Though growth remains slow, NADA Used Car Guide says price increases in the lanes remain “steady.”

This week, NADA UCG expects whole price movement as the industry level to experience a subtle lift during the current week, increasing by 0.2 percent, or $25.

Across all segments, expected changes are nearly all positive with the exception of the large SUV segment, which is expected to see a slight decline of 0.3 percent, or $75, NADA UCG reported.

The biggest increase over the course of the current week should be seen in the compact car segment which is positioned to grow by 1.6 percent, or $175.

All remaining segments should see growth under 1 percent in the current week.

And NADA UCG said it still expects that wholesale prices will increase subtly throughout the month of March.

And in the March edition of NADA UCG’s Guideline’s report, officials offered a little more insight to spring price action in the lanes.

This past month, wholesale prices for used cars and light trucks up to  eight years old rose a modest 0.8-percent in February, well below the 3-percent increase for the month over the past two years, NADA UCG reported.

“Price growth for used vehicles through early spring will be weaker than what is typically seen for the period,” said Jonathan Banks, executive automotive analyst with the NADA UCG.

And latest big news from the white house, from tax changes to the sequester, may have an impact on auction prices, as well.

“Consumers and businesses are beginning to react to the expiration of the percent payroll tax holiday as well as political activity surrounding the federal budget sequester and debt ceiling extension. These factors will have a negative impact on household income and reduce spending,” said Banks.

Overall, during the first two months of the year, used-vehicle prices have increased by 0.4 percent, significantly less than the 4.4-percent and 2.4-percent increases recorded over the same two-month period in 2011 and 2012, respectively, according to NADA UCG.

This slowdown may come as a bit of a shock to the industry as demand for used vehicles after Hurricane Sandy artificially pushed rates high as 2012 came to a close.    

“The pull-ahead demand for used vehicles stimulated by Hurricane Sandy at the end of 2012 and the delay in filing income tax returns as a result of last year’s fiscal cliff resolution is also playing a role in slowing down price growth,” Banks said.

Breaking February’s data down further, relative to January, compact car and midsize van prices improved by 1.8 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively, or more than double the market average. Meanwhile, midsize car prices rose by a slighter 1.1 percent.

This may have something to do with the significant 46-cent rise is gas rates the country experienced after 2013 got underway.

“The 46 cent rise in gasoline prices observed since the start of the year was in all likelihood responsible for the above average growth for these segments; however, segment price growth was again much lower than the 2.6-to-4.3 percent range recorded last year when gas prices rose by a similar 49 cents over the same period,” Banks said in the report.

That said, prices may be on the way down.

Per Energy Information Administration (EIA) data released on this week, the average price of regular grade gasoline (all formulations) fell by five cents from $3.76 to 3.71.

And though NADA UCG expects wholesale prices to continue to rise during the rest of this month, it also predicts that used-vehicle prices in March will be flat “to up moderately,” compared to February.

NADA UCG expects wholesale prices to decline in April as spring progresses. It also offered the below chart to illustrate their predictions for price activity in the lanes this week.

Four- and Two-week AuctionNet wholesale average prices are created by collecting all AuctionNet records for vehicles  up to five years of age for a specified period of time.  Prices are then adjusted for changes in mileage and mix.

Current week prices are based on NADA's proprietary used-vehicle value model which includes assumptions for new-vehicle prices, used-vehicle supply, gasoline prices, and other economic factors.