CARMEL, Ind. -

For the wholesale market in September, the name of the game was stability.

Not only were the month’s used-car prices essentially static from August, the year-over-year decline slowed “considerably,” said ADESA’s Tom Kontos.

Overall, the average wholesale price during September was $9,550, according to the latest report from ADESA Analytical Services.

This marks a 0.3-percent rise from August and a 2.1-percent drop from September 2011.

Kontos points out that during the summer, year-over-year declines were nearly twice as high, coming in around 4 percent.

“Average wholesale used-vehicle prices in September were virtually flat with August and down on a year-over-year basis by considerably less than the last three months — an indication of stability as opposed to continuation of the softening pattern seen since Spring, albeit based on only one month’s results,” Kontos said.

Breaking it down by the three vehicle segment groups, average car prices ($8,680) were flat with August but fell 2.1 percent year-over-year. Truck prices were up 0.7 percent month-over-month and fell 3.4 percent from September 2011.  Crossover prices climbed 0.4 percent from August and dropped 3.5 percent year-over-year.

Kontos also broke down the data by seller type.

“Prices for used vehicles remarketed by manufacturers fell by 6.6 percent month-over-month in September and were down 0.9 percent year-over-year, indicating downward price pressure on manufacturers’ vehicles as more off-rental vehicles began entering the market after Labor Day,” Kontos pointed out.  

“Fleet/lease consignors experienced a modest 0.5-percent decrease in September, leaving prices down 0.4 percent year-over-year,” he continued. “Dealer consignors saw a 1.4-percent average price decrease versus August, resulting in prices being down 2.2 percent versus September 2011.”