The used-car market is often labeled the hidden market of cars, as buyers in that segment are often invisible to the majority of auto industry practitioners. But the used-car market offers many advantages for consumers, including more choice, more price competition and more features, over new-car models.
It’s not just that used cars are often “last years cars.” Used cars represent the beginning of the production of new-car models, used cars in huntsville al as many of these cars are scrapped at the end of their lease or at the end of the warranty period.
Today’s new cars go out the door with many more features than the first-generation Ford Pinto, but the basic architecture is the same, and they are still built using the same manufacturing processes. They are also all built to the same quality standards, which can make some newer cars seem like antiques. That’s not the case with used cars, as they are from a broader range of years and make and models.
Besides the problem of being time capsules of last year’s cars, used cars can be easier to service, even when they aren’t that old. Part of that is due to an ability to add features such as air conditioning, power windows, power steering and parking brake light bulbs (it’s hard to fix a power steering system when there’s no steering wheel), but it also allows mechanics to access a wider range of problems.
They are also often cheaper than new cars. Even if you can’t find a used car at the price you want, the used car market works in the favor of consumers, who can save money by buying at a lower price and then getting more from the longer warranty.
Car dealers have been moving to fewer, larger sales lots, as well. It’s hard to imagine a Honda Accord at a typical dealer’s location today, used cars in huntsville al and an interesting question is whether that environment is more or less attractive for used cars.
In the early 1990s, dealers had more space for used cars as the number of new-car models grew, so they could have a more expansive used car section. But today, with the percentage of the car market accounted for by used vehicles at its highest level ever, there’s less room at the sales lot for new cars. In the short-term, that is a problem. But it’s also an opportunity for automakers to rebuild their image, as well as create a new type of car to appeal to buyers.
