Credit cards should be used carefully. However, if you need a car, the incentives available now could make using a credit card to buy a car feasible. (Photo: picasaweb.google.com)

If consumers are in the need of a car, this may be the right time to use credit cards to do it. Most dealerships have huge inventories and no way to get rid of them. The recession has put auto dealers in difficult positions, since most Americans are in no hurry to invest in big-ticket items. That’s great news for consumers who are looking to make an auto purchase. Potential savings on a car are substantially greater and selections are huge. Most auto dealers are making generous deals, with cash-back options and low financing rates. Cars that once were marked up are now being marketed at well below the sticker price, and sometimes even lower than the dealer’s cost.

Scott Painter, CEO of TrueCar, said, “There’s no question that you should get a screaming deal… the slump in sales resulted in discounts so steep that new cars can sometimes be less expensive than comparable used ones.” According to research done by TrueCar, last year dealers sold approximately 21 percent of 2009 models for less that dealer price. This year, that number is up to 25 percent already.

Dealerships Feeling the Pain

Adding to the auto industry climate is the rapid closings of many dealerships. In 2008 there were 1,200 closing dealers, this year GM Corp alone is planning on closing 1,200 to 1,500 franchises. These closings have helped turn the industry upside down. For example, at one time the Range Rover was a high-quality luxury vehicle. Now, there are fleets of the vehicles available with $12,000 cash-back on purchases. This isn’t the only vehicle with this kind of savings. Cadillac’s CTS sedan comes with $7,000 in incentives, while Ford’s 2010 Transit Connect vans are already coming with a $300 cash-back special.

Credit Cards: A Near Necessity

Credit cards are almost a necessity in today’s world. Many people use credit cards for everything from everyday purchases to big-ticket necessities. Although the recession has taken its toll on the credit and lending industry, companies are trying to right their wrongs and help customers make purchases. Recently, the federal government has stepped into the credit card mess, citing unscrupulous activities and demanding changes. Credit card companies understand how bad they look in the eyes of the public due to their dodgy dealings. Some companies are cutting customer’s limits, but also bringing down interest rates to make payments more manageable. They want to have customers who continue to pay on their bills, rather than just file bankruptcy or abandon the accounts.

Because of this, credit cards are slowly being used once again to fund high-ticket items like cars. With the overwhelming discounts and deals available, this is a wise choice for some consumers. Lilah Branson of Nashville, Tennessee said, “I need a car and I wasn’t planning on buying on in the recession. But then I saw the deal my credit card company offered and the deal the dealership had…combined, the deals were too good to pass up.”

Things are Slowly Picking Up

Credit cards are helping people again, slowly integrating back into everyday use. No one knows the where economy will be once the recession is completely over, but consumers are steadily getting their feet wet and wading back toward normalcy.

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Consumers are looking for more debt relief options as the stock market continues to fluctuate. This week the DOW Jones Industrial average made some drastic changes. The DOW Jones average is a roster of thirty stocks that most effectively weight the Wall Street’s financial climate. The DOW dropped Citigroup Inc and GM Corp. from its system. This is in response to GM’s recent filing for bankruptcy protection.

GM has been part of the DOW system for 83 years. This is a testament to the faltering economy and how different it may be once the recession is over. Travelers Cos. and Cicso Systems, Inc. are both set to replace Citigroup and GM, respectively.

Credit and the DOW Jones average

Many people look to the DOW as a barometer of the overall financial climate of the U.S.  With the DOW making major changes and going through restructuring, people are concerned.

Kelsey Glaser of Charleston, West Virginia said, “My family always used credit, but now that everything is so unknown, we are cutting back on plastic…with industry giants going down like they are, who knows what tomorrow will bring for us, the little guy.”  Glaser is not alone in his concerns.  Many Americans have been cutting back drastically as they maneuver the economy.

With huge corporations falling to the recession, no one is entirely at ease.  More and more consumers are trying to find debt relief options in other ways.  Some are drastically budgeting.  Many are using public transportation.  Some consumers are finding that combining households, reminiscent of the Depression days of the 40s, is the best option for them.  Regardless of the strategy, people are thinking in terms of the future and wanting to sustain themselves until things turn around and improve.

The future economy

With the Dow Jones average restructuring and dropping two industry giants, many economists are saying that though it is difficult news, it is the beginning of the end.

Maury Colevich, economics instructor, stated, “Although things are hard, this isn’t the calm before the stom anymore. We’ve already been through the storm and now things are settling themselves out.  We have to be prepared for that settling to include restructuring and reorganizing of what was typical in the past.  It’s all part of the process.”

Consumers and finances

Consumers are told to view the financial turmoil as temporary.  They shouldn’t take this as a sign of how things will be from now on. Like all things, there is an end.  In the meantime, many consumers are doing serious assessments of their finances, looking for new debt relief options.

One family in Missouri started a clothing-swap in their neighborhood to save on kids’ clothing.  Another family in Pittsburg said they are only going to restaurants that offer them half-off days.  It’s this kind of budgeting that seems to be ushering in a new way of life for Americans.

As one economist, Gail Graedey of Florida State University, stated, “People have made it through the recession, but now they are all going to hold tightly to their new altered lifestyles. … If something helped them with debt relief, they aren’t going back to their old ways just because the industry is better.  Consumers are smart and are going to watch their bank accounts for a while longer.”