How the UAW strike could impact local dealerships

The UAW strike could impact dealerships.

Bill Marsh Jr. of Bill Marsh Auto Group says the impact of the strike depends on how long it lasts.

“From the time a vehicle gets built at the plant, there is at least a 30-day lag between the time it’s built and the time it gets here,” explained Bill Marsh Jr., partner at Bill Marsh Auto Group. “For the strike to really impact us as a dealership, it’s going to take between 30 and 45 days for the inventory levels to reflect the production backlog.”

The same goes for car parts. As of Monday, there’s a good backlog.

“I had heard that a lot of the white-collar workers from Stellantis, Ford and General Motors have been asked to be ready to be redeployed to the parts locations, to box parts. Manufacturers are pulling out all stops to keep the flow of parts and replacement parts going to dealerships, the body shops, the repair shops,” said Marsh Jr.

If you want to buy a car, you might want to do it soon.

“I think it’s a pretty good time to buy a car because used car values will be reflective of this potential strike. You’re going to see potentially an uptick in used car wholesale prices, which could have could increase traded values, whereas inventory levels and pricing levels are pretty steady in the new car realm,” said Marsh Jr. “If it gets any longer than, say, 45 days, then you’re going to see inventory shrink pretty substantially.