It’s no secret that the car-buying market is going through a tough time. Prices are skyrocketing, there is little availability of models, and the shortage of chips and raw materials continues to wreak havoc since the beginning of the pandemic. And the worst thing is that according to experts, such as John Lawler, Ford’s Chief Financial Officer, the lack of inventory will continue in 2022.
“New car inventory was already tight due to coronavirus-related factory shutdowns from last year, and the current global chipset shortage has exacerbated the situation,”
Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ executive director of insights.
One day driving to get a car
During the chaos unleashed by the supply chain problems, consumers were left behind. People like you and I who were planning to finally buy the car of our dreams have instead met with an awful lot of difficulties. If a car is not available in your local market, consider expanding your search nationwide and shipping the car to your door.
Channel 25 reported the cases of hundreds of Americans forced to fly across the country to find the vehicle they want because in their area was not available.
That is the case of Debby Gossett, a young woman who decided to drive 21 hours from California to Texas to return with her new purchase: a Lincoln Aviator, according to Channel 25, Texas.
Although Gossett called her trip “an adventure,” for many of us it is crazy to take time off work, devalue a car we just bought and assume the cost and risks of a cross-country trip, just because the car market is limited.
In fact, according to Edmunds, in 2021 Americans nearly doubled the distance they would be willing to travel to pick up a car. If in 2019 they drove on average (47) miles, two years later they claimed to be willing to drive nearly (80) for that perfect car. And from cases like Gossett’s, or Rachael Kasper, who traveled (537) miles to get her new Ford, as reported in The New York Times, we know that people are willing to do much more.
“New car inventory was already tight due to coronavirus-related factory shutdowns from last year, and the current global chipset shortage has exacerbated the situation,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ executive director of insights. “But car shoppers aren’t being dissuaded by the lack of inventory. They’re demonstrating that they’re ready to go the distance to get their hearts’ desire, even in the midst of a pandemic.”
Distance Vs. car price
Faced with this madness, I decided to do a little more research and try to understand what makes a person travel from coast-to-coast just to buy a car.
One of the first things I came across is that as the price of the car increases, the distance traveled to purchase it doubles, according to Carwow Insight (2016). In other words, the more valuable the car, the more willing a potential buyer is to travel.
The question that kept me wondering while reading about these issues, is why someone would take the time to plan such a trip, buy tickets or drive to pick up their car, but would not consider the much simpler alternative of transporting with a car shipping company.
I found that the main reason people do not ship their cars on a car hauler is because of myths. Yes, that’s right!
Car shipping price
Many people mistakenly believe that shipping a car is extremely expensive, risky, logistically difficult, and time-consuming. However, they might be surprised to learn that the price is only slightly higher than driving, and not in all cases; that they can have their car at their doorstep in a week or less; all while tracking their car on the mobile phone.
With car shipping companies like RCG Logistics, make the process simple and safe. Not having to worry about a thing; not about vetting drivers, possible damages, or complicated scheduling. Nothing. It’s a matter of letting go of the wheel and letting the experts transport.
Knowing that as the price of a car increases, people are more willing to travel long distances to pick it up, I wonder if they wouldn’t feel much safer having their luxury car in an enclosed shipping trailer. Protected from all the elements outside, rock chips, or other damage.
I think the answer is yes. But the pandemic has turned everything so upside down that buyers have put the burden of logistics on our shoulders. Remember road trips are only adventures when you do them for pleasure, not out of necessity.
Find out how much auto transport could cost you, with a quote now.