Used car sales in September 2026 fell by 7.4%, according to data from AAA Data, with a total of 168,130 vehicles sold. Retailers faced difficulties despite a slower August and an "open house" event meant to attract buyers. Consumers showed little interest in cars that were nearly new, with vehicles less than 12 months old experiencing a 16.9% drop in sales, falling below 14,100 units. Cars that were 1-2 years old also saw a decline of 9.1%, reaching 14,333 units. No age group of used cars saw an increase in sales during the month. Over the first nine months of the 2026 fiscal year, used car professionals recorded 1.532 million transactions, a 7.8% decrease compared to the same period in the previous year. Their share of the market dropped to 39.6% across all sales channels, compared to 41.1% when selling directly to individuals. The peer-to-peer (CtoC) channel, where individuals sell cars directly to other individuals, also saw a slight decline of 2.5% in September, with 251,915 cars exchanged. Resales of nearly new vehicles showed some improvement, with cars less than 12 months old seeing a 3.6% increase in sales (4,550 units) and those aged 12-24 months rising by 5.2% (3,130 units). At the beginning of the last quarter, the CtoC market reported nearly 2.193 million transactions, a small annual decline of 1.6%. However, cars that were 2-5 years old faced a significant drop in sales, declining by 14.4% to 136,850 units. Despite the overall decline, recent used cars showed a slight upward trend, with vehicles less than 12 months old experiencing a 7.9% increase in resales, reaching 42,150 units. This contrasted with the struggles of older vehicles, indicating a growing preference among buyers for cars that are still relatively new.