News 12 at 6 o'clock / July 15th, 2011

Normally you go to a car dealership to buy a car, but here's a switch.
Dealerships are now coming to customers for the cars.

Right now used cars are in high demand and many dealerships are having trouble keeping used cars on the lots.

They're offering some enticing incentives to buy your used car.

"Normally this time of year, which is our biggest selling months, we would have 250 to 300 Hondas, and right now I'm sitting on 65 or 70," said Andy Jones with Gerald Jones Honda. " We still have a good mix, just not the big numbers."

Gerald Jones Honda is one of many local dealerships that just don't have enough of the used cars they need and that means good things for car owners.

"We have been advertising for months if you want to sell your car or know what it is worth, we will just buy it," Jones said.

Prices at auctions where dealerships buy a lot of their cars have gone up, meaning you could get a better trade in value.

Judy Reeves is a new used car owner.

"When we thought about getting this one, we went ahead and closed the deal early because they said they had so few cars on the lot somebody might be wanting it, so we had to buy it right away," she said.

Reeves and her husband just bought a used SUV today after trading in their older car. However, this isn't the first time they have bought a used vehicle.

"We usually buy a car that is two years old; it is just a good buy, you get a better price," Reeves said.

As gas prices drop, so does interest in fuel-efficient cars.

"The fuel wasn't even a question with us right now; prices have come down, so we aren't too concerned about that," Reeves said.

If you're a buyer, since used vehicles are harder to come by, you could end up paying a little more.

This trend won't last forever. The June Kelly Blue Book Market Report confirms the majority of the used car market has been driven by high gas prices, which are expected to go down.

Still, they say fuel-efficient cars are a very smart buy.