Think inflation is only a problem for people shopping new? Think again. With average new-car transaction prices hovering around the $50,000 mark, more and more shoppers are turning to the used market in search of “affordable” alternatives. This increase in demand for used cars has consequently driven prices up, and mainstream car dealers are now struggling to attract cost-conscious buyers who are instead turning to private listing services and social media marketplaces in search of better deals.

 

Dealers want those shoppers back, and they’re going to ever-more-extreme measures to accomplish that—including the rather novel tactic of offering up cars with branded titles. Yep, according to Automotive News, that shiny, two-year-old cream puff sitting in the middle of the showroom might have already been written off for one reason or another.