Dealership Experience

Four trends that show now is a good time to be a used car buyer

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Jan 28, 2020, 8:48 am

Cadillac is moving the car buying experience into an interactive video-based platform as the brand works to gain new customers.

Photo courtesy of Cadillac

Edmunds.com is predicting hat sales of used cars will rise through 2020. At the same time, used car prices are expected to decline. That's a recipe for success for used car buyers according to Carvana. The online used vehicle retailer is predicting four trends for used car shoppers.

Mainstream Cars Stay Hot

Carvana believes that demand for used cars from mass-market brands like Honda, Toyota, and Nissan will continue. In 2019 small and mid-sized cars showed the strongest price appreciation in the used-vehicle market, a trend that is expected to continue in 2020.

Consumers Choose Quality Over Everything

According to Carvana, "A recent study from Brandwatch asked consumers what attributes were most important for brands in the auto industry, quality was the most popular option with 30% of the vote. Affordability followed, with 21% of respondents choosing it as the most important attribute. Carvana has more than 8,000 cars available on their site for local buyers priced under $15,000."

Customers Continue to Get Comfortable Shopping Online

If there's one thing America can agree on, it's not politics. It's that they generally hate going to car dealerships. Shopping for vehicles online has grown tremendously over the past decade and Carvana expects that to continue, a trend driven by the ability for customers to "do it all" from financing to browsing to scheduling delivery without ever having to talk to a salesperson.

According to Carvana, 75% of car buyers are willing to purchase a car online and 97% of car buyers do online research before a purchase.

The Digital Economy Will Continue to Transform Car Buying

Technology is making it easier than ever to buy a car. New online initiatives like Cadillac Live allow customers to talk to a salesperson without leaving their couch. Getting a 360-degree view of the vehicle is possible thanks to sights from most manufacturers, and CarFax offers reports on used vehicles.

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Consumer Reports

Worst to First: These are the best car companies according to Consumer Reports

Some of the usual suspects make up the top-tier of the Consumer Reports rankings.

Photo courtesy of Genesis Motors

Want to buy a new refrigerator? They have a ranking for that. Consumer Reports also takes a close look at automotive brands rating them based on a combination of feedback from testing and member surveys. Each year they release a list ranking all the brands sold in the U.S.

Here's how Consumer Reports determines their rankings, straight from the horse's mouth:

Brand report cards are built on an average of the Overall Score for each model tested. A brand must have at least two models tested to be included. The Overall Score is based on four key factors: road test, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety.

• The road-test scores are for vehicles purchased by CR and run through more than 50 tests.
• Reliability predictions are based on problems reported by CR members in 17 trouble areas.
• Owner satisfaction from surveyed CR members reflects whether drivers would purchase the same car if they had it to do again.
• Safety includes crash-test results and extra points awarded for proven advanced safety features that come standard for the model.

From worst to first, check out how the brands scored below.

No. 33 - Fiat

Fiat 500X Trekking

Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC

Fiat is the lowest ranked brand in the annual Consumer Reports ratings. They earned a 43/100 score and had no vehicles recommended by Consumer Reports.

No. 32 - Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Mirage

Photo courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi sank two spots to the next-to-last position with a score of 46/100. None of their vehicles are recommended by Consumer Reports.

No. 31 - Jeep

Jeep Gladiator

Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC

Jeep earned a 49/100 score and sank two places from their 2019 position. The company has only one product Consumer Reports would recommend out of the six they tested.

No. 30 - Land Rover

2020 Land Rover Defender

Photo courtesy of Land Rover

Land Rover earned a 50/100 in the ratings but none of its products are recommended by Consumer Reports.

No. 29 - Cadillac

2020 Cadillac CT6

Photo courtesy of Cadillac

Cadillac's brand score of 57/100 helped it fall three places in the 2020 rankings. Consumer Reports does not recommend any of Cadillac's products.

No. 28 - Jaguar

2021 Jaguar F-Type

Photo courtesy of Jaguar

Jaguar climes four places in 2020 with a score to 57/100.

No. 27 - Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo 4C

Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC

Alfa Romeo scored a 59/100, the same as the No. 26 company. That's up one place from 2019's standing.

No. 26 - GMC

GMC Acadia AT4

Photo courtesy of GMC

GMC is the highest rated brand that scored a "zero" in the question of which products Consumer Reports would recommend. They tested six. Overall, the company earned a 59/100.

No. 25 - Chevrolet

Chevrolet Camaro

Photo courtesy of Chevrolet

Chevy is down one place in 2020, scoring 61/100.

No. 24 - Acura

Acura ILX

Photo courtesy of Honda of American Mfg., Inc.

Acura has the same score as the No. 23 place brand (66/100) but had higher road test scores.

No. 23 - Ford

Ford Expedition

Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Ford has fallen three places in 2020 with a 66/100 score, the same as what Acura got.

No. 22 - Volvo

Volvo XC60

​​Photo courtesy of Volvo Car Corporation

Volvo pops up one spot in Consumer Reports' rankings with its 67/100 score.

No. 21 - Dodge

Dodge Charger

Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC

Dodge is up four places in 2020 earning a 68/100 score.

No. 20 - Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz GLA

Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

With its 68/100 score, Mercedes-Benz finds itself three spots lower on the list than where it ended up last year.

No. 19 - Buick

Buick Envision

Photo courtesy of Buick

Buick slid down one spot with its 69/100 score, but still played better than most of the luxury brands on the list.

No. 18 - Chrysler

Chrysler 300

Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC

Chrysler is up four places with a score of 69/100 for 2020. Its vehicles earned a very good 85/100 in road testing.

No. 17 - Nissan

Nissan Sentra

Photo courtesy of Nissan North America

Nissan jumped four places to No. 17 earning 70/100.

No. 16 - Volkswagen

Volkswagen Atlas

Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG

No. 16 and 17 achieved the same 70/100 score. Volkswagen had better road-test scores, however.

No. 15 - Honda

Honda Passport

Photo courtesy of Honda of America Mfg, Inc.

Honda fell two places and earned a 72/100 score in this year's rankings.

No. 14 - Infiniti

Infiniti QX50

Photo courtesy of Infiniti Motors

Infiniti maintained its spot from 2019 getting a 73/100.

No. 13 - Lincoln

Lincoln Corsair

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Motor Company

Lincoln fell five spots in this year's rankings getting a 73/100 score despite earning a respectable 81/100 in road testing.

No. 12 - Toyota

Toyota Camry TRD

Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota fell three places in this year's rankings, scoring the same as the Nos, 14, 13, and 11 place brands with a 73/100.

No. 11 - Tesla

Tesla Model X Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Tesla was the biggest mover in this year's rankings, gong up eight places to end up at No. 11. The company scored 73/100.

No. 10 - MINI

Mini Cooper Electric

Photo courtesy of MINI

Mini is up five places in the 2020 rankings compared to 2019 earning a 74/100 score.

No. 9 - Kia

Kia Sportage

Photo courtesy of Kia Motors

Kia hopped up three spots in the rankings earning a 74/100, the same as the tenth place finisher.

No. 8 - BMW

BMW X7

Photo courtesy of BMW

BMW slipped one spot from their 2019 ranking, but earned the same score as the seventh place brand. The company earned high road test scores (88/100).

No. 7 - Hyundai

Hyundai Palisade

Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai jumped three spots in the 2020 rankings, earning a 75/100 score.

No. 6 - Audi

Audi Q7

Photo courtesy of Audi AG

While Audi scored the same as the brand in the fifth position (77/100), the automaker had higher owner satisfaction scores than the No. 5 place company.

No. 5 - Lexus

Lexus LX

Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.

Lexus bested its mass market counterpart with its 77/100 score. The luxury automaker is in the same position this year as they were in 2019.

No. 4 - Mazda

Mazda CX-5

Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operations

Mazda moved up two spots from where they placed in 2019 thanks to a 79/100 score.

No. 3 - Subaru

Subaru Crosstrek

Photo courtesy of Subaru of America Inc.

Subaru moved down two places from their 2019 ranking coming in third with a score of 81/100.

No. 2 - Genesis

Genesis G70

Photo courtesy of Genesis Motors

Genesis placed second with an 84/100 score, keeping their placement unchanged since 2019.

No. 1 - Porsche

Porsche Carrera

Photo courtesy of Porsche AG

Porsche scored 86/100, moving them up two places from 2019 and securing the German automaker the top spot in Consumer Reports' rankings.

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Ford, Lincoln team up so owners can get Nationwide insurance via the companies' apps

A new program by Ford and Lincoln allows app users to shop for Nationwide insurance via app.

Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Shopping for new insurance? Ford and Lincoln have partnered with Nationwide to help owners of the companies' vehicles obtain the right type of insurance for their needs. All the "paperwork" can be done electronically via the FordPass or Lincoln Way app.

Ford Insure and Lincoln Motor Company Insure, powered by Nationwide, offer an all-digital way to secure usage-based insurance coverage through Ford Motor Credit Company's licensed insurance agency. As part of the usage-based insurance plan, Ford Insure and Lincoln Motor Company Insure policyholders consent to be enrolled in Nationwide's SmartRide usage-based insurance program and will share their vehicle connectivity information with Nationwide for the initial six-month policy.

2020 Lincoln Corsair A number of Ford and Lincoln models are eligible for the insurance.Photo courtesy of Lincoln Motor Company

To get a quote, users simply have to log on to their FordPass or Lincoln Way app, click on the insurance tile, fill in some information, and submit the information. To assist with the process, the app automatically fills in key vehicle information on the form.

According to a release, "customers in 39 states with qualifying 2020 Ford or Lincoln vehicles can purchase a policy in minutes and become eligible to save up to 40 percent."

"This is the latest way we're improving the customer experience," said Elena Ford, chief customer experience officer at Ford Motor Company. "Insure makes getting insurance easier for connected-vehicle customers to cover one of their biggest investments – their vehicle – while saving money."

Once customers purchase a policy, the connected vehicle will track and share distance driven, hard braking and accelerating, idle time and night driving to establish a policy rate for renewal. The data are shared with Nationwide through the vehicle's embedded modem, eliminating the need for a special app or vehicle plug-in device. Any discount will be applied when the policy is renewed.

2020 Lincoln Aviator Users in 39 states are eligible for the insurance.Photo courtesy of Lincoln Motor Company

As part of the plan, customers will have access to Nationwide's standard Accident Forgiveness option, as well as crash repairs using genuine Ford parts.

"Customers want to be able to purchase auto insurance as quickly and easily as possible," said Brad Lemons, Nationwide's senior vice president of Personal Lines Product and Underwriting. "Ford and Nationwide are bringing together the best of our businesses to help make this happen in a way that is sure to delight our customers."

States where Ford Insure and Lincoln Motor Company Insure are available include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. Launches in other states are planned over time.

The insurance offer starts with these models: 2020 Ford Explorer, Fusion, Mustang, Transit Connect, Escape, Edge, EcoSport, Expedition, F-Series Super Duty, Transit, Ranger and the upcoming all-new 2021 F-150; and 2020 Lincoln Aviator, MKZ, Corsair, Nautilus and Navigator.

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