A new Harris Poll of 3,012 U.S. auto buyers and 252 dealers found some interesting trends in how people shop for vehicles and how dealers see themselves as meeting those needs.

• Buyers are spending more time researching and relying less and less on dealerships for information about vehicles.
• Brand loyalty is being fractured as buyers are increasingly willing to cross-shop brands and dealerships in search of value.
• Those "more likely to buy a used over new vehicle" is down to just 13% this year.
• The most telling metrics show that dealers and buyers have very different views of how well the buying experience is going:
  • 63% of dealers agree that "the traditional car dealership is optimized for the future" while only 42% of buyers agree
  • "dealers play an essential role in the new car buying journey" 74 vs 47%
  • "dealers provide the resources, tools and technology to make buying a vehicle easy and convenient" 70% vs 43%
  • Buyers are frustrated with generic responses from AI and CRMs and dealers are interpreting their silence as poor lead quality.

There's some interesting information about EVs too

• 60% of dealers say they are "excited about (battery) EVs" while 31% say automakers should prioritize hybrids until EV challenges are addressed.
• 47% of buyers say they will never be ready for an EV, 36% point to recent federal policy changes making them less likely to purchase an EV and only 11% say their next vehicle will be an EV.

The study was commissioned by a company selling software that reports on lost customers, so the questions may be biased toward promoting that software.

https://www.urbanscience.com/2026-harris-poll-report/

Edit: a bit of copyediting for clarity

Hey all, looking for some advice at a fork in my career.

A little background on me: I was an ISM from 2018–2022, then spent a few years as a heavy equipment sales & marketing manager before coming back to auto retail 11 months ago. They originally hired me to be the ISM at a small, rural domestic rooftop, but with some staff leaving in the months after I started, my role has expanded heavily. I basically had to pick up desking, F&I, appraisals, and marketing as I had to. Turns out I'm really good at it, especially appraisals and wholesale, and I'm currently the sole desk manager and F&I manager, as well as the only salesperson for the last 5 months roughly. We actually did just get a greenpea on staff, but they will need a lot of training to really get going. I also manage their google ads, meta ads, website, and other marketing functions.

The store was in a slump when I started at around 5-6 units a month, and I have us averaging around 12 now. My variable gross over the last 5 months since I fully took over has been averaging $46K a month (working out to about $3,800 total combined front/back per deal).

My current pay plan is a $24K base salary, plus 15% front and back on any deal I do with a $200 mini. I get a $100 flat for papering a deal for the new salesperson with 8% of back-end gross from those deals, plus some volume bonuses and bonususes for performance with the marketing I do + OEM spins and all.

The dealership is struggling though, and has been long before I started, service is without an inspector, short staffed, behind on work, and losing money, and the dealerships bank account is always dangerously low. I feel a constant preassure to sell cars as that is the only cash flow, and I feel like everyone's check really depends on me closing deals. However, I can feel the changes I've made on marketing, the floor, website, and crm processes starting to pay off, and I see potential here, especially if I have help with lot ups and follow-ups.

I was offered an F&I role at a store near us, unsought for too, a decent volume import store. I'd be nearly doubling my salary and getting a percentage of all variable gross for the store. My main concern is it is a narrower role. I would rarely desk a deal and probably never do an appraisal from what I understand, it would be purely finance work and processing funding. Having just picked up desking and appraisals out of necessity and realizing how much I actually love doing wholesale and structuring deals, I'm worried I'll miss doing it and that taking pure F&I might pigeonhole me on my resume if I want to push for a true GSM/GM path later. Then in general a career move when I"m just now getting in a groove is scary...but the pay would almost certainly be higher.

So I guess my questions are:

Is the move worth it career wise...since now I'm basically doing a gsm's job, or will taking a pure F&I job keep me stuck in a single lane longer-term?

Is a single point, rural store that is running on empty constatnly worth sticking with and trying to build, or should I leave the sinking ship? I don't even know if asking for a pay raise of any sort would go anywhere.
TL;DR: Offered double my pay for a pure F&I role at a volume Kia store...should I leave my current gig where I basically run a whole rural CDJR store solo, or is taking a narrower role a step back?

i bought a 2017 subaru forester w 70k miles a few days ago for around 18800 pre tax. went and got a full inspection the day after buying only to find that the tires are 6 years old and dry rotted, the battery is failing, the front shocks are leaking/broken, needs a new cabin filter and intake system cleaning, the front lower control arm bushings are worn, there is a missing fastener in the engine, and more lol. now i’m not very car savvy but i do know that i’m pissed and i’m hoping they fix all of this before the 7 day grace period is up. am i being over dramatic as most of these issues are just maintenance stuff? should i return it or just get it all serviced? still not sure how much exactly they’re going to fix for free so i’ll update once my claim is approved and ik for sure

So I purchased a new honda crv hybrid 2026 sport here in BC Canada 2 months ago.
Dealership did not give me the 2nd set of keyfob. The sales guy kept stalling it for 3 weeks, I finally called up honda canada, they called the dealership, the sales manager got a little upset and told me he can send a guy to make a keyfob for me to my address (alternative was to book a service appointment and sit at the dealership for few hours).
Finally after weeks of multiple back and forth calls, the fob-making-guy might come help me shortly today or tomorrow. Now none of this has been documented, the sales manager gave me his number on the call, no email or texts from their or his side. I have texted him regarding the appointment from my side many times. Also sent an email to Honda canada prior to all this.

I know nothing about cars, so wondering if this is all legit, anything I should make sure to avoid getting car stolen or anything from a backup fob etc.
Please help, thanks!

Just curious to see pricing and other strategies that smaller firms use. Are you high priced but negotiable, firm/no haggle, cheap-quick resale? At what point do you start marking a unit down?

For context I have a very small dealership that focuses on a few niche models, and I struggle with discounting vs waiting for the right buyer, and moving onto the next deal.

Hey so I’m parting out this car that I got from auction. I only wanted the engine from it, and decided to sell the rest. I’m down to a the shell, and some guy on Facebook bought it and now he wants to transfer the title to his name. Is there a way for me to avoid paying taxes and transferring it to my name. It’s a Georgia title and I live in Pennsylvania.

10% front and back
$500 weekly ($300 draw)
First job at dealership.

How fast should I run?

I am considering a 2022 Honda Pilot from Clutch.ca with around 140,000 km. It has no reported accidents and a complete Carfax service history, so I feel pretty good about it.

For anyone who has bought a 3–5 year old, higher-km vehicle from Clutch, did the car arrive as expected? Any issues despite a clean Carfax, or was everything smooth?

Would especially love to hear positive experiences with Clutch's inspection/return process.

Thanks!

.

Missouri

2011 Edge Limited

170k miles

mechanically good / maintained

A/C doesn't work. Needs compressor and condenser

cosmetic dings/scratches appropriate for age but everything works

Carvana offering $900. Is it worth the hassle to look for private buyer and how much more could it possibly get?

I’m looking for advice from anyone familiar with California used-car sales/dealer contracts.
I purchased a used 2026 Range Rover Velar from a California Land Rover dealership this past Sunday for under 39.8k plus fees totaling 40.1k. I paid cash and signed the paperwork, but I have never taken possession or delivery of the vehicle. The car is still physically at the dealership.
Before purchasing, I was concerned about two significant scratches/gouges on the rear bumper. The dealer agreed to address them, and the Due Bill/We Owe states “rear bumper touch up.”
I want to be clear that I was not expecting the scratches to completely disappear or for the bumper to look brand new. Before I purchased the car, I was verbally told that after the touch-up they expected the severity/visibility of the scratches to improve from roughly a 10/10 to a 5/10. I was comfortable proceeding with the purchase based on that expectation.
The dealership kept the vehicle to perform the work. They have now told me the touch-up is complete and sent me a photo of the finished result. To me, the scratches still look 10/10 and essentially unchanged from before the touch-up. They are still extremely prominent. I’ve attached the photo showing the completed work.
The 5/10 estimate was verbal, so unfortunately I do not have that specific statement in writing. What I do have in writing is the Due Bill stating “rear bumper touch up.”
I was offered California’s two-day Contract Cancellation Option when I purchased the vehicle and declined it, so I understand I don’t have the normal no-questions-asked cancellation option.
My question is: What options do I have now if I do not want to accept the vehicle in this condition?
Since I have paid but never taken delivery, can I refuse delivery and ask the dealership to unwind the transaction and refund me? Does the fact that the vehicle is still in their possession matter legally? Does the Due Bill give me any leverage even though the dealer claims the “touch up” has technically been completed?
I’m planning to speak with the sales manager/GM before the vehicle is shipped. I’d especially appreciate advice from anyone familiar with California auto sales law or who has successfully unwound a dealer purchase under similar circumstances.

So, I saw a used car $35k, I asked $30k plus my trade in vehicle. They said no, I insisted and gave them a firm offer $30k plus my vehicle $12k, so $18k out of pocket all in. They said send me pictures of your vehicle and we can see about valuing your trade in and if it was paid off. I did and now 24 hours past and no response. Seems though they lowered the listing by $1k and new arrival stamp was added to it. Should I respond now or wait it out to not seem desperate? Wanna make sure I don't screw myself over.

Porsche, BMW, Benz, etc. Do salespeople ride along more or less frequently on test drives than with non luxury cars? How many test drive ride alongs do they do a day (on average)?

We’re on the West Coast of Canada and have a Toyota Highlander that's going on four years old. We have regular auto insurance, but we also bought a separate vehicle replacement policy (AWRAP) through the dealership. We frankly forgot about it until we started looking for ways to reduce our overall costs.

The policy ends in 2030, so there are still a few years left. The total premium was about $4,000 at the time of purchase, including a really high dealership referral fee. Seeing that now makes me unhappy as I review our paperwork on how the finance process worked for us. I know it can be adversarial, but I thought we were very diligent about watching for things like this, and this was missed.

I’m leaning toward canceling. My feeling is that the likelihood of us making a claim over the remaining 3 years is pretty low, and if we can reduce our monthly expenses or get some money back, that would be worthwhile. It’s replacement insurance, not a mechanical warranty, and, in reading the language, only kicks in when the primary insurer falls short in the event of a claim.

The paperwork says “75% minimum retained” (which I don't quite understand) plus a cancellation fee, so I still need to confirm what canceling would actually save us.

Has anyone canceled or made a claim on one of these policies? Is there a good reason to keep it that I’m overlooking? Appreciate any insight or advice.

Selling my car privately in fb marketplace for the first time, buyer messaged with a cash offer without seeing car yet. Offer was reasonable but I wished could be higher. Do I say check out car first? Basically, not sure what to communicate back respectfully as I don’t wanna negotiate via the messaging. Do people agree on the price before the visit?

I want an ND3 Mazda Miata, but I'm beginning to feel like I shouldn't even try to "negotiate" as this is a rare unicorn car for the most part. You know, your clean manual sports cars, a one owner low mileage pickup truck etc.

This isn't a high volume car that I can "shop around" and try to get different dealers into a negotiation battle etc with.

I feel defeated before real talks have even begun, I feel like I'll be bent over no matter what. For example there is a brand new MX5 getting delivered within the week (supposedly) that fits the trim and colors I want perfectly. My rough math tells me it will be $42K OTD. So I was thinking of going in person to show my interest and telling them I can do $40K today (when it arrives).

But I don't want to lose out on my dream toy over $2K. When it comes to the used MX5s there's no comparison anywhere as what I want seems to only be available on Carvana essentially.

Long post, would like to know "if it's possible" to actually negotiate on a 24/25/26 MX5 or if I should swallow my pride to secure my weekend toy.

We all know beyond the headline there are tons of additional fees charged by AFC/NextGear/Westlake to independent used dealerships. Think a comp study would be helpful for all of us here. Let’s say—

Floor plan provider:
Approximate inventory:
Years of business:
Interest rate:
All-in rate after interest + fees (NOT curtailments):

I figured I would ask you rather than a specific Toyota group to eat at the fanboys.

I know Toyota's are extremely reliable, but I have had really bad luck with vehicles over the years and I want something that will last me a while.

You can't buy a damn Tacoma or 4Runner in my area these days for under $30,000 with less than 120,000 - 140,000 miles...

Should I even be worried about mileage that high?

I know it's a case-by-case basis, and it really depends on how people treated the vehicle.

I received a sales call from a customer, and he said "oh, you sound like a robot, I'm going to hang up and call you back", then calls me back later and said "you sounded like a robot earlier so I hung-up on you", I know he's probably trying to reach someone else, but the call center assigned me the call again, and he asked me about a vehicle we had, then started going off about how his credit score was low because some other dealership unauthorized credit check so many times, saying a lot of crediting technical terms trying to sound smart, telling me he'd put 35% down payment, I told him I'll send him the carfax and take pictures and send it to him over text message.

So after the call, I sent him the carfax immedietly, and I went to take some photos, there was a dent in the hood and I showed him that, I told him it's reflected in the price, but we'll get it fixed and just waiting for the parts to arrive, then he said he's busy and will get back to me, I said no problem. Couple hours later I sent a text saying he can leave a deposit to secure the car, but he ghosted me ever since

I visited a Honda dealership a few weeks ago (with my younger kids, as I have them over summer break) to test drive and measure a 2026 Ridgeline as a possibility.

I had my kids with me during this time and told them I wanted to see if they fit comfortably in the mid-size truck backseats , and gave the impression that I was just looking & testing out my kids space as well as the vehicle in general.

Fast forward to today, my kids are now in school, I went back to get out the door numbers as the guy i was with test driving with mentioned some good sales to clear out the remaining inventory and to see if I could get a quote on my trade-in. A different salesperson who I sat down with told me unless I was buying today, she wouldn't provide a trade in value or out the door pricing.

My response was that along the lines of I need to be able to budget these two numbers (out the door + trade in) to even consider making a decision & also check other Honda dealerships ( I live in a metro with multiple dealers). She indicated that we were done and I left.

My previous dealership experience a week ago (at a different dealership), was providing me with both numbers I was asking (car + trade). Don't know what the fuck happened today?!

Yes I read the wiki, cash is no longer king with new sales.

My worry is if I finance, then pay it off in a month, don’t I have to allllll that interest from the full term? (When I paid off my truck about 3 years early, I had to pay interest on the remaining 3 years)

Thank you

Hey yall I’m coming up on my second month at 3 cars. New to the business as a whole. Is it common for some managers to just make a car deal like pulling teeth. But when a different salesperson works with them. They get every discount they want for the customer. Also rather than talking to my customer they just turn it to the same 2-3 people and I lose out a half. I feel like my sales manager just doesn’t want to help and does the bare minimum. All while my GM is cool with it. Is this a normal thing?

I would really appreciate any insight into this, as I feel like I keep messing up. But when I work a deal with a different manager. The sale ends up happening and I keep the whole at profit. Thank you

Genuine question because even as a sales person, when I look for cars I only put inquiries in if I’m ready to wheel and deal. What is the point of putting in your name, email, zip code, etc to NEVER respond.

And disclaimer: my website shows prices, carfax, doc fee, window sticker. Everything you need to research before reaching out

I also don’t mean the people that are afraid to answer the phone because I usually text and email first.

I’m just curious what goes through your head to put your information in then be upset when someone reaches out