Existence of Stationary Equilibrium in the Markets for New and Used Durable Goods

Abstract

We prove the existence of stationary equilibrium in the primary and secondhand markets for an indivisible consumer durable in a general model with stochastic degradation and endogenous scrappage decisions. Unlike Rust (1985), we introduce transaction costs in the model as a motivation for consumer holdings of durables across multiple quality levels. In addition, we allow for multiple types of durables (e.g., Porsche and BMW). Since we use a fixed point theorem in making the existence argument, we do not need to invoke the single-crossing property on consumer tastes.