When Ian Campbell’s wife got rear-ended in her Honda HR-V last month, the Atlanta couple were thrust back into the new-car market — just as gasoline prices surged to more than $4 a gallon.
After being quoted $6,000 above the manufacturer's suggested retail price on a 2023 Kia Sportage and passing on an optioned-out Hyundai Tucson for $45,000, Campbell and his wife settled on a $36,000 Toyota RAV4 hybrid, sight unseen. He expects to drive it off the lot by Saturday.
"It’s coming by the end of this week, and time is a factor, because she’s driving a rental but insurance isn’t going to pay that forever,” Campbell said by phone. "The mileage with the current gas price was a factor” as well.