Used Car Prices Just Topped $30K and Buyers Are Still Buying. Are You Getting Your Share?

Well, you know what? The top, the top one that I, that, I got to tell you, I always think in my mind with what we see with our dealer partners, right? It doesn't.

I always try to figure it out, I guess.

And it's hot off the press.

It was just released two days ago that the used vehicle index rose to 212.9, up 2.1% year over year.

The first half of 2026 was defined by a strong spring selling season fueled by tax refund activity that pushed wholesale values to their highest levels in several years.

And I guess what I said to that guy is, you tell me what you see, but Um, man, I didn't really see the big boost overall that we typically see in the spring selling season.

I mean, I saw some dealers getting it right, but, but overall I didn't see that huge, uh, that huge boost or lift that I feel like we typically see.

Maybe it's just me.

And, and so once again, I see here where wholesale values are, are up and remaining strong, but I just didn't see it translate.

And I feel for those dealers that, you know, they're sourcing, they depend so heavily on auction as a sourcing because it just makes it difficult when, you know, this used car index just stays so high.

You know, the wholesale market has stayed pretty strong all year long, but I can't say that for the retail side.

So I know that's why we push, right, for... increasing that percentage of trades on leads and our lead management tool so that it gives our dealers more opportunities to try to source inventory away from this because it just doesn't, it kind of fights one another, right? You bring in that higher price.

First of all, you have your auction fees.

And again, I'm not hammering on

auctions.

This is just part of the business.

It's part of it,

right? So you have your auction fees and then you have transportation to get it, whether you've got sending drivers after it or you're bringing it on a truck.

the time it takes it to get there, right? And then it enters into the system and you've got a high cost to market.

Hey, don't forget PSI, John.

You got PSI

too.

Right.

And then you just got a unit that is, you know, anywhere from 6% to 10% on average above your trade cost to market.

And if you've got, you know, if you have a market that's tough, listen, right now in the market, and we're right at the beginning of the summer selling season, But, man, if you're pricing your inventory over 100% price to market, you're struggling.