GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Overall, wholesale prices have continuously trended downward over the past several months. But there have been several categories that have shown more volatility than others, experiencing wild seesaw price changes over the last three months.

“An overall downward adjustment in the market, combined with higher-than-normal gas prices, has contributed to pockets of volatility for certain segments,” said Ricky Beggs, senior analyst at Black Book. “Some segments in particular, including the compact pickups and entry-level cars, have shown above average volatility even though they have outperformed overall segment averages.” The entry-level cars segment — which includes the Hyundai Accent, Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, Pontiac G3, Mazda2, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa — has displayed above-average volatility during the past three months, with prices dropping an average of $82 this past week compared to $4 the previous week. Beggs pointed out that the entry-level car category has performed better than the overall price average for all car segments during this time period.

Entry-Level Car Average Volatility

The most volatile truck category during the past three months has been the Full-Size SUVs. This segment includes Nissan Armada, Jeep Commander, Dodge Durango, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia, Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon. Values in this segment dropped by an average of $74 this past week compared with the week of Sept. 14 when segment values dipped by just $14.

Truck Average Volatility

The entry-level sports car category was tracking closest to the overall car segment average (BMW 3-Series, Audi A5, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Chrysler Crossfire, Ford Mustang, Acura TSX). This segment has an average weekly decrease in value of $63 during the past three months.

Compact crossovers were also tracking closest to overall truck segments (Jeep Compass, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-7, Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, Jeep Liberty, Mercury Mariner, Toyota Rav4, Acura RDX). This segment has an average weekly drop of $29 during the past three months, Beggs reported.