Here is the latest Used Car Market report, with data from Ricky Beggs and Black Book. With an overall average segment depreciation of -1.7% during November, the market appeared to be better than the October average segment change of -2.3%. November also brought four segments with -1.0% or less depreciation. October’s best depreciation came in at -1.1% for the Full-size Pickup Trucks. One year ago in November 2012, the strength was again with the Full-size Pickups at -1.0%.

You may be wondering if any segment depreciated a greater amount in November than October. According to Black Book editors, taking the largest depreciating segment in November, we have the Entry level Cars at -3.7%. During October the Entry Level Cars were at -2.8%. The Entry Mid-size Cars at -2.5% in November increased from the October level for that same segment was at -1.7%. We finally have a segment in November that had a smaller level of depreciation going from -2.2% in November as compared to the -3.1% in October for the Full-size Cars. The Entry sporty Cars had a similar pattern with the November change at -2.1% and the prior month during October at -3.1%. One year ago the Entry Level Cars were also the greatest monthly depreciating segment at -3.7%. Could there be a correlation to the lowest average gas prices coming during the last couple of months of the year?

As gas prices steadily fell during most of November, it seems that this helped the truck segments on the low depreciation level as well as pushed a couple of more fuel efficient segments to the greater depreciation levels. All three pickup truck segments came in at -1.0% or less while the Entry Level Cars and the Entry Mid-size Cars were well over normal depreciation levels at -3.7% and -2.5% respectively in November.

To understand some of the seasonality trends one only has to look at the quarterly levels of change over the past couple of years. Since September the market of two to five year old vehicles have depreciated -5.0%. The three month range of June to September was slightly better at -3.8%. Over the past few years the late spring to early summer quarter has consistently been more of a seller’s market. In 2013 it was a -1.4% level of change. In 2012 the change came in at -.2%.

Over the past month and the -1.7% change, and with the four smallest depreciating segments being trucks, the only variance in the comparison of trucks versus cars change is how close it was, with -1.6% for the trucks and -1.9% for the cars. In October that variance was -1.9% depreciation on the trucks and -2.4% on the cars. In September the variance ranged from -1.8% for the cars and -.9% for the trucks.

Another sign of seasonality adjustments being steady and consistent can be seen when comparing to year ago levels. From December 1, 2011 to March 1, 2012 the change was -3.7% and the same period one year later was -3.1%. The period from March 1, 2012 to June 1, 2012 was a low -.2% while march 1, 2013 to June 1, 2013 was slightly more but still the lowest quarter during the year at -1.4%.

End of summer to early fall sees some of the commercial accounts restructuring their portfolios and an increasing level of depreciation. June 1, 2012 to September 1, 2012 increased to -4.8% while the same period in 2013 was at -3.8%. The level of depreciation tops out at the end of the year on a regular basis at -5.1% in 2012 and an almost identical -5.0% in the most recent three month period in 2013.