Used Cars

Shopping for a used car in mid-2026 is less about finding the one perfect listing and more about understanding where a whole model-generation sits on its depreciation curve. A 2019-2023 generation that looked expensive when it was nearly new has, by now, shed the steep first-years drop and entered the flatter part of the curve where a few months of patience can still save real money. The catch is that average listing prices move every single month: they soften in winter when demand cools, firm up in spring tax-refund season, and react to interest rates, fuel prices, and how many lease returns are flooding the wholesale lanes. RipeBuy tracks the monthly average listing price for each model-generation across the marketplaces buyers actually use, so you can see whether a car is genuinely getting cheaper or just sitting at the same number with a new coat of dealer optimism.