Cars.com data from this year shows customers have traveled the farthest for Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota vehicles, Newman said. She suggested that consumers look to nearby metro areas when seeking desired vehicles.
"In our findings last year, we were seeing the most inventory in New York, L.A., Chicago, Philly and Dallas-Fort Worth," Newman said. "That's great guidance even today. If you are out in a smaller city, look to that bigger city that's close to you. You're going to have more dealerships and possibly more supply."
The long-distance shopping trend strengthened as prices of used vehicles increased 37 percent from December 2020 to December 2021. That was the second-largest percentage price increase among 80,000-plus items that make up the Consumer Price Index, following only gasoline. It was also the highest 12-month change in the price of used vehicles in the 100-plus year history of the index.
And even though gas prices have also surged, Newman said she doesn't anticipate that increase to limit the distance consumers are willing to travel to buy a preferred vehicle. After all, 82 percent of Americans told Cars.com they were still planning to travel for Memorial Day this year.
"When it comes to high gas prices ... [on] Memorial Day people were still traveling. The high gas prices didn't stop them," she said. "People that are desperate to get a vehicle, they may not necessarily think of that right away."