Is January/February a good time to buy from dealers?
- Thread starter eidolon
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Thats what I want to know, Im on the verge of buying a new car but am currently holding off thinking that the new registration is out in two months so they will have to drop the price of the secondhand stock.
The Jaguar dealership wasnt really interested in knocking anything off the car I was interested in although I was being a bit cheeky asking for £1.5k off but then who is going to drop £25k on a luxury car during the Christmas period ?
My guess is that they will give you a rubbish trade in as usual but will do you a reasonable deal on a new car. On a secondhand car who knows.
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If they know their onions they will be running their stock low for a low period so you might only have a choice of stuff thats been around a while, low spec or low demand on the flip side find a dealer with too much fresh stock and you could grab a bargain.
Your more likely to find a private bargain though this time of year
Your more likely to find a private bargain though this time of year
Trade tends to pick up in January, however it's hard to predict the market these days.
Generally speaking, there probably isn't a best time to buy because any decent dealer would have set its targets sensibly and never become desperate to sell.
My used cars will be going up in price from the 2nd of Jan.
Generally speaking, there probably isn't a best time to buy because any decent dealer would have set its targets sensibly and never become desperate to sell.
My used cars will be going up in price from the 2nd of Jan.
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Had a good chat with a Honda car dealer when I purchased my used car earlier this month, and he made a few interesting points.
The new car market isn't where they make money these days as they don't have many people purchasing new cars, it's all about selling Joe bloggs a used car and then getting them to service and ultimately part ex the car back with the same dealer, and then try and get them on finance for it all, and they also make a good amount on retro fitting options on a used car that someone is about to purchase.
He also said it's pretty much a myth they sell convertibles cheaper in Winter, they go off book price and thats that, should they have the car a set amount of time they would then re-price the car accordingly, be it winter or summer. Keeping a used car for a few months isn't a big problem for most dealers. Private sellers and indie dealers are a different matter.
The new car market isn't where they make money these days as they don't have many people purchasing new cars, it's all about selling Joe bloggs a used car and then getting them to service and ultimately part ex the car back with the same dealer, and then try and get them on finance for it all, and they also make a good amount on retro fitting options on a used car that someone is about to purchase.
He also said it's pretty much a myth they sell convertibles cheaper in Winter, they go off book price and thats that, should they have the car a set amount of time they would then re-price the car accordingly, be it winter or summer. Keeping a used car for a few months isn't a big problem for most dealers. Private sellers and indie dealers are a different matter.
Glass's at least certainly reduces the value of convertible cars over winter and they see an uplift when Spring arrives...
Dealers do amuse me, I do love how they think they know everything about how to price a car. You'd imagine they would given they do it for a living but the amount of comedy priced cars suggests otherwise. A fantastic example is a car I'm going to show you all now. This car appeared for sale back when I was looking for a 335i in March. Thats right - March.
It was £26995. At the time this was quite a hilarious price for what is literally the worst specification 335i in the country. I was convinced it wouldn't sell.
http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/bmwauc/d...6@adm-xx,00.html?ch=_V0JBV0I3MjA3MFBXODEzMTk=
They still have it. Now with £12,000 off the original sticker price, £500 of free fuel, some new alloy wheels and a free portable Sat Nav.
Desperation much?
Had they not been so ridiculously out of touch with the market when they first advertised it they'd probably got £19995 for it in the Spring...
It depends on the margin they have in the car. Cars still depreciate sat on the forecourt!
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Ouch!
I wonder how much they paid for that one? Surely if it's been sat around for so long it's going to make them quite a loss. Maybe they should put the price up in January, that's where they're going wrong by the sounds of it.
I wonder how much they paid for that one? Surely if it's been sat around for so long it's going to make them quite a loss. Maybe they should put the price up in January, that's where they're going wrong by the sounds of it.
I absolutely hate buying from dealers and would always take a private seller over a dealer. Sadly the more you spend the less likely you are to be able to find the right car in the hands of a private seller and as a result dealing with the trade becomes something that is unavoidable. They seem to think they all add value to purchases when IMHO they do nothing of the sort. Unless you consider a worthless warranty* and a damp cloth over the paintwork and an 'inspection' is 'adding value'
*Manufacturers Approved Used excepted.
There are some decent dealers out there but they are so much in the minority its just unbeleivable.
*Manufacturers Approved Used excepted.
There are some decent dealers out there but they are so much in the minority its just unbeleivable.
I got my e92 335i M sport for just above 13k and it came with all the bells and whistles in the colour combination I wanted. Admittedly I haven't seen any in that price range since, especially in the condition mine is in. However, I was extremely lucky to find it through a private seller. I would simply put it down to being in the right place at the right time.
We sell quite a few thanks, used car market generally picks up in January.
To give you an example, if I bought a Fiesta at an auction in December 2011, the car would achieve a higher sale price in January 2012.
However because the same car is more expensive I wouldn't reduce my margin on it, I'd still expect to achieve the same margin selling the car at a higher price.