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The F&I office can serve as a cushion of sorts for consumers, helping them transfer risk and spread out the price of protecting one of their most expensive assets.Pexels/Kindel Media Closing out a topsy-turvy year still in the F&I saddle should give you a sense of accomplishment. Yes, there have been plenty of big-spending customers in…

Certified preowned auto sales spiked 8% within the greater used market last month.  Pexels/Vadutskevich Used-vehicle sales revived last month after a September plunge as consumers sought to minimize expense amid overall inflation. Deliveries among both franchised and independent dealers rose 3% month-over-month, up about 2% from a year earlier to 1.4 million units, Cox Automotive…

A new report finds that inaccurate payment quotes can lead to lost sales, reduced gross, and longer F&I times as dealers work to reconcile lender-approved terms. F&I and Showroom A new report by eLEND Solutions highlights how gaps between initial payment quotes provided by dealerships and lender-approved contract terms continue to erode sales, slow deal…

Three models between the Toyota and Lexus brands were recalled to catch any units with engine debris. Expanding on an earlier callback, Toyota recalled nearly 127,000 vehicles to address an engine issue that could cause stalling. The Tundra and Lexus models with V35A engines may contain debris left over from the production process that could…

Full-size pickups’ average transaction price hit a record in October, a key driver in continued high ATPs. Stellantis October’s new-vehicle average transaction price was flat after record peak in September as lack of affordability continued to weigh the market toward the well-off.  Cox Automotive calculated an ATP of $49,766, off less than half a percentage…

Nearly 40% of participants in a recent J.D. Power survey expressed interest in taking out policies at the dealership or through the automaker.  Pexels/Pixabay As automotive insurance rates keep creeping up, more consumers are shopping for less expensive policies than ever before or even foregoing coverage. Last year, in fact, the weighing of other carriers…

Pexels/Mohammad Danish There is an old joke about country and western songs. When the song is played backward the vocalist avoids divorce, gets his job back, and his runaway dog returns home.  However, in a recent case of a gospel singer/car dealer who apparently sang backward, he was sentenced to five years in federal prison for…

Loan access improved among all lender types, led by captive lenders. Pexels/RDNE Stock Project Automotive finance conditions were mixed in October, though overall credit access continued loosening that started last summer, Cox Automotive said. The company’s All-Loans Index inched up from 97.9 in September to 98.3, a 4% year-over-year increase. Still, approval rates fell 1.4…

The concept kei car has an extendable extra solar panel for when it’s parked for extra power generation, shade. Nissan has entered the quest for solar-powered cars with a concept mounted system it plans for a future commercial launch. The Japanese automaker follows several other major automakers in either adding solar panels as auxiliary power…