Used-vehicle prices were almost unchanged last month from December, but after a year of steady gains, they were up 16 percent from January 2009, the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index shows.

The index for January, released today, stood at 117.6. That is compared with 117.5 in December 2009 and 101.7 in January 2009.

According to data from CNW Marketing Research, used-vehicle sales in January showed a significant improvement over sales a year ago. Franchise dealers sold about 699,000 used vehicles in January, about 7 percent more than they sold in January 2009. Independent used-car dealers sold 618,325 units in January, a 15 percent increase from sales in January 2009.

Tom Webb, Manheim chief economist, says the recall and sales halt of eight Toyota models in late January introduced uncertainty into the used-car market.

Some publishers of used-vehicle guidebooks and companies that track residual values have indicated they will lower their valuations for Toyota's recalled vehicles.

The industry will have a clearer picture of the impact of the recalls on Toyota's vehicle values once the nation's auto auctions resume selling the affected vehicles, he says.

“There is some concern that the image problem will spread beyond the products that are not recalled to the brand name itself,” Webb adds.

The Manheim index started at 100 in January 1995 and is adjusted based on model mix, mileage and time of year.




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