'The tariffs made me do it': Customers move fast on cars

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

EVERETT — Tony Sundberg likes that new car smell, but he’s purchasing a new vehicle a year earlier than he anticipated.

He’s afraid of a price hike of potentially thousands of dollars if he doesn’t.

“I wasn’t quite ready to do it, but the tariffs made me do it,” Sundberg said on Tuesday as he finished the sales paperwork on his new Kia Sportage at Kia of Everett. He was trading in his 2023 Sportage with only 24,000 miles.

The retired purchasing agent from Edmonds is one of dozens of additional customers that the Everett Kia dealer has seen over the last few days, said Erik Butler, the dealer’s general manager. All because of tariffs on automobiles announced by President Donald Trump on March 26.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/the-tariffs-made-me-do-it-customers-move-fast-on-cars/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. The car market is an unknown going forward

Lots of used cars from trade-ins. High incentive to repair used vehicles since they will fetch higher prices. Uncertain how long or how many will delay new purchases because of high prices from tariffs. People pumping so much money into home insurance can limit choices.

[stillcool]

2. I got an email from our dealership

pushing a "before the tariffs" sale.

[Jerry2144]

3. We did it in February

When the first talks were going on. We didn’t intend to, but went shopping. Wife fell in love with a plug in Mercedes. Dealer was offering huge incentives to move the car on a lease. Zero down, 700 per month, free maintenance. We jumped on that deal. Too good to pass up.

[MichMan]

6. $8400 a year to "rent" a car. No thanks.

[Maninacan]

4. Car purchase

I will keep driving mine. Rusty 2011. maybe if something came up word of mouth thru friends. My conservative IRA investment has lost amount equal to 2 or 3 years of income because of the market drop last 3 months.

[MichMan]

5. Only a fool would trade in a 2 year old car with 24k miles to buy the same thing

[GP6971]

7. We traded in our 2014 Hybrid at the end of January. A year earlier

than planned due to the tariffs.