A TikTok video offering car-buying advice has gone viral, with the creator claiming that recent labor strikes make October the the best month to buy a car this year. But does his advice hold up?
TikTok user Billy (@billythecarkid), who often shares car-buying tips on the platform, posted the video recently. It’s racked up over 371,000 views. In it, he warns that a dockworkers strike affecting ports “from Maine to Texas” will impact dealership inventory and drives up prices.
“As soon as the dealership can say, ‘Hey. This is affecting our supply and demand. We are not able to do business as usual because of this.’ They are going to pass on the cost of that to you,” he claims in the clip. “You’re going to start hearing from your auto dealers, ‘Hey. I have to charge you more. There’s markup on this one.’”
He urges viewers to buy now through mid-November to lock in current prices and incentives before the potential supply crunch hits. “I think if we wait any longer than that, especially with what’s brewing with the Longshoremen, we are asking for trouble,” he cautions.
Commenters chime in
Viewers had mixed reactions in the comments. “STOP I just bought a car in September,” one wrote. Another suggested a boycott, writing “We should just all stop buying cars for a while unless necessary and leave the cars on the lots, there won’t be a supply and demand issue!”
“As someone who works at a car dealership, this is so true,” a third shared. “I can’t say for certain since the end of the month isn’t here yet, but it’s slowed down significantly already.”
However, there may be less urgency than @billythecarkid implies. The dockworkers’ union recently reached a “tentative agreement” to end their three-day strike, suspending further strikes until Jan. 15 as negotiations continue. According to the Associated Press the short duration of the strike makes major inventory shortages unlikely in the near-term.
@billythecarkid GET THE BEST CAR DEAL NOW! #carbuyingtips #port #strike #longshoreman #carbuyingadvice #carbuyingsecrets #dealership #carbuyingmadeeasy #carbuyer #cars #inventory #buyingacar #supplyanddemand #market ♬ Knowledge – Vin Music
Despite this, Billy still maintains October is a good month to purchase a vehicle. In one comment, he wrote, “You should still be buying your vehicles right now because discounted inventory is getting sparse.”
If you’re in the market for a car, it may not be a bad play to visit your local dealership at the end of the month.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @billythecarkid via TikTok comment.
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