The cost of a used vehicle the year you turned 16
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.
2021
- Average used vehicle price: $26,500
2020
- Average used vehicle price: $20,935
2019
- Average used vehicle price: $20,278
2018
- Average used vehicle price: $20,077
2017
- Average used vehicle price: $20,004
2016
- Average used vehicle price: $20,815
2015
- Average used vehicle price: $21,365
2014
- Average used vehicle price: $21,640
2013
- Average used vehicle price: $21,751
2012
- Average used vehicle price: $21,809
2011
- Average used vehicle price: $21,618
2010
- Average used vehicle price: $20,767
2009
- Average used vehicle price: $18,426
2008
- Average used vehicle price: $19,436
2007
- Average used vehicle price: $19,698
2006
- Average used vehicle price: $20,313
2005
- Average used vehicle price: $20,225
2004
- Average used vehicle price: $19,343
2003
- Average used vehicle price: $20,735
2002
- Average used vehicle price: $22,049
2001
- Average used vehicle price: $23,025
2000
- Average used vehicle price: $22,598
1999
- Average used vehicle price: $22,058
1998
- Average used vehicle price: $21,842
1997
- Average used vehicle price: $21,918
1996
- Average used vehicle price: $22,787
1995
- Average used vehicle price: $22,698
1994
- Average used vehicle price: $20,552
1993
- Average used vehicle price: $19,424
1992
- Average used vehicle price: $17,865
1991
- Average used vehicle price: $17,128
1990
- Average used vehicle price: $17,046
1989
- Average used vehicle price: $17,475
1988
- Average used vehicle price: $17,107
1987
- Average used vehicle price: $16,402
1986
- Average used vehicle price: $15,785
1985
- Average used vehicle price: $16,504
1984
- Average used vehicle price: $16,324
1983
- Average used vehicle price: $14,328
1982
- Average used vehicle price: $12,881
1981
- Average used vehicle price: $11,151
1980
- Average used vehicle price: $9,033
1979
- Average used vehicle price: $8,734
1978
- Average used vehicle price: $8,100
1977
- Average used vehicle price: $7,955
1976
- Average used vehicle price: $7,293
1975
- Average used vehicle price: $6,366
1974
- Average used vehicle price: $5,317
1973
- Average used vehicle price: $5,106
1972
- Average used vehicle price: $4,793
1971
- Average used vehicle price: $4,784
1970
- Average used vehicle price: $4,525
1969
- Average used vehicle price: $4,478
1968
- Average used vehicle price: $4,501
1967
- Average used vehicle price: $4,345
1966
- Average used vehicle price: $4,213
1965
- Average used vehicle price: $4,323
1964
- Average used vehicle price: $4,346
1963
- Average used vehicle price: $4,170
1962
- Average used vehicle price: $4,117
1961
- Average used vehicle price: $3,773
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.
