By ERWIN CHLANDA

After 45 years of selling cars, partly in Alice Springs including the past seven year, Stephen Rogers (at right) thought he’d seen it all: The start of 2020 was looking not too bad, fitting into the pattern of the industry’s minor ups and downs, February and March usually being quiet.

Then COVID-19 struck and disaster seemed inevitable.

The opposite was the case: The Federal Government’s string of economic rescue initiatives, starting in April with early releases of superannuation savings, opened a money flood that saw car yards on the North Stuart Highway filling and emptying several times over.

No sooner a load of used cars arrives in town they are snapped up, says Mr Rogers.

Some people form bush communities are buying two at a time, says another dealer.

Unsurprisingly a $6000 car now costs $8000, a result partly of drops in new car purchases in South Australia, the trade-ins becoming the source of most used cars sold here.

Mr Roger’s dealership, Northpoint Cars, caters 60% for buyers in the bush, 40% to townies: “They are more likely to buy our convertibles,” he says…

This article is from Alice Springs News, you can read the full article here: