Best & Worst Places for Used Car Values

Shreveport, La., was tops in the country for used car value increases in March.
Illustration © Keith Griffin

CNW Research out of Bandon, Or., has released its monthly report on where used cars are increasing and decreasing in value. So, in certain parts of the country it’s good news if you’re selling a used car and bad news if you’re buying one – or vice versa.

Autoremarketing.com reports that Shrevesport, La., takes the top honors. Against a national backdrop of falling used car prices (almost 3%), Shreveport, located in the northwest corner of Louisiana, saw prices increase 13.89% from March ’07 to March ’08.

Head about 375 miles west to Wichita Falls, Texas/Lawton, Okla., and you’ll find the largest decreases in average used-vehicle prices. They dropped their prices 14.66% in the same time frame.

Here are the Top 5 Markets with percentage increase:

1. Shreveport, La. +13.89%
2. Wilkes Barre/Scranton, Pa. +11.02%
3. Buffalo, N.Y. +8.84%
4. Erie, Pa. +7.7%
5. Juneau, Alaska +5.73%

1. Wichita Falls, Texas and Lawton, Okla. -14.66%
2. Monterey-Salinas, Calif. -10.90%
3. Detroit, Mi. -9.5%
4. Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, Calif. -9.43%
5. Sioux Falls/Mitchell, S.D. -8.87%

The complete list is available at AutoRemarketing.com.

As always, you can learn more by reading my article on how to fairly value a used car.