Affordable used cars are vanishing: What $15K gets you in 2026 vs. 2019

  For years, the used market served as a reliable alternative for first-time buyers, consumers looking to avoid steep new-car depreciation, and shoppers priced out of the new-car market. But second-quarter 2026 data from Edmunds shows a used market that has fundamentally repriced itself, and the entry level is where the squeeze is hurting consumers