#USED CAR PRICES FLAT

The first sign of a recession is used car prices read this article. NADA Sees Flat Prices Wholesale prices for used cars and light trucks up to 8-years-old rose a modest 0.8 percent in February, well below the 3 percent increase for the month over the past two years, says the NADA Used Car Guide in its March edition of Guidelines. Overall, used-vehicle prices have increased by 0.4 percent over the first two months of the year, significantly less than the 4.4 percent and 2.4 percent increases recorded over the same two-month period in 2011 and 2012, respectively. In addition, February's tepid performance dropped NADA's seasonally-adjusted used-vehicle prices index to 122.7, which is a decline of 1.4 percent from January's level and just 0.9 percent higher than February 2012's reading of 121.6. The index is a seasonally adjusted measurement of the change in price for used vehicles up to 8 years in age. Looking ahead, NADA expects that used-vehicle prices in March will be flat to up moderately compared to February, and decline in April. Tax refund season in the past has been a time of the year of used car prices rising and consumers spending more on motor vehicles.