Henry Payne
| The Detroit Information
With a dearth of recent vehicles priced below $20,000, common new-car transaction costs pushing $40,000 and automobiles lasting longer than ever, the used-car market is primed for progress as cost-conscious patrons store for his or her subsequent automobiles.
Combine within the COVID epidemic — with monetary insecurity and a reluctance to make use of public transportation — and the used market exploded. And a number of the hottest commodities on the market? Used Japanese sedans.
The second half of 2020 noticed the most well liked pre-owned automobile market in years. In June alone, used-vehicle gross sales had been up 22% — probably the most since 2007, in accordance with Edmunds.com. Edmunds sees that development persevering with in 2021 with a forecast of used-vehicle gross sales up 7% to 41 million bought.
After the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado pickups (persistently the highest two best-selling used automobiles), the following best-sellers had been the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima and Toyota Corolla.
Sedans may be taking a backseat to vehicles and SUVs within the new-vehicle market, however on the pre-owned lot, their affordability and gas effectivity stay irresistible. Mixed with wholesome, prolonged warranties and extra sturdy chassis and drivetrains, sedans are profitable over prospects and incomes model loyalty for brand new patrons.
Jennifer Nickerson, 39, of Westland purchased a used 2017 Honda Accord for her household this fall. She traded in her husband’s used Ram 1500 pickup at LaFontaine Honda in Dearborn.
“Gasoline costs introduced him to the Accord,” stated Nickerson, who purchased the glossy made-in-Ohio sedan for $15,000 with about 30,000 miles on the odometer. “The pickup was a monster to refill.”
Sellers say gas financial system is a typical purpose for going with used sedans. The Accord, for instance, will get 30 mpg in comparison with the thirsty Ram V-8’s 17.
However there are different components that affect patrons that uniquely profit sedans. They’re typically $1,000-$1,500 cheaper than comparable SUVs, which means Nickerson’s $15,000 Accord was not solely a whopping $10,000 cheaper than a brand new 2020 mannequin, nevertheless it was cheaper than a comparable Honda CR-V SUV. With a 16-year-old son beginning to drive, affordability was key.
That affordability got here with an prolonged, bumper-to-bumper guarantee of eight years/120,000 miles — higher than a brand new Accord at three years/36,000 miles.
Lafontaine Automotive Group Used Automobile Director Eric Benson stated Dickerson’s expertise just isn’t uncommon. Mix low rates of interest, elevated new-car lease charges and prolonged warranties, and he says used automobiles “can value two-thirds of the value of a brand new automobile.”
Along with veteran prospects like Nickerson, Benson says used vehicles have change into key to luring first-time patrons.
So profitable has Honda been at attracting first-time prospects by means of its pre-owned enterprise that it now presents a gross sales portal for used vehicles by means of its personal producer web site. It is the primary mass-market model to take action.
“Rising new-vehicle transaction costs make used and authorized pre-owned automobiles an more and more necessary entry level to automobile possession for each younger and first-time patrons,” Honda stated in launching the service this month.
Detroit manufacturers additionally see used vehicles as key to bringing in new patrons as Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler all exit the small-car market.
“Promoting new vehicles below $20,000 is a money-loser for Detroit producers,” stated LaFontaine’s Benson. “They will’t make them at a revenue. So they’re more and more emphasizing the licensed, pre-owned market to maintain getting new prospects into their manufacturers.”
Benson’s colleague, Gordy Koenig, stated LaFontaine Group’s used-car gross sales are up 10% this 12 months over final, with continued progress forward. He’s predicting a 15% improve in 2021.
Bumper.com’s Alessandro Mannino sees the identical development nationally. Bumper examined over 134,000 automobile searches throughout all 50 states from April 1-Sept. 15 to observe shopping for traits.
“A whole lot of this has been pushed by individuals in locations like New York Metropolis the place they’re transferring out of the town and wish a automobile,” he stated. Plant shutdowns brought on by the pandemic in spring tightened new-car inventories and wallets. An aversion to public transit and ride-sharing drove extra patrons into the automobile market.
For instance, the No. 1 used (and new) Honda/Acura seller within the nation this summer time was Paragon Honda in Queens, as New York residents swarmed the dealership searching for fuel-efficient, metro-friendly sedans.
“Nobody goes into New York. It’s a ghost city,” stated Paragon common supervisor Brian Benstock, noting subway ridership has plummeted from 5 million a day to 1.2 million. “Individuals are working from house, they’re unemployed, they aren’t comfy driving on a subway, bus or rideshare. Twenty-five p.c of that market is shifting to private, used automobiles.”
Bumper.com’s information signifies the inexpensive sedan development might be right here to remain as patrons discover good vehicles with out new automobile costs.
“The common age of automobiles searched is 12 years previous,” stated Mannino. “That exhibits customers are prepared to purchase older automobiles they see as dependable automobiles. General, pickup vehicles are the preferred automobile for used-car patrons. However after that, sedans had been the most-searched automobiles in 11 states, whereas SUVs had been the most-searched in solely three.”
Solely the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Explorer (No. 9 and No.10 respectively) SUVs broke the High 10. The common oldest automobiles searched are the Honda Accord and Ford Mustang (15 years every).
The Ford F-150 (Ford was the most-searched automobile in 31 states) and Chevy Silverado pickups had been the preferred used-car searches, dominating throughout the southern, center and western states. However midsize and compact sedans — led by Honda — had been No.1 in states as diverse as California, Connecticut, Georgia and Virginia.
With regulatory prices and the addition of recent electronics driving up new-vehicle prices, each U.S. and overseas manufacturers have seen common new-car transition costs soar. Kelley Blue Ebook experiences the common new-car transaction worth at $39,259 for November.
LaFontaine’s Koenig says the used market is more and more necessary as a refuge for cost-conscious patrons: “Seventy to 80% of our gross sales are for automobiles lower than $20,000.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit Information. Discover him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
Let’s block adverts! (Why?)
