Is There Still a Car Inventory Shortage in the US?

Are you in the market to buy a new car or truck sooner than later? If so, you may be familiar with the attention that new vehicles are getting from local and national news.

Each year in the United States there are 17 million new and 39 million used vehicles sold. The sheer volume can make keeping enough inventory hard in normal conditions.

With the onset of the global pandemic, the situation is still far from ordinary for car dealers. Read on to learn if there is still a car inventory shortage in the United States and what you can do about it!

Computer Chip Shortages and Supply Chain Issues

Today’s supply chain shortages stem from the impact of the pandemic. The pandemic made its way into the United States in March 2020. This caused supply problems for many countries around the world.

Health concerns caused vehicle makers and shipping companies to shut down their businesses. This brought supply operations to a halt for many months. This chain would always operate 24 hours per day and 365 days a year. Stopping the movement of goods would not come without a big impact later.

The supply chain shortage for materials like computer chips has made car production a challenge. The average gas-powered vehicle has over 1,000 computer chips inside of it. This makes these shortages have a tremendous impact on vehicle supply nationwide.

Identifying The Vehicle You Want and Developing Contacts

The inventory shortage is a real issue in today’s market. You can still take steps to put yourself in the best position to find the car you want and close on the sale.

Take time to look at different new vehicles on the market to decide on which one fits your needs at the most affordable price. After you have identified the make and model of the vehicle you want, visit a reputable dealership like Serra of Jackson to learn about their current and future supply.

It’s also helpful to look up where to buy cars online so that you can avoid walking into a dealership altogether. Regardless of where you look for your vehicle, develop a reliable group of contacts that know the ins and outs of car sales supply chain issues.

Avoiding The Car Inventory Shortage

If you are in the market for a vehicle, there’s no way around avoiding the impacts of the car inventory shortage altogether. You need to accept that this is an issue and decide on the best course of action for how to handle it moving forward.

By spending time identifying what is most important to you for your next vehicle, understanding your budget, and having a realistic sense of the supply chain problems in the industry, you will be an informed consumer who can buy with confidence.

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