The cost of a used vehicle the year you turned 16
Published 2:25 pm Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Eric Glenn // Shutterstock
The cost of a used vehicle the year you turned 16
The first car is almost never the dream car. It’s probably not the color you preferred, nor did it feature the sexiest trim. But it was appropriately priced, and it was going to get you from point A to point B.
That’s the beauty of the first car. It never needed to be much more than four wheels and a gas pedal that can be pressed any time our teenaged selves wanted a small taste of freedom: the freedom to visit the shop down the road, run errands for the parents, or meet with friends for milkshakes after class.
Stacker analyzed price index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and used vehicle price data from Edmunds to compile this timeline of used vehicle prices from the year you first got behind the wheel. The BLS Consumer Price Index measures the price of goods and services relative to a point in time. The BLS index for used car and truck prices is indexed to the years 1982-1984.
Used vehicle prices made a record jump in price in 2021, driven by a shortage of inventory. U.S. auto manufacturers have experienced difficulties in recent years getting enough computer chips to complete the latest and greatest new vehicles. That shortage of new vehicles pushed more buyers into the used car market, seeking the best bang for their buck in a world where new vehicles were seeing unheard-of markups over manufacturers’ pricing. And more demand for used vehicles has meant higher prices—for now.
Used car prices have stopped growing as fast as they did in 2021, but the price of the average used car was just over $28,000 in the first quarter of 2023. Edmunds analysts also reported that by May 2023 used vehicles for $20,000 or less had become hard to find for buyers.
It’s not unheard of for used vehicle prices to fall in real dollars. The last time new drivers saw the average cost of used vehicles decline year over year was from 2012 to 2016—during the aftermath of the Great Recession.
Whether you’re in the market now and gawking at used car prices today, or reminiscing on the times when a solid used ride went for $4,000, take a spin through this look at the average price of a used vehicle from the year you got your license.
Newsday LLC // Getty Images
2021
– Average used vehicle price: $26,500
MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle // Getty Images
2020
– Average used vehicle price: $20,935
MARK RALSTON // Getty Images
2019
– Average used vehicle price: $20,278
Portland Press Herald // Getty Images
2018
– Average used vehicle price: $20,077
Mark Wilson // Getty Images
2017
– Average used vehicle price: $20,004
The Washington Post // Getty Images
2016
– Average used vehicle price: $20,815
Scott Olson // Getty Images
2015
– Average used vehicle price: $21,365
Education Images // Getty Images
2014
– Average used vehicle price: $21,640
San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers // Getty Images
2013
– Average used vehicle price: $21,751
Al Seib // Getty Images
2012
– Average used vehicle price: $21,809
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers // Getty Images
2011
– Average used vehicle price: $21,618
VW Pics // Getty Images
2010
– Average used vehicle price: $20,767
NurPhoto // Getty Images
2009
– Average used vehicle price: $18,426
Scott Olson // Getty Images
2008
– Average used vehicle price: $19,436
Construction Photography/Avalon // Getty Images
2007
– Average used vehicle price: $19,698
Bob Riha Jr // Getty Images
2006
– Average used vehicle price: $20,313
Gregory Bojorquez // Getty Images
2005
– Average used vehicle price: $20,225
Joe Sohm/Visions of America // Getty Images
2004
– Average used vehicle price: $19,343
Bob Riha Jr // Getty Images
2003
– Average used vehicle price: $20,735
Ken Hively // Getty Images
2002
– Average used vehicle price: $22,049
BRUCE WEAVER // Getty Images
2001
– Average used vehicle price: $23,025
Ricardo DeAratanha // Getty Images
2000
– Average used vehicle price: $22,598
Jean-Erick PASQUIER // Getty Images
1999
– Average used vehicle price: $22,058
Wally Skalij // Getty Images
1998
– Average used vehicle price: $21,842
Star Tribune // Getty Images
1997
– Average used vehicle price: $21,918
Steve Osman // Getty Images
1996
– Average used vehicle price: $22,787
Jim Heimann Collection // Getty Images
1995
– Average used vehicle price: $22,698
Heritage Images // Getty Images
1994
– Average used vehicle price: $20,552
Joe Sohm/Visions of America // Getty Images
1993
– Average used vehicle price: $19,424
Rick Maiman // Getty Images
1992
– Average used vehicle price: $17,865
Joe Sohm/Visions of America // Getty Images
1991
– Average used vehicle price: $17,128
Jim Heimann Collection // Getty Images
1990
– Average used vehicle price: $17,046
Bob Riha Jr // Getty Images
1989
– Average used vehicle price: $17,475
William Nation // Getty Images
1988
– Average used vehicle price: $17,107
Steve Liss // Getty Images
1987
– Average used vehicle price: $16,402
Steve Liss // Getty Images
1986
– Average used vehicle price: $15,785
Jeffrey Markowitz // Getty Images
1985
– Average used vehicle price: $16,504
Universal History Archive // Getty Images
1984
– Average used vehicle price: $16,324
William Nation // Getty Images
1983
– Average used vehicle price: $14,328
Harold M. Lambert // Getty Images
1982
– Average used vehicle price: $12,881
Andia // Getty Images
1981
– Average used vehicle price: $11,151
Harold M. Lambert // Getty Images
1980
– Average used vehicle price: $9,033
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images
1979
– Average used vehicle price: $8,734
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images
1978
– Average used vehicle price: $8,100
Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images
1977
– Average used vehicle price: $7,955
Universal History Archive // Getty Images
1976
– Average used vehicle price: $7,293
ClassicStock // Getty Images
1975
– Average used vehicle price: $6,366
Jim Steinfeldt // Getty Images
1974
– Average used vehicle price: $5,317
Bettmann // Getty Images
1973
– Average used vehicle price: $5,106
ClassicStock // Getty Images
1972
– Average used vehicle price: $4,793
Jim Heimann Collection // Getty Images
1971
– Average used vehicle price: $4,784
Nik Wheeler // Getty Images
1970
– Average used vehicle price: $4,525
ClassicStock // Getty Images
1969
– Average used vehicle price: $4,478
Scott McPartland // Getty Images
1968
– Average used vehicle price: $4,501
Harold M. Lambert // Getty Images
1967
– Average used vehicle price: $4,345
Heritage Images // Getty Images
1966
– Average used vehicle price: $4,213
Smith Collection/Gado // Contributor / Getty Images
1965
– Average used vehicle price: $4,323
Scott McPartland // Getty Images
1964
– Average used vehicle price: $4,346
Scott McPartland // Getty Images
1963
– Average used vehicle price: $4,170
Universal History Archive // Getty Images
1962
– Average used vehicle price: $4,117
Universal History Archive // Getty Images
1961
– Average used vehicle price: $3,773
Scott McPartland // Getty Images
1960
– Average used vehicle price: $3,638
Data reporting by Dom DiFurio. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Abigail Renaud.