strong at pre-tariff numbers, primarily because most new cars currently for sale were built before the new tariff rules locked into place. That’s not to say that car prices won’t increase eventually; for now, though, they have remained stable and mostly unchanged.
More From GOBankingRates
