Holiday purchases can include cars

Christmas is quickly approaching and families are scrambling to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones. Those who are feeling especially generous may purchase a car for their loved ones. John Gretter of Gretter Autoland in Washington said he has sold cars as Christmas presents before.

?It?s not common, but people have bought cars as gifts,? he said. ?There are a few people who do that every year. Some of those will try to surprise the person getting the car, and it?s always neat when it does happen. It makes the process a lot more fun.?

Gretter said that a car or truck is a pretty large purchase, so it?s not something that one person buys on his or her own.

?Usually, people aren?t brave enough to buy a car without the other person?s input,? he said. ?You?d hate for it to be the wrong color or the wrong model. That?s why we usually see both parties come in, but from time to time someone steps up and surprises the other one. To this day, no one has ever returned a car given as a Christmas gift.?

Apart from Christmas, Gretter said that cars are given as gifts for other special occasions such as anniversaries. However, he said most cars are purchased because the person needs one and not because of a holiday.

?Buying a car is something people spend a lot of time planning,? he said. ?It?s not based on a knee-jerk reaction. It?s also harder to surprise someone today because there are so many choices of vehicles that you don?t want to disappointment the person. It used to be that there were four to five colors to choose from, and now we have the whole gamut of colors. You want to make sure that the vehicle you?re buying for the other person is what they want.?

Gretter said that car sales pick up during this time of year. He said sales improve near the beginning of November and stay high through early January as car buyers take advantage of end-of-the-year deals and to take advantage of tax write-offs.

?Business people will try to purchase vehicles at the end of year,? he said. ?It is a good way to gain a tax write-off. A lot of implement sales are done now for tax reasons.?

Gretter said that people also wait to the end of the year to purchase a vehicle because they have a firmer grasp of their financial situation.

?They can decide if they need to make a purchase to alleviate their tax burden,? he said. ?People wait to the end of the year to make sure that it is a smart business move.?

Gretter said that car sales improve whenever there are deals.

?Car sales used to be cyclical,? Gretter said. ?Now if there are good deals, there are people buying cars.?