It is very possible that you have never thought about it, but in the same way that the end of the year is the best time to buy a car (because of emptying the dealers’ stock), winter is the best time to buy a used one. Does it surprise you? Well, wait, we’ll give you the reasons.
Experts in buying and selling used vehicles have a series of tactics to increase the chances of success. Many of them, turned upside down, become tips for the buyer. An example: avoid meeting the seller in hours of low light; If there is not enough lighting, you may miss a flaw in the bodywork or interior.
Three reasons why you should wait until winter to buy a used car
Matas Buzelis, an expert in the automotive sector at carVertical, lists the three reasons why, after years of experience, he has found that winter is the best season to buy a used vehicle.
The first is the cold, which is not a friend of mechanics. “Snow and low temperatures reveal a good part of the problems of the vehicles that the seller may try to hide,” says Buzelis. “Winter brings out problems in the starting system, the battery or the brake system” , Add.
With fewer daylight hours, lower temperatures, windy and foggy days, you don’t want to stay on the street to see a car. “It’s hard to find a buyer in winter, but it’s the best time to buy a used car from a buyer’s perspective,” says the carVertical expert. The equation is simple: with fewer interested customers, prices go down.
The drop in prices is especially evident if it comes to buying a convertible or a sports car; Well, as a general rule, they are more expensive in spring and summer. “As the temperature rises, the demand for classics and sports cars also increases, as do the prices.”
By contrast, SUVs retain their appeal in the fall and winter as they are better able to cope with adverse weather conditions. This is why the drop in prices in winter is not so pronounced.