In just 10 seconds, one car salesman reveals the not-so-well-kept secret to getting the best deal on a new vehicle. Erdman Automotive’s TikTok account (@erdman.automotive) posted the video, which has already garnered over 353,000 views.
It opens up with a car salesman jokingly breaking out into a full sprint through the parking lot of a dealership to the song “Black Betty” by Ram Jam. An on-screen caption reads, “POV: You see a customer pull into the lot at 5:55 pm on the last day of the month and you’re one car away from your bonus.”
The video ends with the car salesman still running, and the scene abruptly cuts off.
Is the end of the month really the best time to buy a car?
Yes, as most car sites note. And while you’re at it, the end of a quarter (March, June, September, December) is even better. Per Autotrader, “It all comes down to dealership goals. In general, most automakers set sales goals for dealers, and most dealers set similar goals for themselves. Often, these goals include high-dollar bonuses if they’re met. That’s a big incentive for dealers or salespeople who close extra sales at the end of a month or quarter to help reach a goal.”
It doesn’t have to literally be the last day of the month, either.
That said, as Autotrader also notes, if a high-demand car leads to a dealership meeting its goals, the end of the cycle won’t matter to its sales team.
Folks on Reddit are a little more somber about the prospects.
“In this market? No chance,” one highly updvoted comment from two years ago reads.
“I saw us go as high as 3k below invoice if we would definitely hit the number for the month with those one or two cars. But now without the cars to hit the numbers our manufacturer sets every month, and people lining up to buy the few new cars we have, it doesn’t really matter anymore and we don’t discount news cars,” another corroborated.
MarketWatch says that December, especially Christmas Day onward, is the best overall bet for buying a car and being more likely to get deals.
Commenters share their end-of-the-month car-buying experiences
In the comment section, many people recounted when they too waited until the end of the month to buy a car to get a discount.
“So go to the dealership at the end of the month, noted,” one comment read.
“[My dad and I] showed up on DEC 22 at [4 pm] with a check to fully pay for a car. Let’s just say we got home in time for dinner,” another person shared.
“This happened to my [father-in-law]. He got the deal of the century.”
“This legit happened to me today. They actually delivered the car 120 miles away to me to make [their] bonus,” someone else said.
“[Talked] a car down $10,000 and get my desired monthly payment because [I] went at the end of the month, LMFAOOOOO.”
While many commenters were either potential or recent car buyers, a couple agreed with the TikTok video from the perspective of a fellow car salesman.
“Me [right now] at 44 sold[.] [I] need that last one,” someone wrote.
@erdman.automotive Anything for the bonus!! 🤣🏃💨 @Anthony John Puglia – for all your car buying needs, we’ve got one of the best! #fyp #dealershiptiktok #dealershiphumor #toyota #funny #running #carsalesman #foryoupage #carsales ♬ Black Betty – Ram Jam
“I literally work at a Toyota dealership, [and] I understand the pain.”
The Erdman Automotive TikTok account did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment.
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