When Jeanette Coury and her husband shopped for a car in late May, it took only about a week to search online, test drive a 2018 Nissan Rogue and drive away the next day with a “really great deal.”
The Towson couple found themselves back in the market about a month later, after the Nissan was hit, then totaled. Searching for a similar SUV, they were shocked at how fast the market had turned on its head.
“The experience was the exact opposite,” said Coury, who went back online and made the rounds to the same dealers. “I knew what I wanted and I knew what I wanted to spend, and I couldn’t find a blessed thing.”
With thin inventory in both new and used vehicles, consumers are finding sparse selection, higher prices, longer than usual waits and little wiggle room for negotiating. Some vehicles cost thousands of dollars more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, or MSRP. Cars viewed online are sold in no time. Some popular used models are fetching more now than they did a couple of years ago.The Baltimore Sun
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Lorraine Mirabella over at The Baltimore Sun
