Should Used Car Dealers Fill Inventories Now, or Wait?

Auction prices of used vehicles highest since March of 2014

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Apr 15, 2015, 07:15 ET

MCLEAN, Va., April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In their April Guidelines report, NADA Used Car Guide analysts observed wholesale prices of used vehicles at auction climbing by 2.3 percent during the month of March. The increase in prices helped push NADA's Used Vehicle Price Index up from 123.4 in February to 124.3 in March. The automotive industry's leading source of used vehicle valuations believe the industry is positioned to beat overall economic growth for the sixth year in a row.

Sales volume was up for the month of March, with 3-5 year-old sleeper tractors dominating the retail & wholesale markets. Chris Visser reports more in this month's commercial truck market update

Depreciation in the wholesale channel has been more pronounced than in the retail channel. Sleepers that are 3 years of age are performing better than last year, but 4 and 5 year-old units are not.

Preliminary March data shows retail volume moving back to typical levels after a very depressed January and February. Learn more in this month's edition of Commercial Truck Guidelines.

Model years 2010 - 2012 represent the majority of sleepers sold in the retail channel at present.

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"There appears to be no letup in the demand for cars from the data we're seeing," said Jonathan Banks, executive analyst at NADA Used Car Guide. "While extreme winter weather created a pent-up demand situation in several markets helping the pricing figures rise, it appears the American buyer is ready to acquire a new set of wheels."

Tax Refunds Play a Role

With tax refund checks filling the bank accounts of millions of Americans, analysts at NADA Used Car Guide believe April will continue the upward sales and pricing trends they've observed.

The monthly Guidelines report also found that manufacturers are barely spending more than last year to move new vehicles off of dealer lots and into consumer driveways. Average spending per new vehicle year-over-year was up a slight 0.4%, or $2,726.

Download the Report

The full report explaining trends and forecasts can be downloaded for free on the NADA Used Car Guide website at http://www.nada.com/b2b.

About the NADA Used Car Guide

Since 1933, NADA Used Car Guide has earned its reputation as the leading provider of vehicle valuation products, services and information to businesses throughout the United States and worldwide. NADA's editorial team collects and analyzes over 1 million combined automotive and truck wholesale and retail transactions per month. Its guidebooks, auction data, analysis and data solutions offer automotive/truck, finance, insurance and government professionals the timely information and reliable solutions they need to make better business decisions. Visit nada.com/b2b to learn more, and follow our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages to stay up-to-date on the latest automotive industry information.

About NADA

NADA represents nearly 16,000 new-car and -truck dealerships with more than 32,000 domestic and international franchises. For more information, visit www.nada.org.

Contact:

Ryan Morris
Sr. Manager, Public Relations
NADA Used Car Guide
(202) 431-2526
[email protected]

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SOURCE NADA Used Car Guide