CrossCheck Blog

Auto dealers are heading into 2026 with stronger sales volume, but far less certainty across day-to-day operations. Margins remain tight. Consumer expectations continue to rise. Risk is shifting in ways that are not always obvious on the surface. As a result, many dealers are using this year’s NADA Show as a checkpoint, not just a trade show.

Most deals do not fall apart because the buyer changes their mind. They fall apart because the buyer does not have the money for the down payment at the moment it is needed. The willingness to buy is there. What is missing is available cash or credit today.