The six fastest-turning used-vehicle brands for franchised dealers in the first quarter were all from Japanese automakers, who have an overall lead over their Big 3 and fellow import brand counterparts in terms of days-to-turn in the pre-owned market.
But despite this, says Edmunds.com, the biggest improvements in used-car turn rates for franchised dealers over the last five years have been among the domestic and Korean brands.
Overall, the used-car market had an average turn rate of 42 days in Q1, according to Edmunds’ Used Market Quarterly Report. This is up from 40 days in the fourth quarter and 41 days in Q1 of 2013.
Honda was the fastest-turning used-car brand in Q1, followed by Subaru, Lexus, Toyota, Nissan and Acura. Also meeting or beating the industry average and making the top 10 were Hyundai, BMW, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz.
The quickest brand to sell among Big 3 automakers was Jeep, followed by Ford and GMC.
By segment, the vehicle type with the lowest days-to-sell was the compact truck, followed by mid-range luxury SUVs and compact cars. Conversely, the segments that took the longest to sell were large crossover SUVs, large cars and vans, respectively.
“Large CUV prices are on the decline from last quarter and last year, so it is not surprising DTT is high,” the Edmunds commentary accompanying the data indicated. “Compact truck DTT is the lowest in the industry, as supply is low on both new and used.”
Best-Sellers in Used Market
So, which used vehicles flew off dealer lots in droves during Q1?
According to the Edmunds report, the Honda Accord and Honda Civic were Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, as the most-purchased used vehicles by shoppers at franchised dealerships.
They were followed by the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150 and Toyota Camry, respectively. The Toyota Corolla was sixth, with the Honda CR-V in seventh. Rounding out the top 10 were the Ford Escape, Nissan Altima and Ford Focus.
Edmunds also shared the most-researched used vehicles in Q1 (franchised dealers or otherwise), and the list was strikingly similar at the top, with the Accord in first and the Civic in second.
Edmunds suggested that their “continued dominance of top researched and purchases underscores their position as top vehicles in retained value.”
In one key difference, the BMW 3-Series was third on this chart. The Silverado still made the list, coming in at No. 9.
“While the Silverado 1500 is usually among the top purchases, it is not always among top-researched vehicles, as it is this quarter,” the analysis said.
Fourth was the F-150 and the Camry was fifth, same as the most-purchased list. The CR-V was sixth, the Jeep Grand Cherokee was seventh and the Volkswagen Jetta was eighth. The Escape was 10th.
In a list that could prove to be an additional selling point for dealers trying to move used cars with budget-conscious shoppers, AutoTrader.com released a list of what it considers to be the strongest pre-owned options for under $20,000.
The list of the 10 deals, which was published Wednesday, is quite diverse, spanning nine different model years and nine brands.
“We’re often asked to choose the best used cars on a certain budget, so today we’re going to tackle our favorite pre-owned vehicles for $20,000 or less,” wrote Doug DeMuro, who authored the post on AutoTrader.com
“We’ve included a wide variety of vehicles, ranging from minivans to hybrids, just to make sure there’s something for everyone. But we’ve also been careful to stay within our budget so shoppers don’t need to stretch to afford the excellent choices on our list,” he added.
So, which cars made the cut?
The site’s complete list of 10 Best Used Cars for Under $20,000 is below, in alphabetical order:
2004-08 Acura TL
2010-12 Chevrolet Camaro
2008-12 Ford Escape
2005-10 Honda Odyssey
2004-09 Lexus RX
2007-12 Mazda CX-9
2007-12 Nissan Altima
2005-12 Toyota Avalon
2010-12 Toyota Prius
2010-12 Volkswagen GTI
For commentary and more details on these vehicles, read the entire post here.
The list of the 25 most-researched used vehicles on KBB.com in April was fairly steady at the top, with the top six remaining the same.
There was, however, one particularly notable climber on the used-car list: the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Extended Cab, which jumped five spots to come at No. 21.
The Honda Civic led the used-car rankings, which Kelley Blue Book provided to Auto Remarketing on Monday.
Placing second was the Honda Accord, followed by the Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla and the BMW 3 Series, respectively.
The complete used-car list is below, with rank/change in rank/model listed respectively:
1 0 Honda Civic
2 0 Honda Accord
3 0 Toyota Camry
4 0 Toyota Corolla
5 0 BMW 3 Series
6 0 Nissan Altima
7 1 Ford Mustang
8 (1) Jeep Wrangler
9 0 Honda CR-V
10 1 Volkswagen Jetta
11 (1) Jeep Grand Cherokee
12 0 Ford Focus
13 2 Ford F150 SuperCrew Cab
14 (1) Ford Escape
15 1 Ford F150 Super Cab
16 (2) Ford Explorer
17 0 Honda Odyssey
18 0 Chevrolet Impala
19 3 Subaru Impreza
20 (1) Chevrolet Malibu
21 5 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Extended Cab
22 1 Ford Taurus
23 (3) Chevrolet Tahoe
24 0 Mazda MAZDA3
25 (4) Toyota RAV4
KBB also shared a top 25 most-researched list for the new-car side of the business, as well:
- Honda Accord
- Honda CR-V
- Honda Civic
- Toyota Camry
- Mazda CX-5
- Toyota Highlander
- Ford Fusion
- Subaru Forester
- Mazda MAZDA3
- Toyota RAV4
- Nissan Rogue
- Ford Escape
- Jeep Wrangler
- Toyota Corolla
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Volkswagen Jetta
- Lexus RX
- Ford Explorer
- Toyota Prius
- Nissan Altima
- Ford Focus
- Ford Mustang
- Lexus ES
- Jeep Cherokee
- BMW 3 Series
“The Volkswagen Jetta and Toyota Prius had major lifts in KBB.com traffic in April,” said Arthur Henry, analyst for Kelley Blue Book. “News of the Jetta CC prompted Volkswagen’s flagship sedan to jump 18 spots in rank, while the Prius breaks into the top 25 for the first time in 2014.
“With sales of the Prius down from previous years, shoppers may be looking for deals on the hybrid in time for summer road trips," he added.
Is your dealership selling the most popular cars and trucks among shoppers?
The inaugural Most Popular on Edmunds.com Awards were presented by the online consumer review site Wednesday at the 2014 New York International Auto Show.
Topping the list of most popular cars and trucks were Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota.
"Edmunds.com is in a unique position not only to offer independent and trusted reviews of every vehicle on the market, but also to see firsthand which cars and trucks most pique the interest of shoppers on our site," said Edmunds.com President Seth Berkowitz.
"By naming these award-winning vehicles, we hope that car shoppers have an easier time evaluating some of the excellent choices available on the market today," he said.
With 10 winning vehicles, Ford held the strongest representation of any brand recognized by the Most Popular Awards. Highlights from Ford include the F-150, which was named in the large truck category, and the Mustang, named among most popular entry sport cars.
Chevy and Toyota earned seven awards each, including the Chevy Colorado in the Compact Trucks sector, and the Toyota Camry among Midsize Sedans.
The 2014 Most Popular on Edmunds.com Awards were determined by finding the three models in each of 23 vehicle segments with the highest total monthly car-shopper consideration in calendar year 2013, the company noted.
"Consideration" denotes the number of unique visitors during a calendar month to the research and inventory pages on Edmunds.com desktop site for each new model.
Also honored in a range of award categories were Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Dodge, GMC, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Nissan, Porsche and Tesla.
Reputation and desirability are among the factors examined by Kelley Blue Book editors in compiling their list of the 10 Best Used Cars Under $8,000.
Topping the list, and claiming three of the top 10 spots, is Honda. The automaker ranks first with its 2007 Civic, takes third with the 2005 Accord, and seventh with its 2005 Pilot.
“Car shoppers in the market for a used vehicle in 2014 are in luck, because as the quality of new cars continues to improve, so does the pool of used cars,” said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for KBB.com.
“The Honda Civic tops this annual list again with a bulletproof reputation for reliability and long-lasting quality. The fuel-efficient Civic is comfortable on the highway, responsive around town, and maintains its solid, refined feel for many years,” he said.
To compile their recommendations, KBB.com editors listed all 2004 and newer used cars with a Kelley Blue Book retail value of less than $8,000 as of February 2014.
From that list, they handpicked 10 standouts based on a variety of factors including reputation and desirability. Here’s the full list:
KBB.com’s 10 Best Used Cars Under $8,000 for 2014
- 2007 Honda Civic
- 2011 Hyundai Accent
- 2005 Honda Accord
- 2005 Toyota Camry
- 2007 Mazda3
- 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2005 Honda Pilot
- 2004 Toyota Prius
- 2007 Ford Escape
- 2005 Volvo S60
The lists of used vehicles most researched in March at NADAguides.com as well as Kelley Blue Book’s website reinforced how diverse the customer base is that dealers are trying to serve nowadays.
Among the top 10 most-researched used models at NADAguides.com, the first three models were full-size pickups, led by the Ford F-150, then the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500. Another full-size truck, the Chevrolet Silverado 2500, also made the March list, coming in at No. 7.
The remainder of the listed included in the April issue of Guidelines from NADA Used Car Guide covered a wide array of models, include the Honda Accord, Ford Mustang, Toyota Camry, BMW 3 Series, Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Impala.
Meanwhile, the top 25 list sent to Auto Remarketing by KBB on Tuesday didn't mention a full-size pickup until No. 15. The top half of the list constituted a variety of sedans and SUVs.
The most-researched used vehicles at KBB.com in March were:
1. Honda Civic
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry
4. Toyota Corolla
5. BMW 3 Series
6. Nissan Altima
7. Jeep Wrangler
8. Ford Mustang
9. Honda CR-V
10. Jeep Grand Cherokee
11. Volkswagen Jetta
12. Ford Focus
13. Ford Escape
14. Ford Explorer
15. Ford F-150 SuperCrew Cab
16. Ford F-150 Super Cab
17. Honda Odyssey
18. Chevrolet Impala
19. Chevrolet Malibu
20. Chevrolet Tahoe
21. Toyota RAV4
22. Subaru Impreza
23. Ford Taurus
24. Mazda MAZDA3
25. Ford Fusion
Most-Researched Used Brands
Turning back to data shared by NADA UCG, South Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai enjoyed quite a surge of consumer activity for their used vehicles in March at NADAguides.com.
Kia led all brands in year-over-year gains with a 77 percent lift. Hyundai wasn’t far off that pace with a 65-percent increase.
Seven other brands generated jumps of at least 40 percent in March. That contingent included:
— Porsche: up 53 percent
— Subaru: up 51 percent
— Audi: up 50 percent
— Jaguar: up 44 percent
— GMC: up 42 percent
— Nissan: up 42 percent
— Mercedes-Benz: up 40 percent
Only one brand’s consumer activity in the used space softened in March. That was Land Rover, which dipped 3 percent year-over-year.
New-Vehicle Activity at KBB.com
KBB also sent Auto Remarketing its Top 25 most-researched new vehicles in March. That rundown went as follows:
1. Honda CR-V
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry
4. Toyota Highlander
5. Mazda CX-5
6. Subaru Forester
7. Honda Civic
8. Toyota RAV4
9. Nissan Rogue
10. Ford Escape
11. Nissan Altima
12. Ford Fusion
13. Jeep Grand Cherokee
14. Kia Sorento
15. Toyota Corolla
16. Jeep Wrangler
17. Lexus RX
18. Mazda MAZDA3
19. Ford Explorer
20. Ford Mustang
21. Nissan Pathfinder
22. Ford Focus
23. Jeep Cherokee
24. Subaru Outback
25. Honda Pilot
Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence senior manager Arthur Henry noted that compact and midsize SUV/crossover vehicles continue to be popular among new-model shoppers since those vehicles took seven out of the 10 slots in the ranking. Henry pointed out that Honda CR-V continues to lead the charge as it has been the most researched vehicle throughout the year.
“Interest in Subaru vehicles are starting to wane after a successful ad campaign in February,” Henry said. “The Forester has declined three spots, the Outback has declined two spots and the XV Crosstrek has dropped out of the Top 25.
“Successes in drawing consumer attention are the highly incentivized Toyota Camry and the heavily advertised Nissan Rogue,” Henry went on to say. “The Lexus RX increased in rank since this model is commonly cross-shopped as more luxury models become prevalent in the marketplace.”
In a list that could serve as a selling point for dealers trying to move lower-priced used vehicles, Cars.com named 10 used cars that it considers to be the best in the $10,000 ballpark.
After processing a good bit of data, the site said on its Kicking Tires blog that it narrowed down a list of more than 60 candidates to this group of 10 – and taking more spots than anyone else on the list was Ford, which had three of its models make the rankings.
Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Nissan, Scion and Toyota each were represented by one model, according to the post, which was written by Kelsey Mays.
The complete list, ordered alphabetically, is as follows:
2009 Ford Focus
2008 Ford Fusion
2008 Ford Taurus
2007 Honda Civic
2009 Hyundai Sonata
2008 Kia Sportage
2008 Mazda6
2007 Nissan Altima
2008 Scion xB
2007 Toyota Prius
To see commentary from Cars.com on each of these cars and learn more about the methodology for these rankings, visit the blog post here.
While domestic models made up the majority of the Top 10 most-researched used vehicles at NADAguides.com last month, many of the brands boasting the greatest increases in consumer search activity were imports.
According to the latest issue of Guidelines from NADA Used Car Guide, the Top 10 most-researched used models in February included:
1. Ford F-150
2. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
3. Dodge Ram 1500
4. Honda Accord
5. Toyota Camry
6. BMW 3-Series
7. Nissan Altima
8. Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
9. Ford Mustang
10. Chevrolet Impala
Meanwhile, 10 brands posted year-over-year consumer activity gains of at least 28 percent in February, according the latest issue of Guidelines from NADA Used Car Guide. However, only one badge in that group is associated with a domestic OEM. The rundown went as follows:
— Kia: up 73 percent
— Hyundai: up 59 percent
— Porsche: up 54 percent
— Audi: up 47 percent
— Subaru: up 45 percent
— Jaguar: up 37 percent
— Mazda: up 36 percent
— Mercedes-Benz: up 34 percent
— Nissan: up 34 percent
— GMC: up 28 percent
— Suzuki: up 26 percent
— Infiniti: up 26 percent
— Mitsubishi: up 25 percent
— BMW: up 25 percent
— Scion: up 23 percent
— Acura: up 23 percent
— Volvo: up 21 percent
— Chrysler: up 20 percent
— Jeep: up 19 percent
— Mini: up 19 percent
— Cadillac: up 19 percent
— Ford: up 19 percent
— Buick: up 18 percent
— Chevrolet: up 18 percent
— Honda: up 18 percent
— Lincoln: up 17 percent
— Toyota: up 16 percent
— Saab: up 15 percent
— Volkswagen: up 15 percent
— Dodge: up 15 percent
— Lexus: up 12 percent
— Mercury: up 7 percent
— Hummer: up 6 percent
— Saturn: up 6 percent
— Pontiac: up 2 percent
— Land Rover: down 4 percent
