Mar. 18, 2022—As new car prices continue to rise, local auto shops are seeing an increase in business from people who may have been in the market for a new car previously wanting to fix and maintain their existing vehicles.
Shops like Victory Auto Service in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, are seeing business increases as high as 50 percent, despite supply changes which impact parts like brakes, batteries, and bulbs.
“It’s funny because people are like, ‘this car wouldn’t have been worth it to me, but now it’s my baby. I really have to treat this car special,'” Jordan Matt of Victory Auto Service told CCX Media. “That’s what they are saying now whereas a few years ago, it was trade it in for something else.”
Matt said he's willing to do whatever ne heeds to meet the demands of his customers, even if that's using different parts suppliers or overnighting parts from out of town.
While he's happy to repair vehicles and get his customers back on the road, he said a good rule of thumb for repair is this: if it will cost more than a year's worth of monthly payments, it's time for a new car.
