Sales are up, but so are prices, as only two in ten trades are worthy of resale.

Here is the forecast for USED CAR VALUES going forward 2013 into 2014.

  #1.  BEST DEAL ON USED CARS RIGHT NOW:

LUXURY SEDANS: Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Infinti have all dropped new models and big incentives on financing and leasing, as the lease returns arrive back at the dealership, more nice, clean, low-mile pre-owned models are being certified by the brand for resale. This Jaguar is reflecting a $650.00 drop in price from last quarter, taking into account normal depreciation. Partly due to newer incentives and the option for a 4 and 6cyl version of the iconic make, the 8 cyls are a bargain right now. Watch for CERTIFIED models to have extended factory warranty and special .09% financing (oac). 2.  USED PICKUP TRUCKS will remain at their current levels in pricing. Don’t expect any retraction in prices, ESPECIALLY in 4wd, 4×4 and AWD models, as hunting season begins in earnest this fall, with snow  coming to many parts of the country as early as October. 3.  SEDANS and GAS MISERS:   Toyota, Honda, Nissan, VW and gas misers under $10,000 are still the most high demand models. Often called transportation cars, the next two months will be all about students returning to school, pushing Imports with over 100,000 miles over the $8k price range. 4.  SMALL SUVS: CRV, RAV, XTERRA and the like, including Wranglers, are bringing BANK at the auction, forcing consumers to pay more for less room.  These models are bringing $12-15k for models with excess of 65,00 miles. Not a smart buy when they were $20,000 brand new. The justification is 2013 and 2014 models are over $25,000 today, but long term, the incentives may weigh in favor of a brand new one. 5.  Luxury SUV’s and GAS Guzzlers:  Think Cadillac Escalade, Range Rover Sport HSE, Land Cruiser are still bringing top dollar, as family haulers and tow vehicles. The market has slipped a few dollars, but mostly in the over 80k mile area. Anything under 50,000 miles in good condition still brings a premium.  As the new body style GMC Yukon and Cadillac start to become more available in late 2013, you may see a bit of price softening, but don’t expect much as sheer supply vs. demand will make the nice ones hard to come by, keeping prices strong. The good news… if you own one of these HIGH DEMAND vehicles, you will get top-trade-in dollars when you look to buy a new 2013 or 2014, especially during this Labor Day sales period. —————————————– Sarah Lee Marks is MyCarlady. She has over 23+ years of experience. She writes about cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. MyCarlady offers free car buying advice, and private, auto-related services to help you maintain your personal or commercial vehicles. Call Sarah Lee for more information: 702-521-7546. Join the MyCarlady newsletter to be kept up-to-date on this and other important car information. ]]>