# Heavy depreciation cars in first year or two



## p1tse (Feb 4, 2007)

Was in a passenger of a hire car vauxhall insignia 2.0td Sri 160bhp version
Overall quite impressed with the car (but not that impressed to buy lol)

Base price £22k
But on autotrader similar car 2011 20k, £11k
That's more than half drop!!!!


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## Ultra (Feb 25, 2006)

The majority of cars take a kicking in the first few years.


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## Alzak (Aug 31, 2010)

This is one of the reason why I would never buy brand new car


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Alzak said:


> This is one of the reason why I would never buy brand new car


This ^
I'd NEVER EVER buy a new car with my own cash. I'd rather let the first owner take the hit and buy it a few years later.


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## woodybeefcake (Oct 12, 2008)

Be warned A LOT of used insignias are ex hire cars! Especially the "one owner 20k miles" ones!

Not that this is too much of a bad thing, they are TEN GRAND off the list price!

It's something I've always been into! I lost £2.5k on my MINI in 4.5 years and it is one of the reasons why I bought an Abarth 500!

Have a look at this link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...-that-depreciate-the-least.html?frame=2179322


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Virtually no car is immune from 50% depreciation in years 1 and 2 - mind you anyone who buys a new car at list is seriously daft in the first place. Thank goodness that companies still buy new so that private buyers have bargains


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## Otter Smacker (Jun 19, 2012)

That Nissan GT-R seems to be doing very well in the deprieciation front.

Keeps this up, in another year I might be able to afford one!

In 2009 when they were launched, they were priced between £55k - £60k... Now, you can have one for as little as £35K.


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## R7KY D (Feb 16, 2010)

My XF that I used to have 

£34k new 2008 

I paid £26k in 2010

I just px'd in for £14k I owned it for 18 months and lost .....well £12k !!! (max they will sell it is £17k)


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## onnyuk (Jul 11, 2012)

As little as 35k you say, I think I'll go and buy two



Andy


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

I bought an Insignia new in 2009 and got £6500 off list price of £21450. I got £10140 (which was book price) from the Insurance when it was written off 2 years 3 months later. So depreciation on that car was only 35% in 2 years 3 months. Yet depreciation figures for the Insignia are horrendous but that is based on list.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

R7KY D said:


> My XF that I used to have
> 
> £34k new 2008
> 
> ...


Holy ****e!, I tend to buy at 4 years old and find most cars I've owned loose about a grand a year no matter what make model etc.


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## VW Golf-Fan (Aug 3, 2010)

I'm gonna stick my snobby nose in here, I always buy NEW cars as long as I can afford it & the reason for that is purely because I don't like the thought of anyone else owned it before me & could have thrashed it.......yes I know really it is stupid, but ya know! 

Saying that, my very first car was second hand that I bought when it was 3yrs old. 

I know & appreciate that it will lose a lot of money on it in the first day to 1yr but that's a risk I'm happy to take.


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

VW Golf-Fan said:


> I'm gonna stick my snobby nose in here, I always buy NEW cars as long as I can afford it & the reason for that is purely because I don't like the thought of anyone else owned it before me & could have thrashed it.......yes I know really it is stupid, but ya know!


If only you bought decent cars, I'd have one off you in a year or two' time for a good saving 
Besides, my mrs had a previous owner before me and shes alright.
..ish.


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## VW Golf-Fan (Aug 3, 2010)

PugIain said:


> If only you bought decent cars, I'd have one off you in a year or two' time for a good saving
> Besides, my mrs had a previous owner before me and shes alright.
> ..ish.


:lol: well in my world German engineering beats French $hite anyday!  :lol: 

But yeah I guess if the car comes from a 'reputable' background & has all paperwork/documentation i.e FSH, MOT etc then there's nothing to worry about too much.


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

andy665 said:


> Virtually no car is immune from 50% depreciation in years 1 and 2 - mind you anyone who buys a new car at list is seriously daft in the first place. Thank goodness that companies still buy new so that private buyers have bargains


Have to agree with that last new e90 bmw 330d £6.5k off list and some free stuff had to complete before end of year and dealer had car on order had a few days to choice spec that i had been looking at for months, just away to trade soon lost about £3250 per year but got 83% relief on first 4 years on £3000 a year so not to bad for me


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

When does anyone pay anywhere near list price for a Vauxhall or Ford etc? 

You would be mental as huge discounts are always available as it would be financial suicide to pay list price knowing the depreciation that will happen.


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

Insignia's drop like lead baloons


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## Shinyvec (Feb 12, 2010)

Vectra's had really high depreciation which worked in my favour, I bought my 56 Plate Vectra C 1.9cdti150 SRi Nav Auto in May 2007 and it was registerd at the end of September 2006 which made it 7 months old, it cost me £12000 and that was from a VX Dealer. I must of saved £8000 minimum but its better in my pocket than there's. I will never buy a new car because of the kick you get but 6 months to 12 months old makes for a good buy and if you keep the car for a while like I have it makes for cheap motoring really.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I nearly bought a Vectra VXR a few years ago. 

It was the last ones available and they were pre-registered with sub 10 miles on the clock. 

List price was £26.5k and they were being sold off for £13,995. 

It works well in those circumstances but not paying top dollar.


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## T.D.K (Mar 16, 2011)

Kerr said:


> When does anyone pay anywhere near list price for a Vauxhall or Ford etc?
> 
> You would be mental as huge discounts are always available as it would be financial suicide to pay list price knowing the depreciation that will happen.


I bought a brand new Vauxhall Astra GTC and I don't regret it for a second. The way I see it, as I will keep the car for at least four years, that's £5,000 per year.

If the car gets any major issues, it's a quick call to Vauxhall then down to the dealer to get it sorted under warranty which is up to 100,000 miles.

From new, I know where it's been, how it's been treated and after those four years, bar a few stone chips, it will still be in immaculate condition.

Depreciation only really hurts if you only keep the car for a short amount of time.


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

Most mass produced cars will drop like a stone regardless.

However, the old man's bought new now since 02 and each time has managed to get a price which is so far below the "RRP" that depreciation hasn't been an issue.

His latest Meriva (I know, I know, but he loves them) is a top-spec model - he was happy to buy the base model but was offered this one, sitting in the showroom for less price to change then the base model. 

The sticker price was £18,995 or something (yes, I know but he loves them) and the final price when you worked out what they offered him for the trade-in Meriva (again I know but he.....yep, you get the picture) at just over £10,000.

Bottom line is ignore what it says in the screen and negotiate as best you can to *your* price to change.

I do like the properly new smell and feel of a brand new car and am lucky in that I've run company cars for years where you choose and it turns up on a transporter a few weeks later. Current job has been buy S/H and up to a year old and TBH it's worked fine for me too.


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

AndyC said:


> Most mass produced cars will drop like a stone regardless.


Gotta agree and even the less common ones too. 

I mean there was only 200 Twingo Gordini's sold in the UK. I paid £14k for mine so £500 under book price and at that time there were no second hand ones. Worth in the region of £9k now (maybe a little more due to mileage) so still lost £5k in 2 years.

The way I look at it is that if I'm planning on keeping a car for a long time, then why not buy new. You take the hit but it levels out the longer you keep the car and you know it's full history and know you've been it's only owner.

If I was buying a car that I'm likely to not be so attached too then buying an 18-24 month old car that's taken that big hit makes more financial sense.

What I don't get is people that part-ex their financed cars every 2-3 years for peanuts, to then get another brand new car. When in reality they never actually own a car.


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## Dixondmn (Oct 12, 2007)

Its lovely to have a new car, and while i've been lucky enough to own 2, i'd NEVER buy one again from a loss perspective.

The example of the Jag XF is a prime example. When you can get a £35-£40k for £25k a couple of years later, you'd be simply crazy to put your own money into it.

I guess its more applicable to premium brands, i.e. getting more car for your money than buying a brand new Nissan Pixo (Ala TopGear)

I've got my eye on a F30 3 Series because the savings even after 6 months of being on sale are incredible in terms of hard cash.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Dixondmn said:


> I've got my eye on a F30 3 Series because the savings even after 6 months of being on sale are incredible in terms of hard cash.


A nice 328i M Sport will be the one to go for, 240+bhp 40mpg and petrol power which will make it cheap come the second hand market.

A nice remap and you will have a comfortable, 300bhp RWD 4 door saloon for 15-17K


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## Dixondmn (Oct 12, 2007)

rest assured it will definitely be a petrol.


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## eatcustard (May 4, 2011)

woodybeefcake said:


> It's something I've always been into! I lost £2.5k on my MINI in 4.5 years and it is one of the reasons why I bought an Abarth 500!
> 
> Have a look at this link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...-that-depreciate-the-least.html?frame=2179322


I found minis were better (just)
http://www.great-cars.co.uk/latest-bmw-news/410-mini-tops-residual-value-league-table.html


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## Grommit (May 3, 2011)

robertdon777 said:


> A nice 328i M Sport will be the one to go for, 240+bhp 40mpg and petrol power which will make it cheap come the second hand market.
> 
> A nice remap and you will have a comfortable, 300bhp RWD 4 door saloon for 15-17K


Aye, im looking at getting the 335d coupe convertible, pure poofy and such, with loads of gizmos, professional media with the TV, larger screen, bluetooth, heated seats and the likes for about 20k.....run that puppy till the **** fell out the car and then some.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

robertdon777 said:


> A nice 328i M Sport will be the one to go for, 240+bhp 40mpg and petrol power which will make it cheap come the second hand market.
> 
> A nice remap and you will have a comfortable, 300bhp RWD 4 door saloon for 15-17K


You will need to wait about 2.5/3 years rather than 6 months for that price though.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Kerr said:


> You will need to wait about 2.5/3 years rather than 6 months for that price though.


I was going on 4 year old example sorry, should of said.


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

VW Golf-Fan said:


> I'm gonna stick my snobby nose in here, I always buy NEW cars as long as I can afford it & the reason for that is purely because I don't like the thought of anyone else owned it before me & could have thrashed it.......yes I know really it is stupid, but ya know!
> 
> Saying that, my very first car was second hand that I bought when it was 3yrs old.
> 
> I know & appreciate that it will lose a lot of money on it in the first day to 1yr but that's a risk I'm happy to take.


I'm exactly the same. I've had 4 cars all of which were brand new. You can also take into account there are no mot's and insurance tends to be cheaper on newer cars.

Also if anything goes wrong you have warranties etc

I know it will never equal out with depreciation etc but that's my take.


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## Dixondmn (Oct 12, 2007)

S1600Marc said:


> I'm exactly the same. I've had 4 cars all of which were brand new. You can also take into account there are no mot's and insurance tends to be cheaper on newer cars.
> 
> Also if anything goes wrong you have warranties etc
> 
> I know it will never equal out with depreciation etc but that's my take.


Insurance is usually more expensive on a higher valued or newer car as the cost to replace will be higher.

Warranties are ok, but usually means having to take it back to the main dealer, most of whom arent as reliable as a smaller independent garage which trades off its own success.

Lets be honest, by not having an MOT for 3 years you're saving £150 max.

One of the only benefits I can think of is that buying a brand new car, means you will be contacted directly if it ever needs a recall.


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

Admittedly higher spec cars brand new will cost more to insure but for young drivers especially if you compare a T reg corsa to a 12/62 plate both with same engine and hp you'd easily save £200 if not more. It's safer and parts are easier to find I'd say and cheaper to source.

It's probably come up before but you know it's never been battered around, safer with the latest technologies etc, that new car buzz you get.

At the end of the day it's personal preference and it's always going to split opinions


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Im quite happy buying a 4/5 year old decent spec car with 30-40k on it for a few quid. It having lost most of its value.
I tend to keep my cars for a fair while so what I Get back for them isn't too important. within reason.
i paid 2900 for my 2001 406, with 45k on it.
kept it nearly 5 years and sold it to my bro for 700. its still going well with 110k on it.
i bought my 55 407 last jan for 3800 with 42k on. both from dealers, with years warranties. i plan to keep this a few years, by which time ill able to get a mid-top range 508 for a few quid.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Well, for me it was a no-brainer. The car was new on the market, had classic
lines and superb build quality. My final price was the "out of the showroom"
one, basically 22+% off list. So, I've had the benefit of being the first owner
of a very rare beast and enjoying it since almost when it first came out.
Considering that I don't know how much longer I'm going to be fit to drive,
my thoughts were to enjoy whatever time I've got to the max! I can't begin
to justify the car, or even its running costs, but to me, the pleasure of owning
it is absolutely priceless! Dunno that I'd do it for a "run o'the mill" car though...]










Regards,
Steve


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## cbr6fs (Aug 15, 2011)

Only dafter thing to do with your money than buying a new car is having a car on finance.
It's the folks that buy new cars on finance that really make me laugh.

One of the guys at work was complaining about how much money i spend on my cars, till i pointed out that he paid €18k for his 1.4 megane, with finance interest he paid just under €25k total.
5 years on his car is now worth no more than €4k.

So once i pointed out that he had lost €21 in 5 years or just under €5k a year ONLY in depreciation he walked away mumbling.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Lowiepete said:


> Well, for me it was a no-brainer. The car was new on the market, had classic
> lines and superb build quality. My final price was the "out of the showroom"
> one, basically 22+% off list. So, I've had the benefit of being the first owner
> of a very rare beast and enjoying it since almost when it first came out.
> ...


Isn't a Renault Laguna a "run o'the mill" car? 

The Laguna has one of the highest depreciation levels of any car going.

I see 3 year old coupe' for little more than £7k.

You would need a huge discount to consider buying one. Losing £16-17k on list price in 3 years would be really hard to stomach on a car of that value.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Kerr said:


> Isn't a Renault Laguna a "run o'the mill" car?
> 
> The Laguna has one of the highest depreciation levels of any car going.
> 
> ...


The saloon may be run o'the mill, but not the coupe with all the toys. When
Renault started building the Mk III, they decided to compete directly with the
Germans. They seriously upped their game, only to get scuppered by the 2008
recession. The lengths they went to just to design and construct the boot lid,
for example, were little short of amazing!

At the time I bought the car, if there was the slightest fault the processes in 
place to rectify were pretty awesome. Compared to the MK II, the build 
quality is matchless. Also, sur le continong, the prices started at over 40K 
euros for the entry level cars, so they were a bargain here while they lasted.

I've calculated that I've actually lost around £12K in 3.5years. However, I'm 
intending to keep it a while, so if I keep it for 7 years and it's value is nothing 
at that point, then it's cost me around £3K a year - go to 8 years and it's
just over £2.6K a year. I still have a rare and really beautiful car that I've
thoroughly enjoyed...

Regards,
Steve


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

And that's all that matters^ who cares if you've lost money, so long as you enjoy it nothing more should really matter


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## cbr6fs (Aug 15, 2011)

Quick question for the folks that buy new cars please.

For me i tend to be a bit tight with my money, so i expect a fair bit for my outlay, because of this i tend to buy older "better" cars rather than newer cars for the same money.

As an example you can pick up a fairly decent 911, M3 etc for around £20k.
For that price new what can you a get, a mondeo?

So to the guys that buy new, wouldn't you prefer say a 911 (or say a M3 if your a family man/woman) rather than a brand new pretty standardish car?


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## cbr6fs (Aug 15, 2011)

Should say i'm not judging but am genuinely interested.

Should also say that although i've never purchased a brand new car with my own money i have had many many new company cars over the years, so that has probably helped get the new car thing out my system, as i've found around 3 weeks after taking the keys inevitably some twonk has dented most the panels from "acoustic parking" or parking too close and banging my car with their door.


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

cbr6fs said:


> Quick question for the folks that buy new cars please.
> 
> For me i tend to be a bit tight with my money, so i expect a fair bit for my outlay, because of this i tend to buy older "better" cars rather than newer cars for the same money.
> 
> ...


For me it's simply mileage and what the company would allow coupled with the imeage we would want to avoid portraying to clients. The running costs of a S/H sports car would be ruinous for a company potentially and we'd have to think carefully about what clients might think if I turned up in a 911.

Sounds daft but a pal of mine ditched a beautiful Dakar M3 and swapped to a sober suited 3 series saloon for that very reason.

If it were my own money and the heart talking then yes I'd rather drive something other than a diesel MPV (list on mine was £26k-ish new in 2009) but head says it's eminently more sensible and practical for a family motor :thumb:


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

I'm perhaps fortunate - have a choice of cars to run as a company car as long as its diesel and makes financial sense for the company - hence just ordered a Sea Exeo SportTech but when I'm not working I get a choice of relatively depreciation proof but fun to drive GTV and 328i Sport

I'd struggle to justify buying a new car, as the other cars in the household do only 9k a year at most between them I find older cars much more fun and cost effective


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

Similar situation but what it looks like factors in plus no older than a year (not sure on that one as a 3 year old car's hardly going to fall to bits).

I was about to give the SMax back and go cash for car route (gross £300 a month plus the tax I'd claw back at around £230) when Mrs C announed that we're having another small person next February so I'm hanging onto the bus for the time being.

My 205's not losing value and once prettied up will most likely appreciate given the way that market's going so I'm reasonably happy.


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