Tuesday is the day for buying cars

Analysis by Cartell.ie reveals the majority of used cars change hands on a Tuesday with car sales peaking in February.

Words John Lambert Published 12 February 2013

Most used cars are bought or sold on a Tuesday, according to a study by vehicle data experts at Cartell.ie. Moreover, the five-year data set revealed that the first or second Tuesday in February is the day when the most vehicles change hands. The large number of used cars sold in February (and March) is explained by Ireland's registration system, which, until January 2013, encouraged people to buy new cars early in the year. Sales of new models are accompanied by people trading in their old cars, which are then resold in the early part of the year.

Jeff Aherne, Director of Cartell.ie says: "The first Tuesday in February is the most popular day to buy or sell a car in Ireland and February generally is the busiest month. Furthermore if you take the top 10 days of the year for vehicle sales 9 of the top 10 are Tuesdays. The top 2 are the first and second Tuesday in February."

There is no hard evidence on why Tuesday should be the day but one possibility is that it allows buyers to visit the bank on Monday to collect a bank draft or arrange a transfer of funds. At the opposite end of the scale, few sales are completed on a Saturday as most banks are closed, although people tend to go and view cars at the weekend. The only time Tuesday is not popular with car buyers is when it follows a bank holiday, when the sales figures resemble a typical Monday. Sundays were excluded from the results as most garages are closed on that day.

Wednesday is the other day when large numbers of cars are sold - in particular the first Wednesday in May.

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