LOCAL BUSINESS HOPES BOON LIES AHEAD.(BUSINESS)

Byline: KENNETH AARON Business writer

Whether you're buying a car, running a car dealership or building the machines that help make the car, Tuesday's half-point rate cut by the Federal Reserve is expected to be a boon.

When interest rates drop, that means the cost of borrowing money goes down -- and, presumably, more individuals and businesses are spurred to go buy more things.

As a result of the cut, consumer confidence -- beaten to record-low levels in New York state, according to a Siena Research Institute survey released earlier this month -- should rebound.

``I think, to the average person, that interest rate cuts are a sign that the …