Has the Death of the SUV Arrived?

It looks like the time has come for the SUV to be towed off to that great junkyard in the sky.

Rising gas prices -- and a greater understanding that fuel will probably never be cheap again -- appears to be killing off the gas-guzzling SUV.

Sales of the vehicles are plummeting, and those drivers who already have them are finding it increasingly difficult to sell or trade-in their old SUVs.

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Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com, has been asked for years about the future of the SUV.

"Up until now, we've said it's not dead," Nerad said. "But right now, it's probably on life support."

Just a few years back, SUVs, pickup trucks and other heavy vehicles were flying off lots and heralded for breathing new life into struggling U.S. automakers.

In September, the 2005 Chevy Tahoe sold for $19,750, according to kbb.com. Today, it sells for $16,400, a drop of 17 percent in just nine months.

But $4 gas has changed that.

All cars start to lose value the second you drive them off the lot. But recently, the prices of used SUVs have dropped faster than all other types of vehicles, according to several industry watchers.

For instance, take a 2005 Ford Expedition. In September, it sold for $16,350, according to kbb.com. Today, it sells for $12,400, a drop of 24 percent in just nine months.

Compare that to small used cars, which have actually seen an average 2 percent increase in value in the last year, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.

Even the Geo Metro -- never really a popular car -- is seeing a resurrection in sales, despite the fact that the tiny car was discontinued in 2001.