"The advertising, all my life, has been, 'Best deal ever! Save this weekend like never before,'" said Ray Howard, general sales manager at Sir Walter Raleigh. "You know, but truly, right now is a good time to save."
As the stock market has tanked and auto sales have plummeted, prices for cars and trucks have gone down. Incentives for buying are way up.
But there's only so far they can go, Howard says. "I think as far as rebates offered by the manufacturers, they're probably as good as they can be. Because there's just a limit to how much you can rebate."
That's part of why auto industry analysts tell Eyewitness News that March is proving to be ideal for getting a deal.
Eyewitness News spoke with a senior editor for California based Edmunds.com via telephone.
"It looks like the best time to buy a car might be in March, and the reason is that there are still 2008 model vehicles on the lots for you to choose from and that has not happened in the last several decades," said Phillip Reed, Edmunds.com.
Another reason March may prove to be the best month is because of next month's tax deadline.
"People get their income tax returns from the state and federal governments and they begin using that as a down payment to go to the car lot," Reed explained.
Not to mention, credit market s are thawing out a bit for those looking to get loans.
Analysts say sales traditionally pick up in the spring and summer months. Analysts also expect the demand to rise and therefore the deals may not be as good as they are now.
