Wanna buy a car? There's plenty to go around...

The economic downturn.... damn I hate that term - time to switch to something else.

The financial ice age that is upon us means that fewer people are buying big ticket items, especially vehicles. The problem is that the cars you see in dealer showrooms are the product of a manufacturing and delivery process that lasts many months, since most cars are shipped by ocean freighter. So while the manufacturers adjust production rates at the factories, new cars keep piling up at ports of entry. In Sweden, they've had to rent an additional ship in port just to store the cars.

Some governments are trying to boost new car sales by offering money for your old car if you'll buy a new one. In Germany, any car more than 9 years old will earn you $4000 toward a new one.

This issue will see the reverse effect happen once the economy rebounds. People will be looking for new cars and have to wait while the industry ramps back up to full production again.