TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
Did you catch yesterday’s morning show?
Paul and Kyle were live from Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Georgia for the fifth annual Beaver Toyota & Mazda Charity Golf Tournament, and the boys were enjoying the sunshine! 😎
The fog was still lifting off the course when golfers, vendors, and neighbors started rolling in. By the end of the day, everyone had played for the same team: four organizations serving Forsyth County, from kids who’ve faced abuse or neglect, to young adults facing homelessness, to teen drivers learning to handle dangerous roads through AMP’s DriveStrong program.
The Beaver team set out to raise $200,000 in a single day, and they went after it by inviting their partners, from national vendors to local businesses, to serve right alongside them.
That’s what being more than a place to buy a car looks like. Thank you, Beaver fam, for letting us be part of it again.
In today’s email...
Affordability is moving car demand, not killing it
Carvana’s delivery network gives it an edge in new-car sales
How Del Grande built a service-drive acquisition process, Shawn Fain’s UAW victory, and luxury dealers bucking the slowdown
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
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Affordability Is Moving Car Demand, Not Killing It
Car shoppers haven’t disappeared. They’ve just changed where they’re shopping. That’s the core finding from Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jeremy Robb, who says pressure on household budgets is reshaping which vehicles people buy and who can still afford them.
Budgets are tighter: Personal incomes are up about 48% since the pandemic, while expenses are up 53%
Buyers are older: Shoppers 65 and up now make up about 27% of new-vehicle purchases, up roughly seven points
Hybrids fill the gap: The average new hybrid costs about $5,000 less than the average new vehicle, and Hyundai’s hybrid sales are up 58%
Used demand is moving older: The average used vehicle on dealer lots is just above $27,000, up 7%, roughly twice its normal growth rate, and prices for 8- to 10-year-old vehicles are up just under 10%
Even wealthy buyers are adjusting. Households earning $250,000 or more are still buying, but many are moving from luxury brands into mainstream ones.
What shifting demand means for used-car dealers
Robb says the move toward older used vehicles “places greater importance on acquisition, inspection and reconditioning.” Older cars still need to deliver the reliability buyers expect, and stretching loan terms on them can add risk for lenders and customers alike.
“Demand has not disappeared. It has shifted.” Jeremy Robb, Cox Automotive
Your next best seller might be a well-reconditioned 2016 model. Make sure your acquisition process is ready to find it.
Webinar Tomorrow: Close 2026 with a Bang💥
Finish 2026 with momentum!
Join automotiveMastermind and NADA tomorrow at 1PM ET for a live session on: Driving Q4 Demand: A Dealer Playbook to Finish 2026 Strong.
Hear Rob Braunstein (automotiveMastermind) and Nick Smalarz (GSM of Ocean Honda of Hanover) share data-driven tactics to help you amp up year-end sales, acquire high quality trade-ins, and build a repeatable service-to-sales process.
Date: October 14, 2026
Time: 1-2 PM ET
Register now.
Carvana’s Delivery Network Gives It an Edge in New-Car Sales
On Monday’s show, we looked at how Carvana is using the delivery network it built for used cars to sell new ones far from its seven franchised dealerships. Its Casa Grande, Arizona, store registered about 65% of its new vehicles out of state from March 2025 through July 2026, including 416 in Florida and 367 in New Jersey.
How local dealers can compete with Carvana
The advantage is the return trip: new cars ride along on routes that would otherwise run empty. But Carvana isn’t winning on price. What it sells is certainty, with transparent pricing, an easy transaction, and a website that’s simple to browse.
Local dealers can deliver all three, plus something Carvana can’t: shoppers can actually know the people behind the store.
How Del Grande built a service-drive acquisition process that stuck.
In our latest Edge webinar with AutoHub, Del Grande Dealer Group VP of Sales Scott Pettitt shared how his 16 stores turned service-drive buying into a repeatable process.
They measured every step, experienced it like customers, and changed advisors’ pay plans to reward participation.
They also pay more for service-drive cars than typical acquisitions, because the vehicle’s history, inspection, and reconditioning needs are already known.
Shawn Fain declares victory in his UAW race.
Preliminary totals showed Fain winning a majority over five challengers in his bid for a second term leading the roughly 400,000-member union. He says restoring pensions for all workers will be a top priority when contracts with GM, Ford, and Stellantis expire in spring 2028.
“One thing I know about our membership is they’re ready to fight,” he said.
Some luxury dealers are bucking the slowdown.
Even as some wealthy buyers shift to mainstream brands, BMW’s 3 Series sales jumped 46% to 11,256 in Q3, and Mercedes-Benz’s US car sales rose 6% to 75,300, putting it up 12% for the year.
“Our dealers and our brand continue to buck the trend,” said BMW of North America’s Tom Shanley.
1775: The Continental Congress establishes what becomes the US Navy.
1792: Builders lay the cornerstone of the White House.
1903: The Boston Americans win the very first World Series.
