Latest news with #AutoFairHonda
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tariffs or no tariffs, car buyers aren't waiting
If you're on the fence about buying a new car, local dealers say you might want to do it soon. Not out of panic, but to capitalize on a combination of powerful market forces. At first, it might sound counterintuitive. Prices continue to rise. Consumer confidence in the U.S. just hit a three-year low as fears of economic instability intensify. But with the looming uncertainty about inflation and tariffs on foreign cars and parts, more people are buying new cars again. 'We see a lot of people trying to get ahead of (tariffs),' said Scott Holloway of Holloway Auto in Portsmouth. 'We've had a lot of meetings with (General Motors) and to be honest, no one really knows how the tariffs will be enforced. Everybody is waiting to see how this will work.' In addition to the fear of tariffs, there's another huge incentive to upgrade, AutoFair Honda General Manager Jason LaCroix said Thursday. 'There is some concern of rising prices,' LaCroix said. 'But also, the average car on the road has never been older. So, we're seeing a lot of 200,000-, 250,000- and 300,000-mile trades. That's not necessarily a want, it's a need.' The average age of passenger cars hit 14 years in 2024. That's because U.S. car sales fell by more than 2 million in 2020 and dropped again in 2022. Plus, the global chip shortage also drove up sales of used cars during the pandemic when the new-car inventory fell off temporarily. Finally, fewer people were leasing cars during the pandemic and returning their pristine-condition 'cream puffs' with low mileage. So, if you have a 5-year-old car, dealers want it — badly — and they're ready to deal for your used wheels. Several New Hampshire car dealers reported higher new-car sales this spring, some for the usual reasons like college and high school graduations and nicer weather. And some out of anxiety. However, the immediate panic has died down a little since President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would impose 25% tariffs on imported cars and parts, dealers said. New car tariffs Aiden Gouin of Manchester, at right, talks about trading his car for a new one with sales consultant Jeff Redlinger at AutoFair Honda in Manchester on Thursday. Tax collectors' delight Local tax collectors and town clerks are seeing an influx of new-car registration revenue. The newer or more expensive the car, the more revenue for municipalities. 'Prices have skyrocketed and the town revenue is higher,' Derry tax collector Stacy Beliveau said. At a Merrimack Town Council meeting last week, Town Manager Paul Micali reported auto registration from late 2024 and early this year was one factor the town was doing well financially this year. 'People are buying cars because they're scared about the tariffs,' he said. High demand AutoFair's LaCroix said most dealers have way more cars in stock than they've had in the past, not specifically in preparation for tariffs, but because they're selling so fast for the reasons he mentioned. 'I don't know of a dealer out there that isn't taking the maximum amount of cars from the manufacturer,' LaCroix said. 'The complaints that I'm hearing are, 'I don't have enough cars coming.' Honda is boosting production, so we should get more cars than we had last year. And when they do that, we'll sell more cars.' He said the vast majority of Hondas sold in the U.S. are built in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and he hopes the effect of tariffs won't be as bad as predicted as new trade deals are finalized. New car tariffs Adam Elsesser of Hooksett looks at a brand new Civic at AutoFair Honda in Manchester on May 15, 2025. COVID aftershocks The car industry is still fighting its way back from the aftermath of COVID-19. Nationally, sales started to rise last year and have continued to recover. But the lack of leases during COVID had a big effect, LaCroix said. 'Before COVID, I would say 50% of the Honda sales were leases,' LaCroix said. 'We sold very few cars during COVID, and the ones we did sell were retail deals, not leases.' LaCroix said other factors are highly enticing for new-car buyers right now. First, the high-tech features and gas mileage alone in a new car make a 14-year-old car look like an antique. Second, the price of fixing older cars is rising, and will only go higher if there are steep tariffs on parts made outside the U.S. 'We're seeing an increase in spring demand, partially because cars are getting old and it costs a lot of money to fix them. And the technology has improved dramatically,' LaCroix said. dpierce@
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
Manchester man accused of threatening teens with gun, Taser
Mar. 4—A 34-year-old Manchester man has been arrested on several charges for four separate incidents, including one in which he allegedly pointed a rifle at two teens waiting for a school bus, police said. Scott White was initially arrested and charged with loitering and prowling after police investigated a report at AutoFair Honda on Keller Street, where officers found him inside a car with two juveniles at 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 21. Investigators said White had also stopped another car in the same parking lot and had a gun, a badge, a Taser and handcuffs on him. After White was released, two teenagers told police White threatened them at a bus stop around 7:30 a.m. that day. After further investigation, police were told White had made similar threats with a gun and Taser while following other teens in his car in yet another incident, Manchester police said in a written statement Tuesday. White was arrested again Friday on a warrant for the charges of criminal threatening with a deadly weapon, criminal use of an electronic self-defense weapon and reckless conduct with a deadly weapon. He is also facing two counts of criminal threatening with a deadly weapon for the bus stop encounter. White is being held on preventative detention. Anyone with information about these cases may call Detective Guy Kozowyk at 603-792-5560 or leave an anonymous tip through the Manchester Crimeline at 603-624-4040.
