A car market crash of epic proportions is already in motion, according to new data released by Manheim Market Insights and Cox Automotive. In June, car prices faced a record drop, marking the end of two years of hefty increases. Used vehicles saw the biggest monthly declines since the pandemic boom, while new cars are about to plummet in value due to an oversupply crisis that is shaking the US auto market.
Still, higher interest rates are making monthly car payments far more expensive than they were just a year ago, and many Americans who bought a vehicle in the past couple of years, and are now seeing its cost fall off a cliff, are already underwater on their loans, which indicates that a wave of financial turmoil is right ahead.
From May to June, wholesale used vehicle prices declined by a record 4.2 percent, according to Manheim Market Insights. More notably, the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, a closely watched measure of prices, plunged 10.3 percent year-over-year in June. Compared to one year ago, prices for pickups and vans went down by 6.6 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively. Sports cars were the worst off, falling 14.8 percent in prices compared to last year, while compact cars and midsize cars each dropped by more than 12 percent from June 2022.
Looking ahead, the three strongest predictors of used car prices – new vehicle inventories, new vehicle incentives, and the new-versus-used price differential – all point to a significant crash, the firm notes. In fact, Goldman Sachs analysts lowered their user car inflation forecast by 4 percent to -11 percent, which means that the bank is assuming that used car prices are going to face a 14 percent downside from current levels by the end of the third quarter. That would result in an almost 25 percent crash in a span of just six months, and an oversupply crisis in the new car market could bring the price of used cars even lower before the end of the year.
Right now, the market for new cars is in a strange state. UBS analysts argue that a price war is on the horizon with dealers duking it out by dropping new car prices. In May, new-vehicle inventory reached its highest level in two years, with a notable increase from the previous month. Charlie Chesbrough, Cox Automotive’s senior economist. says that the new car market will continue to see weakening demand due to worsening economic indicators, and the increase in supply will force many dealerships and automakers to start offering discounts.
At the same time, the share of new auto loans with monthly payments exceeding $1,000 has hit a new record as borrowing costs continue to rise. Consumers are taking on too much auto debt, which could have catastrophic consequences during the recession. The latest number available on the average negative equity value of auto trade-ins was $5,341 in Q4 2022, a 29 percent jump from the previous year.
The number of vehicle sales that involved a trade-in with negative equity also climbed by 17 percent over the same period. The negative equity trend could accelerate even further as vehicle prices continue to drop. In other words, conditions for borrowers will become even tougher before the market stabilizes. Car prices still have a lot of room to fall, and during that process, countless Americans may find themselves buried in negative equity.
Article and video cross-posted from Epic Economist.
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
The same can be said about our preparedness sponsor, Prepper All-Naturals. Their long-term storage beef has a 25-year shelf life and is made with one ingredient: All-American Beef.
Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
The car industry flourished when Henry Ford made cars people could afford.
I tried to buy a mint 2016 Dodge Challenger in 2022 as a gift to my brother in law. The car was 6 years old, was a Dodge and I offered the guy 17,000 dollars for it and I can’t believe I offered that much. But it was a clean car. He wanted 30,000 dollars for it. More than it cost new. HE SOLD IT FOR THAT! Somebody actually bought it for that. I’ll bet he’s pretty sick about it now. DUH?
Yep, stupid is as stupid does. America is not going to go electric, BECAUSE THE GRID CANNOT HANDLE IT AND THERE ARE NO PLANS TO REPLACE ENERGY PRODUCERS. A prime example is the San-Onofre nuclear power plant north of San Diego, which shut down some years back and no one bothered to take into account that it needed a replacement, so now we must purchase our power off the grid which must be transmitted many hundreds of miles which we also pay a fee for over and above the cost of electricity.
I have been tracking SDG&E’s monthly charges for the last seven and half years, and it has incrementally increased our cost substantially. over the last two and a half years ever since Biden shut down our energy supply it has gone up so high that many cannot afford to use their Air Conditioners or even charge their EVs.
Remember my friends that there is no way in hell that Wind, Solar, and hydroelectric can take the place of the power-packed Fosil Fuels we have used for the last 100 plus years. Wind and Solar are especially troublesome because of the need to recycle their materials at the end of their lives. You will pay handsomely for that privilege.
Total cost accounting is what is needed during the analysis. Do you have any idea what it is going to cost to recycle your dead solar panels? AND, how about those dead batteries in your Electric vehicles when that overly expensive battery pack goes dead. None of this was thought out by those handling Joe Biden.
And lastly, you must ask yourselves; WHO is manipulating the WEF and others to push this 2030 agenda on us? we are now at a crossroad of having to accept that we are not alone and this has become a fight for the resources our earth contains. HUMANS ARE BEING EMOTIONALLY TERRAFORMED SUCH THAT WE ARE BEING MANIPULATED TO KILL OURSELVES OFF, SO NO INVASION IS NEEDED TO COME IN AND STEAL WHAT WE BELIEVE IS OURS. You must come to understand that humanity is under attack, AND IT TIME TO WAKE UP !!!
How do you take out a car loan that isnt underwater from the moment you drive the car off the lot?
That’s non-sensical. A car doesnt gain value over its lifetime. (with the noted exception of collector/antique)
You buy used (>=2 years old), and make a large down payment. Most of the depreciation takes place in the first two years.
Didn’t have $ to put down on used Chevy Equinox which was 2 years old and only had 22k on it. Sale price was $28,700k had to finance entire car no $ down – payments for 72 months are $550 per month but has 4 year bumper to bumper 80k mile warranty – my sons car – had to co-sign & when all is done will have paid over $40k for car but son works making payments and it is a clean car. If I could have waited a little longer would have been great – this vehicle was coming off a lease
I just sold my 2020 Equinox with 15k miles on it at the end of the lease a month ago for $26,500 in near perfect condition. I came out ahead about 3k. Looks like I sold it just in time. The dealer marked it up to $30,500. I really wanted to get another one on lease but the terms were very unfavorable so I bought a low mileage used car instead. Saved me a lot of money.