From $198 to $1,000… Why Does Everything Feel So Expensive Right Now?

In 2016, you could lease a vehicle for under $200 a month.
Today, that same payment is pushing $1,000. And it’s not just one thing driving it.

Inventory is stacking. Tariffs are quietly working their way into costs. Gas prices have jumped fast. And OEMs are still reacting to where the market was, not where it’s going. Your customers are feeling all of it. They’re hesitating more. Looking harder at used.

Taking longer to make decisions. “People are hesitating in ways they didn’t before.” In this episode of Leadership in the Dealership, Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer break down how these forces are colliding and what it means for how deals are getting done right now.

Because this isn’t just about higher prices. It’s about how those prices are changing behavior at the desk.

Catch it early, or you’ll feel it in your deals.