Main Dealers Keep Used Car Sales Going
It would be an enormous understatement to say that the recession has been bad news for businesses, especially the auto industry. However, recent statistics have shown that car sales are on the up and the last month saw the first growth in a long time. Strangely though, new car sales aren't as strong as the growth as that in used cars.
Now is clearly the time to be getting bargains on used cars. But why? Given the continual updates about the little amount of their original value that cars maintain, it's no wonder people are still hesitant about buying brand new cars. The under-acheiving Alfa Romeo 166, for example was recently named as the worst offender in value retention, keeping just 14 percent of it's original 30k value after 3 years. I'm sure I'm not the only person to have heard the notion that a car loses value the second after it rolls off the forecourt.
While that's bad news for those who do buy new, it means that those looking for a new car can find a real bargain that's not really that old at all. Buyers could be looking at getting a car for around half its original value after only a couple of years. Then again, this isn't exactly a new thing. It's been many a year since "used car" mean a bucket of bolts. Depreciation isn't a recent addition to the Collins English.
It could be argued that automotive manufacturers have, relatively, recently woken up to the potential of this market more and begun to offer a lot more incentive for used-car buyers. While you may well by a used car as-seen when dropping cash privately, or even at a used-car dealer, buying a used-car from an automotive main-dealer offers plenty of assurance.
Look at a scheme like Ford Direct, one of many manufacturer incentives. Deals like this means that used cars are available at competitive prices but come backed up with warranties, assistance and checks. So while yes, you may pay a bit more for a used car with a main dealer, you get a whopping great bit of peace-of-mind that you don't necessarily get from the pages of your local want-ads.
There's also the added bonus that many main-dealer type deals like this offer part-exchange deals. Money from your old car, off the value of a used car (which already offers savings on the new-price) makes a very tempting offer. Especially when you consider that during the first couple of years of their life, cars are regularly serviced at main-dealer and manufacturer-approved service centres.
So you could end up with a used car that's only a couple of years old for considerably less than it's original price but has been nursed by main-dealer mechanices and comes backed up with inspections and warranties. Plus, once that initial drop in value retention, cars don't shed their value anywhere near as quick in the subsequent years.
With such assurance and value available from main dealers, it's no wonder, then, that so many people are taking advantage and used car sales are on the up.
About the Author:
Tony is an online marketer and researcher. He is currently researching Ford Direct Sussex and Ford Direct
Article Marketing
6 people like this article
