Apr 28th, 2008 by Liz Opsitnik
Gas prices are still on the rise. What a shocker, right? Car dealers know this and they know that fuel-efficient, smaller cars are big sellers right now. With big, gas guzzling SUV’s and trucks sitting on their lots, dealers might not give you such a great deal on a smaller car right now.For those who were thinking about an SUV but are leaning more toward a sedan because of gas prices, don’t expect to negotiate a good deal with the dealer because with more demand on sedans, dealers know they can get more for them.
Bankrate.com reports that in March, 40 percent of new vehicles sold had four-cylinder engines, eclipsing sales of six-cylinder and V8 cars and trucks. The site also says that people are driving less because of outrageous gas prices. They claim that in a survey last month of 1,000 adults, about 64 percent said that gas prices have caused them to alter their driving habits, 19 percent said they have cut back their driving enough to affect their daily lives, and 5 percent said they have stopped driving altogether.
Although sedans have far less profit built into them than SUV’s and big luxury sedans, it seems like the dealers are going to do everything they can to get the largest amount of profit out of these smaller cars. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get a good deal on a fuel-efficient, smaller car, but the deals might be harder to come by.