Dale-we just finished one of our best months in total sales in years delivering as many new Chevy passenger cars -34- in the last three days of April as we had in the previous 27 days for a total of 68 cars. GM put an additional $1,000 on top of all other incentives on their least expensive vehilces -AVEO, COBALT, and IMPALA an boy did it work! The bad news is the vehilces that don’t get 30 mpg or more are getting old on the lot! WE also have noticed that a dramatic increase in the number of customers wanting to trade their really old high mile, low mpg unit in on old not quite as high mile but much better mpg used car vs. looking at a new car. We have also noticed many more customers wanting to trade “down” from their ‘05-’07 models to much older units and that KBB and NADA are several thosand $$$ high on used full size pick-up and SUV values. Thanksfully we have been a vAuto client since June of ‘05 so we are using your tool to put “real money” in trades based on days supply and auction reports from our market area. What have your clients around the country beeen experiencing?



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I think the oil companies may have stepped a little too fast on this latest round of price increases. Moving from $2 to $3 a gallon seemed to take a lot longer than the move from $3 to $4. People haven’t had a chance to get used to the the $3 price point so the $4 price point seems like a much bigger jump. Lot’s of folks were surprised at how little behavior changed at $3, but the combination of the slowing economy and the rapid acceleration in gas prices seems to be hitting home. Time to add a SmartCar franchise to your dealership.
Mr. Krouse,
Thanks for your insights. There’s no doubt that these are wild and wacky times and we’re seeing a lot of shifts in the market place spurred by the economy and fuel prices. I don’t know how any book can possibly keep up with the turbulent changes, hopefully things will settle down.
The worst things for us as dealers are not the bad conditions as much as the uncertainty of how bad the conditions really are. Such uncertainty keeps consumers on the side-lines and us guessing as to what to stock and how much to pay. It’s times like these that really expose the weakness of so-called “core” or “optimal” stocking modules. My best advice is to keep your eye on the market day’s supply of your inventory. Your attention to this metric will keep you between the lines.
Uncle Phil,
Amen. Yesterday while filling-up the family cruiser the pump shut off not because the tank was full, but because my credit card hit the $75 per fuel charge limit. That’s a depressing moment.
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