Rick Popely, writing in the Chicago Tribune, reports that with the increased pressure of a downtrend in the economy, more and more car buyers are choosing to buy used cars:
“In a slowing economy rocked by increasing prices for staples such as gasoline and food, the willingness to spend on big-ticket items took a dramatic turn in March, when new-vehicle sales plunged 12 percent from a year ago, confirming skittishness among consumers and pointing toward more difficult days ahead. This is shaping up to be the worst year for vehicle manufacturers in at least a decade, and analysts don’t see a return to form until 2010 at the earliest.”
Although luxury car brands tend to feel the pinch a little less during a downturn, the awareness of costs have been driving changes even at the top of the car market. For several years, car enthusiasts in Dallas with a desire to drive the latest exotic cars have been doing it in a financially sound way: by joining DFW Elite Car Club.com, a car sharing club in Dallas-Fort Worth dedicated to luxury and high performance cars.
“With an increasing variety of exotic cars costing well over 200k, it makes sense for those with a passion for driving the best cars in the world, to join a car club,” says Tom Warren, General Manager of the two-year-old DFW car club. An excellent online directory to exotic car clubs (http://www.exoticcarclubs.com/) can help you find a car sharing club near you.
“I don’t believe that the economic downturn will cause the typical Lamborghini Gallardo buyer to consider a used one,” says Mr. Warren. “The high cost of maintaining such cars and the value of the dealer’s coverage that comes with a new exotic car makes a new 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo attractive to those who might otherwise buy a used one,” says the Dallas car club executive.
“We’re very fortunate to have a clientele that appreciates that value of the innovative products that we have created for car enthusiasts throughout Texas,” says Mr. Warren. “Our full day exotic car driving tours continue to sell out in Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio,” reports Warren.
DFW Drive Your Dream tour participants get a chance to drive five supercars in a single day. For upcoming tour dates call 214.247.4700 or visit http://www.dfwdriveyourdream.com/
The trend toward used vehicles isn’t doing anything to help the ailing American automakers, says the Chicago Tribune article: “New-vehicle sales were down 8 percent in the first quarter, to 3.6 million vehicles, and J.D. Power predicts calendar year sales of 14.95 million, the lowest since 1995. Power’s original forecast for 2008, issued in December, was for 15.7 million sales.”
Read the rest of this story by freelance writer Kate Miller Wilson on our exotic car rental news page.
