Tips on negotiating a better car deal during the Christmas season!

Buy a car on Christmas: Your wallet will thank you

According to many veteran car experts who’ve shared their experiences and even, car salespeople themselves, the Christmas season is the best time of the year to buy a car. It has a whole host of advantages for you mostly, financially. And of course, we’re all keen to agree that that is the best kind of advantage, right?

While we can dig deeper into why Christmas is the best time to buy a new car, we’ll do you one better ladies and gets because for this article, we’re handing out some killer tips to you in order to negotiate for a better car deal this holiday season and…for any other season really.

Yay promos! Lots of promos!

1. Check if a dealership is stocking a previous model year

We all know that most car manufacturers roll out their new models by the last quarter of the year. That’s September, October, November, and even in December. As such, it would be wise to ask a dealer if they’re still selling the previous version.

Those are typically cheaper, and if a particular model was just facelifted and is not an actual next-generation model, the better.

Why? Well, new generation cars will typically have a few kinks but a facelift will only have a new appearance and/or new features and none of the said kinks.

If you look hard enough, there might even stocks of the pre-facelift 2019 Vios left

And of course, the prices of these previous models will have dropped in most cases as soon as the new model is available for purchase.

If you want to save even more money, ask for the oldest one that they’re still selling. It might not be the latest model, but hey…you’re reading this article for a better deal, right?

2. Ask and/or research for year-end promos

December is the last month of the last quarter of the year. As such, many manufacturers will be pulling out their big marketing guns as well as shelling out car promos left and right.

Why do they do this?

Well, as we’ve said, it’s the end of the year. It’s a make or break span of time that will dictate whether a sale’s person can reach his/her quota for the year, quarter or what have you.

For you to become intimate with these kinds of promos, you can ask the nearest car dealership of your choice yourself, go to the mall and have a chat with the salesperson manning the car they’re displaying there, or better yet, you can check our very own page dedicated to all the promos for all the major car brands this Christmas from Philkotse.

Don't miss out on all these fantastic deals on Philkotse!

Take for example Toyota Philippines. They have what they call their Toyota EPIC year-end blowout which works like this; if you buy one unit of either a Vios, Fortuner, Hilux, Hiace, Avanza, Rush, Innova, Wigo, and Corolla Altis, you get a chance of winning an all-new AND brand new Toyota Vios unit. Great right?!

3. Do not negotiate at all

This might sound weird but telling the salesperson AND his/her sales manager outright that you’re going to sign all the required paperwork one the price you proposed. If they try to make a counteroffer, decline it politely but leave them your contact details. If it worked, they’ll be coming back at you sooner or later.

Note though that if your offer is too ridiculous, then this tactic won’t work at all. As such, you should know beforehand what the car’s retail price is. This advice is particularly useful with second-hand cars and certified pre-owned units.

4. Check out which car is worth

If you’re in the market for a new car this Christmas, trusted websites like Philkotse.com can provide “true market” prices for all car models and their variants available here in the Philippines.

For that, you can check out our price list page which is constantly being updated. as well as the car for sale section. From there, you can use our advanced search engine, use it to find that specific car and year model that you’re looking for then use the entries to get a picture of just how much the car is worth. An average price if you will.

The emergence of the online Auto portal like Philkotse.com is a one-stop-shop for information all about cars

>>> You might like to read: [Philkotse collection] 4 best cars to buy with your 13th-month pay!

5.  Be polite and spread the Christmas cheer!

In contrast to the hard-core, “take it or leave it” tactics that many other people tend to use and recommend, we say that that advice kind of sucks.

Do remember that salespeople are hardworking people employees who have to deal with these kinds of crap from time to time. So yeah, it is particularly emotionally draining for them and in the long run…for you as well.

To make it worse, its Christmas time. Many people are looking forward to their break and are probably giving all that they’ve got for that final stretch to reach that quota.  So, a jerk, a world-class asshat who’s “buying it from another dealer down the road” will, of course, waste everyone’s time. Including the jerk.

If you’re not convinced that being too aggressive with dictating terms is bad, then think of it like this. Salespeople, like any sane human, will respond aggressively when you’re aggressive too. It’s that simple.

So, get into that Christmas spirit. Be kind and respectful to everyone you’re talking to and spread that good ol’ Christmas cheer. Better yet, if they give you a customer service rating, do give them a great rating. That matters because it might just mean a raise or a promotion for them the next year.

And hey, there are stories of salespeople going far beyond their duties just to help a friendly customer.

>>> Related post: 5 practical tips on how to negotiate a car deal in the Philippines

Be polite and be friendly. Just... don't overdo it because that's just weird bro

6. It’s not impolite to say no

Yes indeed, it’s not wrong to say no when a deal becomes unfavorable for you. This is especially true when talking with financing.

But like we’ve said earlier, it’s Christmas time, and if you aren’t already then this is the perfect time to be kind, cool, and friendly. Who knows, this might be that Christmas story that you’ll tell years down the line; “That time I got a great car deal during Christmas.”

>>> Click to get more helpful tips and advice for your car buying.