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| 2014 Chevroet Cruze (photo courtesy of www.chevrolet.com) |
America’s love affair with the car is well known. Nothing is
more American by definition that a Ford Mustang or a Chevy Silverado. We love
our cars to have horsepower and our trucks to be huge. Once you realize that
there is an actual pick up reason of the Ford F-650 commercial truck you will
realize how true our obsession is. For many years that left the economy car to
be the neglected stepchild of the American highway. Until you factor in the last
ten years. First the economic downturn of the mid-2000’s left a lot of people
with a lot less income to by a fancy sports car or a hulking sport utility
vehicle. Even then they had less money to maintain and fuel them as well. The
hefty V8s featured in many vehicles are expensive to repair and their
notoriously low gas mileage makes them expensive to gas up. But small compact cars, many of which can be
bought for $20,000 or less, are a far more economically viable option than
larger vehicles. Plus they aren’t exactly called economy cars for no reason,
typically being inexpensive to maintain with their smaller four cylinder
engines.
There are other reasons for the surge in interest for
compact cars, a chief one being location. The United States, like much of the
rest of the world, is becoming increasingly urbanized. Fewer opportunities in
rural areas have led many to take to the cities in search of a career or
education, and cities are more often than not cramped. Quite frankly when
traversing around in modern city maneuverability, and not towing capacity or
speed, is king. Another is our perception of cars. Studies show that people
under the age of thirty-five are less likely to view cars as a status symbol
and more of a utilitarian machine that is needed to transport them. This
mindset has caused vast numbers of younger people to eschew larger and more
expensive vehicles for smaller and seemingly more practical ones. Furthermore
the small car is traditionally not an American specialty. The Big Three in Detroit
have usually focused on larger sedans, SUVs, and trucks leaving the apparently
unprofitable compact section to European and Asian automakers. These foreign
cars, widely known in America for their reliability, have dominated the market
here. But within the last few years the demand for smaller vehicles has grown
and to paraphrase an old proverb as the money goes so goes the carmakers.
Within the last few years both the quality and diversity of both Ford and
Chevrolet’s compact lines have grown significantly.
The rise of the economy car has been a long time coming and
this is due in large part to the responsiveness of the automotive industry
itself. Carmakers have been looking for ways to meet customer demands for over
10 years now. American consumers don’t like cramped vehicles with only the most
basic of options. Carmakers have responded by adding in features that were once
only found in luxury vehicles and finding ways to create a relatively large,
spacious interior within a typically small frame and equipping them with amenities
that were once the prevue of large, gas guzzling luxury cars such as heated
seats and remote start. As a result compacts and subcompact cars have routinely
scored rave reviews from buyers here in the states. Furthermore they are now
giving us more options to choose from by producing a wider variety of small
vehicles, ranging from sporty hot hatches to eco-friendly electrics.
Automakers aren’t the only ones that are trying to give car
buyers what they want either. Car dealers are carrying more and more compacts
in order to meet this new found demand and we are no different. Here at Crown
Auto Sales and Finance we strive to meet the needs and demands of all of our
customers and that includes having a wide range of economy cars in stock. We
carry a wide range of affordable and fuel-efficient small cars ranging from
sporty Toyota Corollas
to super small Chevrolet Cruzes
and everything in between. Our compacts, just like all of our vehicles, have
been inspected and serviced by our skilled team of expert mechanics and body
specialists before they ever hit the lot for you to test-drive. Not to mention that they are also guaranteed
by our extended service warranty which covers your new car for anywhere from
six to thirty-six months depending on the vehicle. So what are you waiting for?
Come to us and find your next compact car!
