Used car sales could boom this spring

Over the past two years, consumers have begun to arrive at dealerships knowing exactly what type of vehicle they want, and not just out of boredom or curiosity, said Tom Castriota, owner of Castriota Chevrolet in Hudson, Fla. He expects this to continue. spring.

“They say, ‘I need an SUV that can carry six people,’ or ‘I need a truck that can tow X pounds,'” Castriota said. “We just don’t see the person come in and say, ‘Oh, show me what you got in a used van. “

As consumers begin to spend their tax refunds on used vehicles, dealer days’ supply could potentially shrink, said Dale Pollak, executive vice president of Cox Automotive.

Castriota said his store’s supply may not dwindle quickly in the spring because his dealership caters to a community of mostly retirees. But when General Motors’ production of new vehicles increases, it will help boost trade at its store and put used models back in the pipeline, he said.

Binder said he doesn’t expect a major drop in the day supply of used vehicles at Len Stoler Automotive Group this spring.

“We’re obviously very lean on the new car side with daytime supply,” Binder said. “On the used car side, we’re preparing for it. We’re planning. We’re buying cars now.”

Dillard, of Team Auto Group, said his group would continue to obtain inventory from a variety of sources – auction sites, drive-thru, customer databases and off-street. It “totally” expects wholesale prices for used vehicles to remain high.

Team Auto Group’s marketing will remain entirely digital and data-driven in the coming months, Dillard said. The group is only looking for buyers they know in the market to buy a vehicle.

“We still want to be incredibly manufacturer-friendly,” she said, “but there’s just no need to advertise new cars as much now, so we’re putting more emphasis on our new cars. opportunity until inventory improves.”

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