Still historically high, Black Book index falls to lowest level in 10 months
Black Book’s measure of used-car prices was still up 11% last month and remains 61% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
But here’s some news that may be less scary for dealers: August’s reading of the company’s Used Vehicle Retention Index was at its lowest level since October, coming in at 184.0 for a 2.9% drop from August.
And the back stretch of the year should see continued softening, helping soothe a spooky season for dealers trying to get their hands on used cars at decent prices.
“Wholesale prices for the 2-8-year-old vehicle segments that comprise of Black Book’s Retention Index accelerated their decline in August,” Black Book chief data science officer Alex Yurchenko said in a news release.
“During August, we saw all but one (sub-compact car) segment level indices decreasing in value, with luxury segments dropping the most. Black Book expects prices to continue to decline in the last four months of this year,” he said.
This news comes days after Cox Automotive said its wholesale price index made a near-record move lower in August.
The company reported on Thursday via a Data Point that wholesale used-vehicle prices (on a mix, mileage, and seasonally adjusted basis) decreased 4.0% in August from July. That decline left the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index at 210.8, which is still 8.4% higher compared to a year ago.
However, the index reading sliding by 8.8 points in a single month is the greatest movement in the history of this wholesale market tracker going back to 2008 with the exception of the drop from 141.9 to 125.8, which happened from March to April 2020 at the start of the pandemic.