The festive season can be a great time to pick up a stonking deal whether you’re looking for some products to make winter driving easier, or looking to buy a car at Christmas. Retailers are keen to clear out their stock ready for the new year and car sales are often slow during the Christmas season.
The days between Christmas and New Year in particular can be a happy hunting ground. Car dealerships are generally pretty quiet at that time, indeed the whole of December is as people spend their money on festive celebrations. But the dealers still have their quotas to meet and are usually very keen to do whatever deals they can towards the end of the month, so that can be the best time to buy.
Don’t just rush out there first thing on Boxing Day, though. Pour yourself a drink, maybe have a leftover turkey sandwich and take some time to explore all the car buying tools and advice at your disposal right here on the Parkers website. Then you’ll be well prepared to track down a bargain.
Which car is best for you?
There are more cars than ever available to buy new or used, indeed so many that working out exactly which one is right for you can be a bit of a nightmare. You’ll probably have a good inkling about what style of car you want, be it an SUV, sports car, hatchback, etc. But now, of course, there’s also the matter of whether you should get a petrol or diesel car, a hybrid of some description, or make the switch to electric.
At Parkers, we have a huge stock of lists covering the best options for just about every type of car. You’ll find general ones covering the best SUVs, the best family cars and many others. There are really specific lists, as well, including the best plug-in hybrid and electric estate cars.
If you have any specific models in mind, check out the Parkers review of that car to get the expert opinion of our road testing team. We cover every aspect of the car, highlighting what’s great about it and what’s not. You’ll also find the full tech specs for each model in the car’s range, and its standard equipment. For many cars, you’ll also find Parkers’ unique miles per pound figures, which indicate how much a car can cost to run.
If you have no fixed ideas about what sort of car you want, check out the Parkers car choosing tool.
Should you buy new or used?
Whether you buy a new or used car largely depends on how big your budget is. At the time of writing, the cheapest new cars in the UK cost at least £13,000 and most that cost less than £20,000 are small city cars and superminis. That’s why the vast majority of UK car buyers get a used car.
On the Parkers website, you can search for new cars for sale across the UK, many of them available at a discount. There’s also a vast selection of used cars for sale on the ‘site.
Decide how you’re going to pay
A car is the second most expensive thing the vast majority of people buy after a house. That’s why over 90% of new cars and a large number of used cars are bought on some sort of finance, rather than paid for in cash. You could take out a personal loan from a bank. You could sign up to a personal contract purchase (PCP) deal. Or a personal contract hire (PCH) deal – also known as leasing – might work best for you. You can find all the advice you need on these options and other ways of acquiring a car in our finance advice section.
If you happen to have the money to buy a new car outright, great. But you should still take a look at the finance options available, particularly PCP deals. That’s because car manufacturers often offer a deposit contribution, which is essentially a discount off the list price. Just sign up to the PCP deal, make the first monthly payment, then pay off the balance and you could save yourself thousands of pounds.
Pay the right price
Just a because a car’s wearing a big ‘sale’ banner or has a ‘20% off’ sticker on it, don’t assume you’re getting a great deal. Dealers sometimes put prices up for a week or two prior to a sale, particularly on nearly new cars, so any discount isn’t necessarily as big as it seems. You can find out the actual value of any car using Parker’s free car valuation tool.
If you’re buying a new car, keep an eye on our deal watch page for the best value finance packages. We also have pages highlighting the best deals for particularly budgets, for instance the best cars for £300 per month.
Checking out a used car
If you choose to buy a used car, you need to do your due diligence to make sure the car is as advertised and has been properly maintained. First port of call is a Parkers car history check. That will show you if the car has ever been written off and if there’s any outstanding finance against it. If the car is more than three years old, you should also check out its MOT history.
You should always try to physically see any used car before buying it. You should give the car a thorough visual inspection to satisfy yourself it’s in good condition. Take it for a test drive, as well, to make sure the car feels right and that you enjoy driving it. Parkers’ top tips for buying a used car goes over everything you need to look for. There’s a selection of tools you can use that make the job easier, as well.
You also need to make sure the car’s paperwork is in order. Parkers has a checklist of documents that should be with a car. There are a number of used car scams to be aware of, as well.
Do you need to move your old car on?
If you’re buying a new car, chances are you need to move your current car on. You have three main options. You can part-exchange it, using its value to bring down the cost of your new car. You could sell it to a buying service, usually the quickest and easiest option but not necessarily the most lucrative. Or you could sell it yourself, writing a classified ad and posting it online which could get you the best price but can be a lot of hassle.
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