LINCOLN, Neb. — If you’re on the hunt for a used car under $20,000, you might want to buckle up for a bumpy ride. A recent study by iSeeCars reveals a dramatic drop in the availability of affordable used cars, with the national market share plummeting from 49.3 percent in 2019 to just 11.5 percent in 2025. In Lincoln, the situation is even more pronounced, with the share of sub-$20,000 cars shrinking from 39.2 percent to a mere 7.1 percent.
The study analyzed over 2.6 million 3-year-old used cars to track price increases and identify which models have seen the biggest loss in affordability. Popular models like the Toyota Camry, Nissan Sentra and Honda Civic have experienced significant price hikes. For instance, the average price of a Toyota Camry jumped from $17,739 in 2019 to $25,008 in 2025, marking a 41 percent increase.
“This loss of new car production during the pandemic between 2020 and 2022 set up today’s used car market scarcity. With prices substantially higher on popular high-volume models, used car shoppers are being forced to buy older models with more miles to stay within their budget,” explained Karl Brauer, iSeeCars Executive Analyst…