If you've been keeping a low profile during the pandemic then you may not have noticed that some of Lismore's car lots are a lot leaner than they usually are.

When the dreaded virus exploded exponentially across the globe it shut down industry after industry.

Local car yards found themselves running thin on inventory as production of new cars ground to a halt.

"People aren't trading up because there are no new cars," one yard rep who wishes to remain anonymous, said.

"The big manufacturers were closed due to COVID and so weren't producing any new cars,"

"Because Australia imports all its cars now there is a shortage of new ones."

Another local used car yard said they are seeing a lot more older cars coming through.

Nick Van Baarsen from Lismore Car Sales said that a lot of people are buying used cars online.

"It's tough because you can't go and see the car or take it for a test-drive, so you don't know if it has gearbox problems or an engine problem,"

"I think once COVID is over we'll see an over-supply of cars, people will be trading up then," he said.

Some car auctioneers were selling around 100 cars per month yet now are only selling 15 per month.

Another yard spokesman who also wished to remain anonymous said that the trickle of used cars that come from dealerships is thin at present but he also noted that some car manufacturers have begun production again.

'If you want a new Isuzu for instance, you've got a three month wait,"

"It's a waiting game with COVID, none of us have the answer," he said.

Other yards say they are getting a steady flow of vehicles in and out of their yards but agree that there are still delays in getting and replacing sold stock.

"Used cars come from new cars, so it's a waiting game," Josh Oliver from Go Motors said.

With car production back in operation some yard owners are optimistic that within the next few months their yards will be back to normal.