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Almost half of consumers would opt for a used car if they had only $15,000 to purchase a vehicle.
That startling result of a study by Dohring Co. Inc. should further shake already rattled car dealers on the heels of an invasion of the used-car market by large, independent superstores. Although still in formative stages, this intrusion promises to change the used-car landscape.
Long the forgotten stepchildren of the auto industry, the used-car folks move about 35 million vehicles annually, generating some $175 billion in sales. Half of those transactions take place at new-car dealerships.
What's attracting newcomers to the used-car game? For one thing, they've spotted a vacuum: There is no national used-car chain.
Furthermore, the action's getting hotter as new-car prices climb ever higher. And then there's the longstanding stereotype of the used car salesman who (fairly or not) is not to be trusted.
All of these factors leave the market ripe for those with deep pockets who vow to treat customers nicely and sell them what they want.
Into the void steps Circuit City, the Richmond, VA-based electronic equipment...