SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

Black Friday isn’t just a good time to buy discount TVs and stock up on bargain Christmas presents, according to TrueCar.com.

The day after Thanksgiving is also apparently the best time to buy a new vehicle, as well.

In fact, Truecar.com contends it is the best day to buy a new car out of the entire year.

So why is Nov. 25th a good day to hit the lots?

Company officials assert automakers will be offering significant deals on 2011 and 2012 models, which could potentially save buyers an average of 9.5 percent and up to more than 23 percent on their vehicle purchase.

The company also highlighted the top five best Black Friday deals:

 Year/Make/Model  MSRP  Estimated Net Price* Percent Discount** 
 2011 Mitsubishi Endeavor  $29,109  $22,334  23.3
 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500  $22,230  $17,370  21.9
 2011 Chrysler 200  $21,995  $18,368  16.5
 2011 Nissan Maxima  $32,510  $27,664  14.9
 2012 Ford Escape $25,495  $22,045  13.5

*Estimated Net price is the estimated average transaction price of a vehicle after incentives.
** Percent Discount is rounded to the nearest tenth

“Dealerships offer significant discounts on Black Friday which can save consumers thousands off the purchase of a new vehicle,” said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for TrueCar.com.

“It’s an atypical day to purchase a car since consumers think of retail shopping,  but buying a new vehicle on Black Friday can often lead to big savings,” he continued.

And if consumers don’t make it to the dealership on Black Friday  — though the deals might not be quite so dramatic  — Truecar.com officials noted the following weekend, as well as Monday, still offers some of the best deals of the year. 

According to Truecar.com, the average savings for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday following Black Friday are 8.67 percent, 8.09 percent and 8.46 percent, respectively.

And in more holiday news, TrueCar is also joining in the Black Friday celebrations by helping car shoppers save even more money with a $25,000 giveaway on Nov. 28, and weekly $5,000 prizes through the end of the year.  

Officials explained the promotion is open to car buyers who purchase their vehicles from a TrueCar Certified Dealer during the contest period and report their sale on the TrueCar website. 

For more information, visit www.truecar.com.