What Are You Doing For Presidents Day?

Presidents Day car specials may seem like a recent idea, but they actually date back more than a century. Long ago, on gloomy February days with the roads a mess, car salespeople would chain-smoke and complain how few customers came into their showrooms during the coldest, shortest month of the year. But they knew the year's first holiday weekend would drum up business when there wasn't any. Their plan: plaster the airwaves and newspapers with car specials exclusively on Presidents Day weekend. They started pasting George Washington's face next to cars and handed out balloons. While many taxpayers are still looking at filing in far-off April, those with straightforward returns who file early can get their refunds back around—you guessed it—Presidents' Day. Consumers don't have an IRS check in hand yet, are already anticipating its arrival. A tax refund makes for a good down payment on a car, crossover, or truck, particularly when combined with a trade-in. What will you be doing on Presidents Day?