Consumer Reports Talks To 'Auto Trends' About Their First Used Car Brand Study

Consumer Reports' Connecticut test track (Photo Credit: CR)

With the average transaction price of a new-vehicle hovering around $48,000, buying used is the best option for many of today's car buyers seeking an affordable alternative. Also, in the history of analyzing car prices, this is first time there has been a $20,000 gap between both the average new and used car pricing.

Alex Knizeck, Consumer Reports' associate director of auto test development joins Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the longest running weekly syndicated multicultural automotive program in North America, for an engaging one-on-one conversation. 

Car Shoppers Beware: Several Ways To Navigate The Covid-19 Price Increases

 

Its not uncommon these days to see virtually empty car lots. This is as a result of  auto manufacturing plants closing last spring, at the request of the government to combat Covid-19. Ironically, almost a year later, the auto industry is still reeling from the closures in both the new and used car markets. Thus, this has led to a historic price surge in both the new and used car markets. In some cases a market adjustment have been applied to some vehicles for dealers to literally capitalize upon the inventory imbalance.

Moreover, throughout the pandemic, the government has doled out billions in financial incentives to stimulate the economy to business owners, gig workers, parents with young kids under 18 and to most taxpayers, in order to steer clear of another Great Recession. While there is a segment of the population that has been impacted by the hardest hit areas of the economy: travel, hospitality and the restaurant industry, there is a segment of society, who hasn’t missed a beat, in terms of their income, with the ability to work from home all while taking care of their kids. With this being the case, according to J.D. Power Insights, the sales of new vehicles in the U.S. priced above $80,000 more than doubled in the first five month of 2021, when compared to the same period in 2019.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) And Consumer Reports Recommends These Cars For Teen Drivers

 

2014 Mazda3

For the first time, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Consumer Reports have

Editor's Commentary: When Will The Free Ride End For Tesla?

 

 

Several weeks ago when we reached out to Tesla for an interview to talk about their future in the automotive indsutry, the communication team sent us a standardized reply stating they were unavailable for interviews. However, a week later we noticed that the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, was making his round, appearing on a new nightly show. Yes, we realize the marketing strategy is get as much major exposure as possible, ignoring the smaller outlets. Furthermore, the company, as far as we can tell, isn't spending a dime on advertising. 

What Do These Two Luxury Cars Have In Common?

According to Consumer Reports latest study, these two vehicles ..... to read more, click here.

4 Consumer Car-Buying Trends

• Thirty-seven percent of new-vehicle buyers say that fuel economy is a leading factor in their next purchase, according to Consumer Reports. At 17%, quality is now a distant second to fuel-economy. Based on this data, it suggests that consumers are open to purchase a vehicle with questionable quality, as long as the fuel-economy is exceptional.