What waiting costs in miles, what the calendar does to prices, and the timing that's about your car, not the market. Last checked 2026-11-02.
Short answer: the calendar and the odometer pull in opposite directions. Every month you keep driving adds miles, and miles take a measurable amount off the price: about $80 per 1,000 miles on the cars we measured. Against that, what dealers pay usually climbs from late winter into spring, most of it in March (up 3.4% on average), and falls most in October. On average, a car held from November to the end of April gains more from the season (6.0%) than it loses to six months of miles (2.7%), before counting six months of age. It's an average, not a promise, and your own timing often matters more: whether you owe more than the car is worth, and whether it's about to need tires, brakes or a big repair.
Each car below is a real set of used-car dealer listings within 100 miles of Detroit (October 2026). For each one we fitted how the asking price falls as mileage rises, then turned that into trade-in dollars the same way your result does (minus the dealer's margin). Each car is 13 to 50 listings; "3 months" is three months at 1,000 miles a month.
| Car | Asking price | Off trade-in per 1,000 mi | 3 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Nissan Sentra | $7,332 | $70 | $220 |
| 2018 Ford Focus | $8,202 | $30 | $80 |
| 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Limited | $8,207 | $30 | $90 |
| 2017 Jeep Patriot | $8,789 | $50 | $160 |
| 2019 GMC Acadia | $14,670 | $80 | $230 |
| 2018 Ram 1500 | $19,454 | $60 | $190 |
| 2020 Toyota Camry | $19,915 | $80 | $230 |
| 2023 Chrysler Pacifica | $22,659 | $150 | $460 |
| 2020 Cadillac XT6 | $23,770 | $90 | $280 |
| 2022 Kia Telluride | $26,592 | $120 | $360 |
Across these 10 cars, 1,000 miles took between 0.34% and 1.09% of the price off (median 0.46%). A pricier car loses more dollars per mile; a car that's already cheap loses fewer. Your own result does this for your car: under "Sell now or wait?" it shows what 1,000 more miles costs near you and, from how much you've driven so far, what three more months would cost.
What we measure is mileage only. Cars also lose value as they get older, and a new model year arriving can pull prices down, so the miles are only part of the cost of waiting.
Cox Automotive's Manheim index tracks what dealers pay for used cars at wholesale auctions. Before adjusting for the season, its long-term average move for each month is:
| Month | Typical move in what dealers pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January | up 0.4% | Cox Automotive |
| February | up 0.9% | Cox Automotive |
| March | up 3.4% | Cox Automotive |
| April | up 1.3% | Cox Automotive |
| May | down 0.3% | Cox Automotive |
| June | down 0.5% | Cox Automotive |
| July | down 0.7% | Cox Automotive |
| August | up 0.1% | Cox Automotive |
| September | down 0.3% | Cox Automotive |
| October | down 1.5% | Cox Automotive |
| November | down 0.4% | Cox Automotive |
| December | up 0.3% | Cox Automotive |
Each number is quoted from the Cox report covering that month. The pattern: prices firm up from January, jump in March, when tax refunds bring the most buyers in, and keep rising in April; then they drift down through summer and fall, with October the weakest month as dealers slow down before winter.
What that means if you're deciding when to sell:
Where it helps: if you can choose, March and April are the strongest months to sell, and October and November the weakest. If you have to sell in the fall anyway, the season costs you a percent or two, not more.
What is the best month to sell a car? On average, March, then April: Cox Automotive's long-term averages show what dealers pay for used cars rising 3.4% in March and 1.3% in April, and falling most in October (down 1.5%). It's a typical pattern, not a forecast for any one year.
How much value does a car lose per 1,000 miles? On the cars we measured near Detroit, between 0.34% and 1.09% of the price per 1,000 miles, median 0.46%: about $80 off a trade-in for the typical car in that set. Your result shows the number for your car, fitted on the listings near you when there are enough of them.
Is it worth waiting until tax season to sell my car? Often, on average, if you drive a normal amount and the car isn't due for big repairs. Holding from November to the end of April has averaged about 6.0% in what dealers pay, more than six months of miles takes off the typical car we measured (2.7%). Against that, the car is six months older, and some years the spring rise doesn't come. If you owe more than the car is worth or repairs are coming due, those usually decide it instead.
Do cars lose value in winter? The fall is the weak part of the year: on Cox Automotive's long-term averages, what dealers pay falls 1.5% in October and 0.4% in November, then turns up in December and January. Most of the recovery comes in March.
Should I sell my car before it hits 100,000 miles? We don't model a cliff at 100,000 miles: we price mileage as a straight line fitted on nearby listings, so every mile costs about the same, before and after 100,000. What's certain is that each 1,000 miles costs something, so if you plan to sell, crossing 100,000 is one more reason not to wait.
Should I fix my car before I sell it? Usually not the big ones. The dealer does reconditioning at its own cost, and that cost is already part of the offer. Cheap things are worth doing: clean the car, find every key, and get free recall repairs done. What a dealer checks
Prices change every day and your car isn't the average. See what your car is worth today, with what more miles cost for your car near you.
See what waiting costs your car
How we calculate it · Trade-in tax by state · What dealers make · Trade in or sell? · What dealers check · Owe more than it's worth? · When to sell · Selling a car by state · Stop calls & texts