The Car Allowance Rebate System is now officially over. The hugely successful program created massive results in the automotive industry. The first result of course was the huge jump in new automobile sales across the nation. Dealers felt like they were back in the “good ole” days of selling cars. The second result the CARS program brought was mixed feeling on dealer’s pre-owned inventory. Some dealers did not see much of a change in the sales of pre-owned vehicles, as people who did not qualify for the CARS program could easily buy a pre-owned vehicle. However most dealers saw pre-owned sales drop and even worse, a huge drop in trade-in vehicles (since all trade-ins from the CARS program were to be crushed).
One dealer, Preston Automotive Group, has seen both good and bad outcomes from the CARS program (mostly good). Preston Automotive who collectively did 330 CARS deals in the Maryland and Delaware areas saw a rather large increase for the dealer group. Sales went up, but trade-in vehicles were low. Sure most of the trade-ins were “clunkers”
The Preston dealership network serving Maryland, Delaware and Virginia has taken full advantage of the program, dedicating countless hours and even an entire building reserved as their CARS information center. After all the work that the employees at Preston had put in, even after the program is over more work is still ahead. However this time the priority is pre-owned inventory.
Many dealers are doing the same thing, even the dealers who are not franchise owners are scrambling to gain more pre-owned inventory. “Sure we can gain more pre-owned vehicles from auto auctions like Manheim, but the reality is that auto auctions are not enough. We must get quality trade-ins straight from the customers themselves to keep inventory levels up,” states Russ Nickerson who oversees all pre-owned inventory for Preston Autoplex.
Preston Autoplex, part of the Preston Automotive Group, has started a new promotion to help gain more inventory. The promotion is simple, Preston wants your vehicle. Preston Automotive is willing to pay top dollar (which means paying good or even excellent condition on Kelly Blue Book standards for fair and poor condition vehicles) for a vehicle even if that customer does not purchase a new vehicle from the dealership itself. “Why waste time trying to sell the vehicle yourself, when you can bring it here and let us sell it for you,” states Chris Marks, the General Manager of Preston Autoplex.
With many programs coming out by dealers designed to increase pre-owned sales and inventory, the wave that comes after the CARS program will be pre-owned vehicles.
About Preston Automotive Group
Preston Automotive Group services the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania area with Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Hyundai, Nissan, Mazda, Suzuki and Chevrolet brands. The auto group carries the largest selection of new and used cars. Additionally, the dealership services all makes and models, both imported and domestic cars with ASE certified and factory trained technicians. Preston Commercial Division also has Fully Certified Ford & Cummins Techs.
To learn more, visit http://www.prestonmotor.com/
For more information:
Brent Durham
Preston Automotive Group
Internet Marketing Manager
410.673.7171 ext. 1148
bdurham@prestonmotor.com
