Will Used Car Values Plummet More Than Ever Because Tech Is Changing SO Fast?

Others on this site in the industry I'm sure have a more experienced view on this but I'll give it a shot believing price more than technology will shape buying decisions and resale prices. For high end cars the depreciation curve is already steep and will likely worsen as people with money turn their vehicles quicker to catch new models and new technology. With car prices rising rapidly I suspect the middle of the market will be a mixed bag with many people holding onto their cars longer causing used car prices for these cars to hold up much better though many new models will be discounted heavily. On the low end these cars will more than likely strongly hold their resale value as people with the least ability to pay will create greater demand for good lower priced cars and people cutting back will move down into this segment. Interested to hear what the experts have to say.

I think it is simple
The Majority of the families in the USA do not have enough income to afford the average car sold in the USA.

If the MAJORITY cannot afford a new car anymore - Used car prices are likely to remain high even without the Technology.

Now add in that this new technology is what is breaking on the cars today(It now is the #1 cause of Warranty repairs) - and the cost of repair is astronomical - I believe that this will likely cause less equipped cars to retain their value a little longer. WE already have a severe shortage of techs who can actually diagnose and repair electronic problems because they make more money in other industries. And as electronic controls become more pervasive in other industries as well - it will only make the car situation worse - because of where they place these things in cars today. For instance - I worked on a Honda(My neighbors son's car) that had a Leaking sunroof - causing rain to end up in a recess under the Drivers seat - where the Computer was - shorting out the computer. Required repairs to the Sunroof and the Computer replacement - would have been more then twice what the car was worth.

Let’s also keep in mind this technology is not a must for everyone. The basics like a back up camera/Bluetooth can be had with a stop to bestbuy/car audio store near u.

All the other tech is great for car geeks but the average person hardly uses them or even knows how to operate it. The majority of new car buyers only use a quarter to maybe 50% of what their car is capable of tech wise.

This absolutely WILL BE the case for EVs. Anyone who buys an EV is a total idiot. Lease and upgrade to the newest technology in that segment. For ICE cars, there simply will not be massive leaps.

Some buyers will seek out used cars without all that technology. This is unrelated but >>> I have a TV with 1080dpi. 4k TV and upcoming 8K TV has too much screen resolution for me. It's like someone put on too much perfume / cologne

Personally, I won't even consider buying a used vehicle that is not factory equipped with the Flux capacitor option.