Sitting at a dealership might sound like the last thing that you want to do after ringing in the new year, but it could possibly be a good way to recover from the hangover that came with it. After spending four years selling cars and working every holiday, I can tell you that New Year’s Day is probably one of the slowest days at a dealership, which means that it’s the best time for a customer to come in and buy a car.

News Year’s Day could save you a lot of time

Let’s face it, nearly everyone is going to be sitting at home recovering from welcoming in the new year, so it’s prime time to buy that car that you’ve been wanting. Since there most likely won’t be very many other people shopping for a car, you’ll be able to shop with ease and pick out the right car for you and your family. If anything, it will be like going to Costco when it first opens up in the morning.

To top things off, without any other customers, the sales process will be much quicker as you won’t need to wait as long to meet with the finance manager or wait for your new car to be detailed.

New Year’s Day could save you a lot of money

Remember that huge discount that you could have gotten on New Year’s Eve? The truth is that you can get similar discounts on New Year’s Day as well since most of the manufacturer incentives don’t expire until January 3^rd. So be sure to ask the salesperson about any available incentives, from the dealer and the manufacturer, in order to get the best deal possible.

There is one main drawback

While shopping at a dealership on New Year’s Day could save you a lot of time and money, just remember that the dealer’s inventory could be low from the week before. A lot of prospective buyers do shop during the week between Christmas and New Year’s so that one trim level that you were hoping to score a good deal on may have left the lot the night before. But don’t worry, if you’re willing to settle on the next best color or trim level, then you can still drive home with a smile on your face knowing that you still got a good deal.

Make an appointment

If possible, call ahead and make an appointment with a salesperson so that you can ensure the best and timeliest experience possible. The truth of the matter is that the salespeople are more than likely hungover as well and they really just want to go home.

But if you make an appointment, that will give the salesperson assigned to you a good idea of what the day will look like and they will be able to plan ahead and get the car that you’re interested in ready for viewing. That will in turn make the process easier and smoother for both parties so that you can both go home in a timely manner.