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How to Buy a Car During the Holiday Season
How to Buy a Car During the Holiday Season
One of my favorite holiday memories happened while I was in high school. My dad had scrimped and saved all year, and on that Christmas morning, he gave me a car. Now it wasn't new or fancy, but it meant the world to me; I will remember that morning for as long as I live. We hope that you enjoy this How to Buy a Car During the Holiday Season post.
One of my favorite holiday memories happened while I was in high school. My dad had scrimped and saved all year, and on that Christmas morning, he gave me a car. Now it wasn't new or fancy, but it meant the world to me; I will remember that morning for as long as I live. Many years later, it was me that was gifted a vehicle but this time it was for my husband. He had never owned a “fun” car in his life, so I decided to surprise him with a present that had horsepower to spare.
Auto Show Shopping Made Easy with Auto Navigator by Capital One
It was a fantastic gift. Really the only negative to gifting my husband a car was the buying experience. It was incredibly stressful and time consuming; there were multiple dealer visits, hours wasted driving around, and more hours spent in the offices of salesmen. As a matter of fact, a recent survey by Capital One showed that only 20% of car shoppers are very confident in the car-buying process, while 49% reported being somewhat confident or not very confident. And only 6% of shoppers think the car-buying process is completely transparent. The good news is, there is a better way to buy a car.
How to Buy a Car During the Holiday Season
Do your research.
What if you could stay at home in your pajamas, browse right on your phone for your next car, and take care of financing as well? To me, this sounds like the perfect plan, and this is where Auto Navigator by Capital One comes in. This online tool provides a superior car shopping experience. Buyers can simply search for a car and see if they pre-qualify for financing digitally; all with no impact to their credit score. This was made for someone like me.
This tool comes in handy when you are first starting the car buying process because it is a one-stop experience where you can research the car you want to drive home for the holidays and see if you pre-qualify for financing before ever heading to the dealer. I spend hours researching before I buy a pair of jeans. I need to research anything I plan to drive.
Capital One also provides a ton of great resources via the Auto Learning Center where you can find information about what cars and trucks are being redesigned for 2019 or what vehicles are at the bottom of the sales charts – those 2018 models could come with much deeper discounts. You can snag a great deal by tracking the inventory of the 2018 models you’re interested in. Auto Navigator by Capital One allows you to search millions of cars from thousands of participating dealers.
PRO TIP: The optimal deals will exist when the 2018 models’ inventory is between 10% and 20% of the new 2019 model year.
Be realistic about what you can afford.
It can be easy to overspend during the holiday season, so being realistic is important if you want to stay on budget. You know exactly what you can afford, no surprises, all before ever setting foot in a dealership.
Find the perfect car at the right price.
No more wondering if you got the best deal on your car or not. Once you are pre-qualified through Auto Navigator, you can see what cars are available at dealerships near you, as well as your personalized APR and monthly payment information. Narrow down your choices, take a test drive or two, and find your next car. All purchases are fulfilled by local dealers with both new and used cars available. When you are ready to buy, simply print out your paperwork directly from Auto Navigator and take it to the dealer. It's that easy.
PRO TIP: If you can wait a day or so, the detailing department may have more time to give your car some extra TLC, and the salesperson will have more time to walk you through some of the technology in your new vehicle.
Enjoy.
Don't tell anyone, but in the picture above I was in my pajamas, drinking some tea last Sunday morning when I located a few cars that I was interested in test driving. I have considered buying a new car for a while but wasn't certain what I wanted to get. Auto Navigator by Capital One made the process easy and very rewarding. I loved getting specific car payment amounts without the hassle of going to the dealership.
Giving a car as a gift can be magical — it's the kind of memory that lasts a lifetime. (Just ask my husband about his [type of] car). If you are shopping for a car this holiday season, give Auto Navigator a test drive. Happy holidays!
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Thank you to Capital One for sponsoring this How to Buy a Car During the Holiday Season with the Capital One Auto Navigator post.
I wish I had seen this post earlier. My son in law just had to buy a brand new car during the holidays! It was a hassle.
It really is tempting to go big during the holidays, but you might have your car for a decade or more. I’m glad I got a small car, the mileage is great and it suits me perfectly.
So many great tips and info here for buying a car any time during the year. We are buying a new car in Feb after my husband turns in his lease and I will keep these in mind.
I am not in the market for any new payments for sure, but some of the new technology in cars is awesome. We have a lot of electric vehicles here and are capital one customers, have to check it out.
I am not in the market for buying a car but these are great tips. I feel that the technology changes so much over the years that you can’t afford not to have your cars upgraded often.
What great tips! Car buying can be very stressful and time consuming. Capital one looks like they have helped ease the process a bit. Thank you for sharing, I will be saving this information for future use!
Great tips for buying a car. Especially watching what you spend. I know it’s easy to get caught up in all the spending and stuff around xmas, so its great to be cognizant of it!
Ohh your dad must be great. We don’t get our license till we are 18 here vut getting a car especially as a fift must be sooooo AMAZING!
Oh how awesome. I will be doing this next year for my oldest I can’t believe it’s almost that time! This is great!
All I want for Christmas Santa is a new car. Yes when asking adults what they want we should all say a car I would love one!
My 2nd oldest is great at buying a car. He took me to the dealer. He was very patient and got me SUCH a good price. He was polite but steadfast. The car folks didn’t like him much by the time it was getting through. At the end, after the sale, they all made up and were polite again. That whole process was grueling. I hope my car lasts a long time so I don’t have to do that again any time soon. 😉
That was a great tip for buying a car on Christmas, Christmas season is so busy, that’s why it’s a little hectic and untimely to buy one. But this is a great tip.
Though I am not considering buying a car, I find this post helpful when it comes to planning a big purchase. I agree, it is important to do your research first and put impulsiveness aside. And to remember to enjoy the process. Stress can wait .. happy holidays!
That definitely sounds like a helpful app. I am not in the market right now, but will keep this in mind for when I am .
This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! We’re having baby #4 next year and will be upgrading our sedan to a minivan soon. Thanks!!
these are all such great tips!!
I have never enjoyed the car buying experience. Thank you for your tips; I’ll keep these in mind when we are in the market for a new vehicle!
I would never think of buying a car during the holiday season. I always just thought it would be a horrible experience. These are some really good tips though. Thanks for sharing.
Ugh I’ve been trying to convince my hubby we need a new suv but he isn’t buyin it. Maybe with these tips he would get on board and make this the best Christmas ever 🙂
I hate buying cars, I always just feel totally out of my depth and I can think of much better things to spend ££££££ on (Like going on holiday!) so next time I buy a car I’ll be back to read this post again. Thanks for your helpful tips!
These are great tips for someone who wants to buy a car during the holiday season, great share!
so many awesome tips! buying a car isn’t as easy as it appears!
This is really helpful! I’m not buying a car this holiday season but I’ll be sure to check this out.
Our 18 year old daughter bought a car a few weeks ago. Less than 1 week after buying it, she was in an accident that wasn’t her fault! Her car was totaled and she’s now in the market again. Thanks for the tips! They’ll definitely come in handy!
Doing your research is very important when buying a car. This app sounds amazing. Next time we are shopping for a car I am using it.
We are looking at new cars at the moment, but Hubby wants to wait until the new year
I use Capital One for a lot of things – car buying isn’t one of them though. I will look into it and see how they can help!
Buying a car never seems to be straight forwards- well.. that’s my experience of it all. I’ll have to keep your tips in mind.
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