eniaFE car services is offering the answer by asking a simple question: Who do you want to buy a car from?
In this week’s installment of the Talking Cars series, the automaker will be asking this question again: Who does the average American buy a used car from in 2019, and what are the chances that a car purchased from an auto dealer will be used?
We asked two experts in this topic, EniaFE Senior Director of Research and Analysis David Buehler and EniaFinder Senior Research Analyst Dan Lippman, to compile this answer.
“The first thing to note is that consumers will still be buying vehicles from their local dealership,” said Lippmann.
“They will still want to see the vehicle used and have confidence in the product they’re buying.”
“This will also apply to any vehicle they plan to buy,” said Buehl.
“If you plan on buying a vehicle from a dealership, you want it to be the first vehicle you purchase.
This is something that is consistent with consumer preferences and the consumer’s desire to know how the vehicle is being used and will be safe and efficient.”
They will be purchasing fewer used vehicles, but still have the same number of used cars sold.”””
The typical buyer will buy about 6,500 new vehicles this year, which is less than the 8,500 vehicles sold in 2019.
They will be purchasing fewer used vehicles, but still have the same number of used cars sold.””
I think we are seeing a gradual shift from an all-out push to purchase used cars,” said Hockley.
“That’s where we are, and it will continue to get worse in 2019 as more and more consumers get into the market.”
The biggest driver of this trend will be more affordable options for consumers.
For example, if consumers are able to get a used vehicle for under $10,000, they are likely to do so, said Littman.
And then there are the older models, like the Nissan Pathfinder and the Jeep Renegade.
“We are seeing these older vehicles being replaced by newer vehicles, like Subaru Forester and the Volkswagen Jetta, that are getting more and the vehicles are going to be more fuel efficient,” said Sperling.
“And we are also seeing older vehicles that are being replaced with newer vehicles that have lower prices, like Cadillac Escalade and the Ford F-150.”
With that said, Lippom said the trend toward fewer used car purchases will continue.
“There will be less used car sales overall in 2019 than there were in 2019 and 2019 will be a great year for sales,” he said.
“In fact, we expect to see a slight decline in used car volumes as consumers are going back to buying more traditional vehicles, and they are also going to spend less on fuel-efficient cars.”