When to Buy a Used Car Opposed to a New Car is Ultimately Based on Your Budget!

Knowing exactly when to buy a car in order to get the best possible deal is not really an exact science since there are such a large number of variables in play all of the time. Not to mention that there are so many theories on this topic that the mind reels! You would think that consumers would pretty much have this figured out by now. It seems to me that as we get close to some kind of logical explanation of the mysterious process we are thwarted by the system.

When can you get the best possible deals on cars?
So what really does work when you are trying to get the best possible car deals? There are times when a new car is priced so well that it makes no sense at all to even consider buying a used car. Supply and demand has a lot to do with this part of the new versus used price strategy.

The supply of decent used vehicles can really peak when companies and government agencies end their fiscal year, and begin the new one. This time frame tends to put a larger number of quality used cars on the market in a short period of time.

Many Government agencies return their leased vehicles at the same time
The government agencies lease a significant number of vehicles and when these are turned in there is a glut of good used cars and trucks to choose from. This is when you can get a decent price on a really nice used car since there will be so many of these turned in cars on the market!

For the record, any business can end their fiscal year at the end of any quarter, and more than half of the businesses in the United go with the end of the calendar year as end of their fiscal year. So this means that a large number of businesses will dump a large number of leased cars and trucks onto the used market all at one time. And the government offices will do the same, except their fiscal year ends September thirtieth for Federal Government, and June 30^th for State and Local Government.

It really is not too complicated if you take away all of the variables that are beyond your control such as wanting to own one of the most desirable model yet wanting to pay far less than the MSRP.

Sometimes it is more about your financial situation than anything else. Other times it is more about what the dealer has in stock and how long it has been there. Mainly though the best time to buy a car is when you can afford the monthly payment on the car you want. This broad and general statement takes into account the fact that if you have a large down payment then you are more ready for a new car than if you have very little to put down.

So here are my basic three thoughts on what really works when you are trying to decide if there is a best time to buy a new or used car.

Go Early in the week!
Early in the week is typically a great time to buy a new or used car since the weekend crush is over, and the salesman have to look at filling the new weeks quota.

Shop at the end of the month
The end of the month can be a good time for the same reason, the monthly quotas can deliver to the consumer a long line of salespersons who need to cut a deal in order to meet their quota.

End of the year can encompass dealership clearance sales
End of the year definitely has the potential to be the best time to buy a car, but things can be very volatile around the holidays, and there is usually a lot going on which can prevent you from having a decent sized down payment.

Any other schemes on when to buy a new or used car can easily change within the hour, but things like government leases, and used cars from businesses that are ending their Fiscal year will always dump large numbers of vehicles onto a competitive market place.

Good luck, and make sure you can take along a lot of cash along with your great credit score!