What Is the Best Depreciation Special?

"For Sweden" (rallybeetle) 10/16/2013 at 12:13 • Filed to: Show Us, Depreciation Specials, Depreciation Special, Oppo Question, Oppo Questions

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Ah, the Depreciation Special, that magical situation where the wealth of the 1% descends upon muggles in a torrent instead of a trickle. But the shiny low market price often distracts from future costs such as fuel, maintenance, tires, and first-generation infotainment systems. Many obvious depreciation specials exist, such as the Maserati Quattroporte, Volkswagen Phaeton, and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ; a V8, RWD monument to the traditional American sedan for only $13,500. But which depreciation special is the best?

hotdog453 > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:17

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Corvettes. Especially with the C7s coming out, C6 prices are going down. And given the average owner of a Corvette bought them with cash (I pulled this stat out of my butt, but its what I saw when I was looking for my z06), they're not trying to cover a bank note or anything; they just want a C7.

Nibbles > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:18

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That Cadillac is barely more expensive than what I paid for an (at the time) same age, slightly less mileage, Ford Focus

I immediately regretted (and still do) that decision.

Just4GP > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:22

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Just about any Merc AMG vehicle. You can get what was a brand new $150K car for under $30K with a warranty and less than 100K on the odometer. They're almost always in great condition. But, be prepared for $300 oil changes and suspension issues that can easily run $10K to resolve.

Jagvar > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:23

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You stole my thunder by mentioning the Phaeton already. :)

I propose the Jaguar XJR. In just six years, this example has depreciated by a whopping 77 percent!

2007 MSRP: $80,835
2013 price: $18,978

For Sweden > Jagvar 10/16/2013 at 12:30

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The Phaeton comes with $5000 service bills however.

BJ > Just4GP 10/16/2013 at 12:34

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The S-Class in general seems to depreciate quickly, not just the AMG versions. Maybe it's all the fancy techno-gizmos that break?

Jagvar > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:35

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I've only had one service bill that high.

And it was $4,912. :)

BJ > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:38

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There was an AOTD for the Top 10 most depreciated cars of the past 10 years on Jalopnik, not too long ago: http://jalopnik.com/5982789/the-mo…

davedave1111 > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:38

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Oddly enough, the Ford Mondeo. You can get one that was registered a year ago, but only has factory miles, with full new-car warranty and so-on, for around two-thirds of the new-new price. Or, over three years of normal use, they lose around 70-75% of their value, so you can pick up a three year old, <100k miles Mondeo for £4k or so, maybe less if you get a good deal.

Jagvar > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:39

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Another contender: the Volvo's flagship, the S80.

In just three years, this Volvo S80 has depreciated by 58 percent. That means it's losing 19 percent of its value every year .

2010 MSRP: $39,200
2013 price: $16,490

Sn210 > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:40

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I love me some depreciation specials!

2006 E60 M5 for $23k (Base MSRP $81k; -$58k in 7 years)
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/413015…

2004 V8 VW Phaeton for $11,900 (Base MSRP $61,600; $-49,700 in 9 years)
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ctd/408006…

1991 BMW 850i for $9,900 (Base MSRP $77k in 1991; -$67,100 in 22 years)
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/408382…

2001 Audi S8 for $8900 (Base MSRP $74,770; -$65870 in 12 years)
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/412530…

Sn210 > BJ 10/16/2013 at 12:45

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God I want all of these! ...except the Maybach...

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > davedave1111 10/16/2013 at 12:46

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When he mentioned "1%", I don't think he was talking about outlaws.

BJ > Sn210 10/16/2013 at 12:48

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You might also like Ten Used Luxury Cars at Economy Car Prices: http://jalopnik.com/5882981/ten-us…

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Jagvar 10/16/2013 at 12:48

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$1000ish per year in service. Sounds like win.
Although I'd rather take the previous generation.

Alex87f > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:50

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The Alfa Brera (especially big petrol versions) isn't bad:

Price when new: 45 000+€
Price with 7 years / 49 000 miles: 8 900€ (12k$)

That's 80% depreciation in less than 50k miles.

Why you may ask? Because to put it " on the road" , you have to shell out a whopping 5 700€ (7.7k$) worth of taxes. And it barely gets 20mpg of 8$/ga petrol. So nobody wants them.

BJ > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 12:51

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We also have Adventures in Depreciation - a MB S600 that got zero penalty points at a LeMons race: http://jalopnik.com/5409819/advent…

BJ > BJ 10/16/2013 at 12:53

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And finally, a QOTD from back in 2011 that never had a proper AOTD response, but lots of goodies in the replies: http://jalopnik.com/5782977/whats-…

Sn210 > BJ 10/16/2013 at 12:53

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Good stuff. I often debate if it's better to get something new, or get more car for my money by getting something upscale but older. Dealing with the higher maintenance costs would be worth it.

BJ > Sn210 10/16/2013 at 12:54

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That S8 is a ridiculously good deal. It looks like a nice, unmolested car and with the V8, it'll be reasonable to run and service. Not as dramatic as the 12-cylinder, but wow...

Sn210 > Jagvar 10/16/2013 at 12:57

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The inlaw's got one of these. It was like 2-3 years old and they got it for <$20k. It's actually a real nice car. The ride is great, has decent pickup, it's been rather reliable, and has a decent amount of toys.

Sn210 > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 13:01

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Another personal favorite of mine:
2004 Infiniti M45 for $7500 (Base MSRP $43,250; -$35,750 in 9 years)
http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/4097133694…

For Sweden > Sn210 10/16/2013 at 13:02

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The service costs on an E60 M5 are astronomical, making it a horrible depreciation special.

Sn210 > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 13:12

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The way I look at it, even if I pump $10k into it just for service, I'm still driving a $81k V10 powered car for aprox. $50k less than if I bought it new. It's probably not the best, but it would be my top choice for a weekend car.

chuck07 > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 13:42

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2008 SL65 on Carmax.

http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/…

Add $3k for the warranty and you have a SL65 with a 3 year warranty for ~$71k. That is about 70% depreciation over 5 years.

davedave1111 > Jagvar 10/16/2013 at 14:08

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Not sure about the US, but the S80 is notorious in the UK for having strange depreciation figures that don't come anywhere near reflecting reality.

They're incredibly popular with executive taxi/chauffeur services, as well as with private buyers, but the private buyers don't sell them until they're a few years old, whereas the taxi companies dump them on the market at a year old with 200-300k miles on the clock. As a result, the 'average' secondhand prices are actually for mega-miles ex-taxis, at least until you get to a few years old. Even once the private sales hit the market, they're swamped by the ex-taxis, so the average doesn't change much.

If you look around, you may find an idiot selling a good S80 for the price of a taxi, but generally the good ones go for much, much better prices - at least double, in most cases.

Just4GP > BJ 10/16/2013 at 14:50

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I can't speak for the S-Class, but the things that I've seen go bad on my CL are little things. Like the supercharger pulley bearing or IC pump. Both can easily be replaced with everyday tools and aren't expensive. Another common item is the wiring in the doors. The harnesses are just pulled too tight and eventually a wire or two breaks. A little soldier or crimp connectors, problem solved.

The one expensive system is the Active Body Control. When a strut leaks, hose breaks or pump fails, be prepared for an expensive bill. Some indy shops won't even touch that stuff. You have to see the dealer instead.

YesILoveCars > For Sweden 10/16/2013 at 14:56

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Anything Jaguar. The only thing that falls off faster than the parts is the value.