Trucks continue to be among the most popular vehicles in both the new and used car market. And while the latest new model trucks come loaded with advanced technology and luxury features, their ongoing popularity keeps new truck sticker prices high, with limited rebates or incentives to soften the financial blow. When combined with today’s higher auto loan interest rates, many of today’s truck buyers are simply priced out of the new vehicle market.
Thankfully, the used vehicle market is teeming with attractive full-size and midsize trucks from popular brands like Chevy, Ford, GMC, Nissan, Toyota, and Ram. And if you can time your truck purchase toward the end of the year, during the traditional off season for car shopping, that’s when car dealerships are struggling to hit their year-end sales numbers. Their efforts to get buyers to visit the lot means reduced pricing and an increased chance of finding a good deal.
iSeeCars has studied the used car pricing data and confirmed the higher likelihood of getting a good car deal at the end of the calendar year or beginning of a new year. You can see the data for every vehicle type in our Best Time To Buy a Car study.
The table below illustrates the best months for finding a deal on a used truck. You can see the months when the number of used truck deals is higher than average. It’s no coincidence that these are the colder months, toward the end of the year and start of the next year, when car buying slows down.
Conversely, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when the weather is warm and buyers are thinking about a road trip or family travel, the likelihood of finding a good car (or truck) deal falls below average, bottoming out in the month of June.
| Best Time To Buy a Used Truck | ||
| Month | % Deals | % More or Less Deals Than Average |
| January | 41.9% | +37.4% |
| December | 41.0% | +34.4% |
| February | 39.4% | +29.2% |
| November | 34.1% | +11.8% |
| March | 32.4% | +6.2% |
| October | 31.6% | +3.6% |
| September | 30.0% | -1.6% |
| August | 27.5% | -9.8% |
| April | 25.8% | -15.3% |
| July | 23.8% | -21.9% |
| May | 22.7% | -25.7% |
| June | 21.5% | -29.6% |
| Overall Average | 30.5% | |
Of course, no matter when you’re buying a used vehicle you’ll want to follow all the proper car buying steps. That means knowing your target vehicle’s market value and confirming the value of your trade-in before ever going to the dealership. You should also arrange a car loan through your own bank or credit union before visiting the dealer, though feel free to share your loan terms with the dealer’s financing office to see if they can offer better terms.
Finally, be sure to carefully inspect and test drive the truck and, if possible, have it inspected by a third-party shop to confirm its mechanical and cosmetic condition. You can compare the inspection with the truck’s VIN check report to see if there are any discrepancies. While a third-party inspection and vehicle history report aren’t necessary for a new car purchase, they are critical when buying a used vehicle.
If you combine these used car buying procedures with a well-timed purchase, you’ll have a much better chance of securing an excellent price on a high-quality used truck.
