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3:37 a.m. • 2-11-12

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Fuel prices driving motorists to trade in autos


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Used cars
Used cars

Although they won't release specific numbers, some local auto dealerships say they are seeing an increase in the number of motorists looking to trade in and scale back on their vehicles for something more economical.

"We're seeing a shift from large SUVs to more fuel-efficient vehicles," said David Brown, sales manager of Carmax in Raleigh.

And it appears many drivers are heading to used lots to find a cheaper way to make the switch.

"We are seeing, actually, a higher sales volume because of that," said Bill Hooten, general manager of City Used Cars Inc.

Hooten says he keeps small foreign cars up front to increase traffic.

"Right now, the market is dictating a small gas-economy car," he said.

Some dealers say they have also seen some customers who plan to hold on to their SUVs but want to buy something used and smaller to drive to work.

"(They're just looking for) something just to commute or something with better gas mileage," Hooten said. "And (they) don't care how old it is, in some cases."

On the trade, large trucks and SUVs aren't worth as much anymore.

"I'm not going to be shocked, I think, when it comes back, and I see that its dropped quite a bit," said Delia Sturla, who is looking to replace her SUV.

She and others say it's all in the numbers and that it may be worth a loss if, in the end, the number on the sticker beats the number at the pump.

RELATED TOPICS: Raleigh

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colliedave June 23, 2008 8:11 p.m. --- England is over 9/gal. Other places in Europe are at over 7/gal. We are still holding at around 4/gal for prices. ----------------

colliedave, from what i understand, England's fuel prices are 9/gal because more than 1/2 of the price includes fuel and other taxes.

Do any of you remember in the 70's the national speed was reduced to 55 on all roads. Recently we were on a trip we planned for a lifetime, we took a trip out west. While we were riding out we started talking about the 70's; so we slowed down to a maximum speed of 60 mph. We have a Honda Odyssey and we were getting 22.5 to 24.1 going 70-75 on interstates, by slowing down to 60 we got 28.5 to 30.2 mpg. Think about it!

England is over 9/gal. Other places in Europe are at over 7/gal. We are still holding at around 4/gal for prices.

Guess why? It isn't the because of any supply/demand issues but socialized medicine. Do you really want to pay $8 for a simple cup of coffee or $65 for a pizza? So much for "free" health care.

Bring back the Ford Pinto. It was a great car. Plus I loved the yeasted AMC Pacer, it was fast, reliable and lots of storage space for my soccer balls. Plus it was kewl to drive.....

Wow, Americans is some stoopid consumers to be blindsided by this...

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