Sales plummet and used-ute prices slide, but used Corollas actually gain value
Last July, Chevrolet dealer Tim Walters took a 2003 Ford Expedition in trade. He's still waiting for a buyer.
The big SUV had 34,000 miles on it, and Walters took it to auction three times. It attracted no bids, says Walters, whose dealership is in Elkland, Pa. "A lot of guys are afraid to take a chance on" buying large SUVs, he says. "You don't know if another hurricane will hit and gas will hit $4 a gallon."
The Expedition Walters can't sell is a sign that high gasoline prices are scaring away buyers of large SUVs. But used small cars, in a stunning reversal, are holding value. A 2003 Toyota Corolla LE is selling for $100 more this month than it did last October, according to auction data, even though the economy car is a year older, with more mileage and wear and tear.
Prices of used full-sized SUVs plunged 10.1 percent last month compared with September 2004, according to Manheim, an auction company in Atlanta.
And it's not over, says Tom Webb, Manheim's chief economist. In the next few months, prices are likely to fall even more as dealers scramble to unload big used SUVs.
"Prices are falling, and they are falling fast," Webb says.
Last July, Chevrolet dealer Tim Walters took a 2003 Ford Expedition in trade. He's still waiting for a buyer.
The big SUV had 34,000 miles on it, and Walters took it to auction three times. It attracted no bids, says Walters, whose dealership is in Elkland, Pa. "A lot of guys are afraid to take a chance on" buying large SUVs, he says. "You don't know if another hurricane will hit and gas will hit $4 a gallon."
The Expedition Walters can't sell is a sign that high gasoline prices are scaring away buyers of large SUVs. But used small cars, in a stunning reversal, are holding value. A 2003 Toyota Corolla LE is selling for $100 more this month than it did last October, according to auction data, even though the economy car is a year older, with more mileage and wear and tear.
Prices of used full-sized SUVs plunged 10.1 percent last month compared with September 2004, according to Manheim, an auction company in Atlanta.
And it's not over, says Tom Webb, Manheim's chief economist. In the next few months, prices are likely to fall even more as dealers scramble to unload big used SUVs.
"Prices are falling, and they are falling fast," Webb says.