Colorado Car Buyers, And Sellers, All Smiles As Sales Rev Back Up - Colorado Public Radio
Coloradans are buying more new cars these days than at anytime in the last decade, lifting the spirits of auto dealers after a bruising recession. You can feel energy at Planet Honda in Golden, where Lisa and Michael Daley have fallen in love with a shiny new Honda CRV. Lisa and Michael held onto their 2007 Honda Pilot through the recession. And they're not alone, on average people are keeping their cars for a record 11. 5 years, according to IHS automotive. Now Lisa and Michael feel good enough about the economy to make a big purchase, and they’re paying cash for this new car. Nearing record growth Lisa and Michael are part of a wave of pent-up demand sweeping auto dealers across state and the country. Car sales nationwide are expected to grow for a sixth straight year. And a noticeable difference these days is people are happy, according to the general manager of Planet Honda, Jeff Bejarano. "Because they want to buy a car," said Bejarano. "During the recession, the people that bought cars had to buy cars. Coloradans bought 188,416 new cars in 2014, the most since 2002, and up 80 percent since the low point of 2009. . And that low point was the worst time in Lee Payne's long career in car sales. Source: www.cpr.org
