ATLANTA -

Although asking prices for the most popular used vehicles tended to trend upward in September, the same could not be said for the certified pre-owned segment, according to AutoTrader.com.

In fact, most models that made AutoTrader.com’s list of the most popular certified rides had smaller asking prices than they did in September 2009. Before this point, that had not happened in any month of 2010, according to AutoTrader.com

What was to blame? While not pointing the finger at any one cause, AutoTrader.com president and chief executive Chip Perry said changes in the leasing market may have something to do with it.

“Fluctuations in average asking prices can be caused by numerous factors, so it’s likely too early to attribute the sudden drop in CPO asking prices to a single event,” Perry explained. “However, there were sharp declines in leasing activity — where most CPO inventory comes from — in 2008 and 2009 as economic conditions constrained the car leasing business.

“This helped create a sharp decline in CPO inventory and the spike in CPO pricing we saw over the past year,” he continued. “The rebound in leasing activity as the economy has recovered may have created more supply of CPO inventory, partly explaining the drop in asking prices we’re seeing.”

Looking at the data more specifically, 15 of 20 most-viewed used units showed year-over-year gains in asking prices. For the CPO segment, 15 were down from September 2009.

On the used side, trucks and SUVs composed the top six spots for price gains and eight of the top 10. The Dodge Ram 2500 showed the strongest uptick (12.62 percent) with the Jeep Wrangler (12.15 percent) in second.

Meanwhile, just five CPO models showed increases, with the Toyota Camry leading the way with a 9.63-percent climb. The other four to climb in price were the Honda Civic (up 4.99 percent), Toyota Tacoma (1.91 percent), BMW 3-Series (1.77 percent) and the Honda Accord (0.18 percent).

The heaviest decliner on the list of top 20 most-popular CPO vehicles was the Acura MDX, whose asking price fell 9.03 percent from a year ago.
As far as how the most popular rides ranked, the Ford F-150 grabbed the most views on the used side, while also being ranked as the No. 1 most-researched new vehicle. For CPO vehicles, the 3-Series claimed the No. 1 ranking.

New-Vehicle Trends

Moving over to the new-vehicle side of the market, there was a strong downturn in asking prices in August, but this was followed by significant improvement in asking prices last month. Specifically, in AutoTrader.com’s list of the 20 most-viewed models, 13 vehicles made year-over-year strides.

Leading the way was Chevrolet Corvette (up 8.39 percent), followed by the Ram 2500 (7.51 percent) and Jeep Grand Cherokee (6.83 percent).

“Deciding between a new or used car hinges largely on price for most people, and there’s been somewhat of a perfect storm brewing in favor of new cars lately,” Perry pointed out.

“The steady uptick in prices on used cars in 2010 combined with the availability of new-car incentives such as cash back and zero-percent financing have narrowed the price gap considerably on many popular models, giving consumers more reasons than ever to consider purchasing a new car vs. a late-model used car,” he continued.

“Even with new-car asking prices starting to stabilize, incentives can impact the total cost of the new-car purchase,” Perry added. “For some buyers, that can make a new car a more financially appealing decision than a used car.”

The following are the lists of the most popular used, CPO and new vehicles during September, respectively:

Used
1. Ford F-150
2. BMW 3-Series
3. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
4. Ford Mustang
5. Ford F-250
6. Honda Accord
7. Dodge Ram 1500
8. Jeep Wrangler
9. Chevrolet Tahoe
10. Honda Civic
11. Chevrolet Silverado 2500
12. Infiniti G35/37
13. Dodge Ram 2500
14. Toyota Tacoma
15. BMW 5-Series
16. Nissan Altima
17. Jeep Grand Cherokee
18. Audi A4
19. Toyota Tundra
20. Toyota Camry

CPO
1. BMW 3-Series
2. Honda Accord
3. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
4. Ford F-150
5. Toyota Tundra
6. Chevrolet Tahoe
7. Toyota Camry
8. Toyota Tacoma
9. BMW 5-Series
10. Audi A4
11. Honda Civic
12. Ford Mustang
13. Acura TL
14. Toyota Highlander
15. Acura MDX
16. Volkswagen Jetta
17. Toyota 4Runner
18. Honda Pilot
19. BMW X5
20. GMC Sierra 1500

New
1. Ford F-150
2. Toyota Camry
3. Ford Mustang
4. BMW 3 Series
5. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
6. Dodge Ram 1500
7. Toyota Corolla
8. Honda Accord
9. Chevrolet Camaro
10. Ford F-250
11. Nissan Altima
12. Honda Civic
13. Jeep Wrangler
14. Chevrolet Corvette
15. Jeep Grand Cherokee
16. Ford Escape
17. Ford Fusion
18. Toyota Tacoma
19. GMC Sierra 1500
20. Dodge Ram 2500