ATLANTA -

If you’re having trouble finding a low-mileage unit in the off-rental lanes, don’t be alarmed.

Manheim discovered the average mileage for these units reached a new high earlier this year, surpassing 50,000 miles for the first time. That amount is more than double the low points Manheim spotted. The industry saw average of about 25,000 miles for these off-rental units first in mid-2003 and again in early 2007.

As a result, Manheim indicated a straight average of auction prices for rental risk units declined 14.2 percent between March and June. After adjusting for what Cox Automotive chief economist Tom Webb called “broad shifts” in market class and mileage, the decline was “more modest, but still significant” at 6.5 percent.

In his quarterly conference call, Webb explained much of the weakness was the result of older and rougher-condition vehicles being sold.

For example in the second quarter of last year, 62 percent of the rental risk units sold were from one model year past, and 23 percent were from two model years past. But in the second quarter of this year, only 31 percent of sales were from one model year past, and 55 percent were from two model years past.

Likewise, in the second quarter of 2014, 45 percent of the risk units sold at auction had a condition grade of 4.0 or better. In the second quarter of this year, only 30 percent did.

Despite the lower vehicle quality, Webb insisted dealers are “very interested” in off-rental units even, though “they’re not retail ready.”

“The majority of the rental-risk units are bought by the independent dealers, so they’re not uncomfortable with the mileage range,” Webb said. “They certainly like that it’s a later-model unit in terms of model-year designation.

“Many dealers will no doubt like the near $2,000 reduction in the average auction price for a rental risk over the past two months, as it will allow them to greatly expand the customer base that they can get into a late-model used vehicle,” he continued.

“But, of course, dealers will be successful only if they can complete the additional reconditioning work quickly and cost-effectively,” Webb went on to say.

“Unless that dealer has the capability, that savings is not as big as it appears,” he added.

Manheim also noticed auction volumes for rental risk units were up significantly in June and for the first half of the year. Meanwhile, Webb mentioned the number of new units sold into rental declined 6 percent in June (due to a significant reduction in General Motors deliveries), but were up 6.5 percent year-to-date.