BEST TIME TO BUY A CAR @ Dealerships (2025) Kevin Hunter The Homework Guy

Best time to buy in 2025. Seasonal market and micro region insights. Hey everybody, Kevin Hunter here, the homework guy. Welcome back to the show where we help every car buyer avoid the tricks, traps, and total nonsense that dealers will put you through the moment you walk through that door. Today, we're breaking down something [music] every shopper needs to know. When is the best time to buy a car in 2025? [music] And before we dive in, make sure you're following us on Tik Tok at the homework guy. We post quick 20 to 30 second power buyer tips every single day and they'll save you thousands guaranteed. Now, I'm excited to bring on my co-host, the one and only amazing Elizabeth. Hey, Liz. >> Hey, Kevin. And hi, everyone. This video is going to give you something most car buying advice never does. Seasonal timing and market timing and regional timing all together. Because the truth is, the best time to buy is totally different depending on where you live and what you're buying. All right, Liz, let's start with the big national picture. In 2025, the market is finally stabilizing. The inventory is better. Incentives are creeping back and interest rates are expected to tick down slightly as we get into the next year. That creates windows of opportunity, but not all windows are equal. >> Exactly. And here's a homework guy truth. The best deals happen when dealers have too much inventory and not enough buyers. In 2025, those pressure points show up three times. That's late January to early March. the slowest sales period of the year. Then again, from mid July to mid August, the model year changeover begins. And thirdly, mid November through December 31st, that year-end clearance and quota panic time. >> Some seasonal breakdown. The best months of 2025. Let's map it out clearly. If you want the best overall prices at number one is December, always number one. Dealers chasing year-end goals and aging inventory equals leverage for buyers. At number two, late February. This is when holiday debt hits consumers hard, foot traffic dies down, and dealers get desperate for a sale. At number three, August and September. Old models must go. Outgoing models, especially sedans and hybrids, see the biggest drops. >> But remember, if you're buying a high demand model like a hybrid SUV or a wilderness edition Subaru, December may not be the cheapest month for you. For some of those, late summer is actually better because the New Year's allocation starts inflating last year's supply. some micro region insights. So, where you live actually does matter. This is where the most car buying advice completely misses the mark. The deal you can get depends heavily on your region, and some regions are consistently the cheapest. Here's what we see in our homework guide data. Cheapest regions are where there's the most competition. Mountain Plains, Midwest, and Southeast. Dealers compete harder, inventory sits longer, and prices are more negotiable. For more information on specific brands, see our video series featuring various brands with makes and models and the cheapest regions are included in all those videos. The most expensive regions have high demand. The West Coast, Northeast, large urban markets, higher taxes, higher fees, higher demand, and higher dealer confidence. >> Let's get micro with it. A buyer in Minnesota, Texas, or Tennessee might see1 to $2,000 better in pricing, lower add-ons, lower dock fees, and faster willingness to negotiate. Meanwhile, the same vehicle in California, Washington, New York, or Massachusetts, can be $2,500 to even $5,000 higher out the door, even with the same MSRP. That's the entire reason we help people shop across multiple regions. Sometimes the best deal is literally two states away. That doesn't mean you have to go there to buy their car, but you should always use the information for your negotiation leverage. >> So, some model specific timing, and this is very important. Different models hit their best prices at different times of the year. Here's the rule of thumb. High demand SUVs and hybrids, best deals are generally July through September. The worst deals are January through April. Sedans and less popular trims, the best deals are generally December through February. The worst deals are late spring for trucks. Best deals Memorial Day through July. Big incentive months in all brands. For EVs, the best deals end of Q1 as manufacturers chase federal credit qualification numbers. >> And remember, incentives matter, not just sticker prices. A $1,500 rebate in Kansas might not exist at all in Washington state. Same car, same trim, two wildly different deals out there. The real secret. The best time equals when the dealer pressure is highest. There's many truths that we've learned in 17 years of helping car buyers, but this is a big one. The best time to buy isn't a date. It's when the dealer needs a sale more than you need the car. That happens when they're chasing monthly bonuses. When they're sitting on aged inventory and a new generation is hitting the lot and you're buying from a region with too much supply. And that's why knowing your micro region is the most powerful timing advantage you can have in 2025 and 2026. >> And remember, you can shop your quote across regions without ever leaving your house. Dealers can deliver, transfer, or ship, and most will match a cheaper region if it keeps the sale in state. If you don't know what the cheapest region is for your vehicle interests, get in contact with us. And remember, no matter what vehicle you want, the secret to winning is the same. Get the all-in out the door price from the comfort of home in writing before you ever step foot on a dealer lot. >> If you'd rather skip the games entirely, our homework guy car buying service can do all of this for you. We source real quotes across multiple regions, including those cheapest regions, handle the negotiation, and make sure you never overpay. >> We handle both new and used deals, leases, tradeins, even lease buyouts. With the total service being around $1,000, most buyers can save at least four times that amount on their car deal. >> If you found this video helpful, make sure you give us that great big thumbs up, share it with your friends, and drop a comment down below. We love hearing your car buying success stories. They inspire and protect the entire Homework Guy community. >> And as always, if you haven't yet, follow us on Tik Tok for short daily buyer tips that will save you thousands. >> To all of our long-term subscribers, you guys rock. God bless you all. I'm Kevin Hunter, the Homework Guy, signing off on behalf of Alex Stevens, our auto expert, the amazing Elizabeth, our master negotiator, and the entire Homework Guy car buying team. Stick around for a few seconds as we scroll through some of our recent fivestar Google reviews. Thank you for watching. Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. Heat.