Are used car prices seasonal in Austin?

Q.We're likely to be in the market for a good used car some time in the next year, and I'm wondering if we shouldn't go ahead and buy it in June. It seems like the annual departure of students from Austin would mean more sellers and fewer buyers at that time of year. Not that we'd buy directly from a student, but I'm guessing that even the big dealerships would have better used car prices in June than in, say, September when the situation is reversed. Or does it matter?

A.When I was looking for a new car, the prices in Houston were substantially lower than here in Austin. I don't know if this is because there is greater volume in Houston or because there is more competition. I ended up saving about 1500 dollars on an identical car in Houston than if I would have bought from Austin. There are a lot more cars there, but there are also a lot more crummy, badly maintened cars there too. Wouldn't you rather go to North Austin, or North West Austin, and get a tradin-in from some anal-retentive yuppie scum, than from some poor illegal immigrant? I used to be in the car business, in Houston, and we re-painted most cars between 2-6yrs old, to original factory color. That way, we spent 165$, and got back $2,000. You should see some of those cars in their original condition! As to seasons; yes, there is a diference in price. In Spring, convertables are always more expensive. In winter and rainy times, SUV's are more expensive. But, for the crafty negotiator with a bit of Lebanese blood in them, it shouldn't make any diference at what time of the year you buy. Remember: A late model car probably has about 3-8K profit built into it, with about 4K being about average for a 2-4yr old car. Why so much profit? Well, all the fools who trade in their cars, of course!

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