Make, model or year, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter; buying a vehicle in the Shuswap is not easy these days.

Like many other industries, car dealerships are having to contend with supply chain issues resulting from COVID as well as the Canadian dollar against the American.

B次元官网网址淲e finally have two new vehicles in stock that are unsold, probably the most weB次元官网网址檝e had all year,B次元官网网址� says Hilltop Toyota dealer Blair Reynaud. B次元官网网址淢ore than 50 people have ordered, paid a deposit and and are waiting for their vehicles.B次元官网网址�

Reynaud says hybrids are very much in demand, with the wait for them being anywhere from eight months to two years, depending on the model.

Like most other dealerships, he is concentrating on pre-owned inventory, the cost of which has never been higher.

B次元官网网址淲e are pretty much paying for used cars what we would have sold them for two years ago,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淎nd all used SUVs and higher-end trucks are being bought up by dealers in the U.S.B次元官网网址�

Reynaud says domestic dealers all have contacts with their American counterparts and get more for selling them Stateside because of the exchange rate.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a tough go for all the car dealers,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淭he less inventory, the higher the prices, just like refrigerators or anything else.B次元官网网址�

Braby Motors co-owner Chris Davis says the dealership has been lucky with inventory as manufacturers have continued to produce.

B次元官网网址淎re we getting everything we want? No, but weB次元官网网址檙e getting a good selection of vehicles,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淪ome of them might not have all the options, but thereB次元官网网址檚 still quite good a lot of them at the high end.B次元官网网址�

Davis says there may be plants in Canada and Mexico but basically all cars are shipped out of the U.S.

B次元官网网址淰ehicles coming across to Canada cost manufacturers more because of the dollar, so if they can sell them in the U.S., thatB次元官网网址檚 what they prefer,B次元官网网址� he says.

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Davis believes the supply chains will be B次元官网网址渃ramped for a while yet.B次元官网网址�

He says the dealership is acquiring as many used cars as possible and customers inquire about them every day.

B次元官网网址淭here has been a price adjustment in the used cars, prices have come down,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淲hat happens with that will depend on new vehicle availability over the next few months.B次元官网网址�

Salmon Arm GM owner Ian Gray has been in the industry for 33 years and says his is definitely more of a pre-owned car dealership than previously, and that thereB次元官网网址檚 another aspect to the shortage.

B次元官网网址淕M is dealing with a shortage of rail cars, which has to do with the people they do business with for loading and unloading,B次元官网网址� he says, noting he is pleased to be hiring just as many people, if not more, than before, including skilled technicians. B次元官网网址淚 do know thereB次元官网网址檚 some major challenges in the world and the biggest shortage is people.B次元官网网址�

As with most vehicle manufacturers, Gray says 95 per cent of customers order their vehicles and wait up to 16 months for their arrival because of the freight issues.

B次元官网网址淟argely our problem now is 95 per cent of people used to find what they wanted on our lot, and now itB次元官网网址檚 the other way around,B次元官网网址� he says, noting that by ordering and waiting, customers get what they want without compromise.

Gray began focusing on pre-owned inventory 20 months ago and says because heB次元官网网址檚 part of a dealer group, he has about 400 vehicles available.

B次元官网网址淚 feel good that we can supply customers with quality pre-owned vehicles and pass savings onto them,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淲e try to live by that.B次元官网网址�

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