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Best January new car deals

While it might seem a little strange, January can actually be one of the best times to purchase a new car.

If Santa isn’t going to be parking a new set of wheels in your (apparently rather large) Christmas stocking, then it's time to take matters into your own hands. And while it might seem a little strange, January can actually be one of the best times to purchase a new car.

Carmakers, like most of us, want to start the year off strong, and every sale they make in January will make hitting their ridiculously lucrative sales targets that little bit easier. But more importantly, many carmakers will still be shifting compliance-plated ’17-plated stock ahead of ’18-plated models, and that means shrewd negotiating can unlock some real bargains.

How much of a bargain, of course, depends on the dealership and your willingness to shop around, but even before all of that, plenty of manufacturers have announced deals for January that do some of the haggling for you.

At Holden, the brand’s seven-year warranty program still applies to all cars sold by December 31.

And so while Australia’s dealers are hurriedly inflating balloons in an effort to get customers in the door, we’ve compiled a list of the best new-car bargains from the top 10 manufacturers to make your shopping trip that little bit easier.

01. Toyota

Some of Toyota’s most popular models are being offered with reduced on-road costs, like the ever-popular Corolla in Accent Sport trim with a CVT automatic for $23,990 (normally $23,250 MSRP) or the Yaris with a manual transmission at $15,990 drive-away (normally $15,390 MSRP).  A similar deal can be had for the Camry Altise, and all three models arrive with four years free roadside assistance.

02. Mazda

Over at Mazda, there’s drive-away pricing across most of the range (though some are sharper than others), and you can drive-away in a '17-plated Mazda2 Maxx for $18,990 (usually $17,690 MSRP) while the bigger Mazda3 will set you back $21,490 drive-away (usually $20,490 MSRP). The Mazda6 and CX-3 SUV are both offered with free on-road costs, while the big BT-50 ute starts at $27,490 for the single-cab tray-back.

03. Hyundai

In the Hyundai camp, look out for the new i30 Go, which is offered at $20,990 drive-away, and brings pricing back down toward the $19,990 mark that served the old i30 so well. Elsewhere, the Santa Fe Active X in 2WD is being offered at $40,990, while the Santa Fe Highlander is being pushed out with five-year servicing included in the purchase price.

04. Holden

At Holden, the brand’s seven-year warranty program still applies to all cars sold by December 31, but could be extended into January. You can nab a ’17-plated Astra LS with automatic for $21,990 drive-away (usually $21,490 MSRP). Likewise, the MY17 Trax LS with auto is yours for $23,990 (usually $26,490).

05. Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi’s ever-popular ASX SUV is being pushed out of dealerships at $25,990 drive-away for the LX auto (normally $27,000 MSRP - but almost always one sale). And Ford’s Escape Ambiente SUV is on at $29,990 drive-away with auto until at least December 31 (normally $29,990 MSRP).

06. Volkswagen

Over at VW, the offers technically finish at the end of the year, and see the Golf GTI hot hatch being shopped at $42,990 drive-away with a manual gearbox (normally $41,490 MSRP). And the big-bopper Touareg is $67,990 drive-away, with a trim upgrade to Element (usually $70,990 MSRP). The Amarok V6 Sportline with auto is $53,990 drive-away (usually $55,490 MSRP).

07. Subaru

Subaru is yet to unveil any major January savings, but Kia’s under-the-radar Soul is $24,990 drive-away with auto (usually $24,990 MSRP), while an auto-equipped Picanto is $15,690 drive-away (usually $15,690 MSRP). Finally, Nissan’s X-Trail ST with auto now lists for $31,990 (was $32,490), while the Navara SL 4X4 dual-cab lists at $39,490, a significant saving.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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