From shutdowns to shortages, the last two years have been a roller coaster for Joe Askins of AutoExpress Kia.
"I've never seen anything like it," he said.
Even now, as business picks up, he can't get as many cars as his customers want. 
"The frustration comes in when you have the demand for a product, and you're limited to the amount of product that you can get in," Askins said.
He says manufacturers are back to business as usual, but pent-up demand for cars means dealers simply can't get enough vehicles. 
Although the AutoExpress lot has plenty of open spaces, Askins says auto makers are actually making more vehicles than they ever have, and he’s selling plenty too. The difference is they’re all pre-sold, so they never end up on the lot. They roll out the minute they roll into town.
“If we get 100 vehicles in, typically, I would say about 75 of them are going to be pre-sold,” he said. 
And everyone wants those cars.
 Because Askins didn't mark up vehicles, he found buyers from all over the country, which was great for business but a problem for local customers. 
“We were seeing customers drive in from as far away is New Jersey to buy a car here to get the savings," asking said. "And then when the local customer comes, we don’t have the product. So what we’re doing now is we’re keeping our sales for Erie County and the surrounding counties.”
Just the latest hurdle in turbulent business that's likely a year or more from leveling out. 
“The only uncertain thing is will the demand continue to rise?," Askins said. "Until the demand and supply and get a little bit more level, this is going to be happening for a while.”
Askins says if you're in the market for a car, start your search early.
Because everyone is pre-buying vehicles, your odds of walking onto a lot and leaving with a new car are fairly low.