Least depreciating car for 25k?
Discussion
I have to go overseas for two years although I'll be back every now and then for leave and meetings, etc. In Sep 2015 I bought a new heavily optioned and discounted 335d Touring which I'm quite happy with and don't particularly want to sell but head says one thing, heart says another. One of the main reasons I bought it was for driving long distances through Europe carrying me, the frau and the hound in comfort with all our associated stuff. It doesn't really get used here in the UK so much but I do use it. I did think about selling it a while ago and hiring a car for European jaunts but no company will let me hire a car for 3500 mile round trips to Croatia and back. With me overseas, it is unlikely that we'll do the European thing for the next two years. Car has no finance and is now on 26k miles.
The question, then, is what the hell do I do with the car? I could keep it, its shed most of its depreciation after two years although there's more to come, obviously. I'll still use it when I come back and if we do end up doing another Europe thing we can use it then. Get rid and get something that will lose bugger all money over the next two years but will still carry us, the hound and stuff through Europe if we need to (I did think of a classic car but knocked it on the head). Get rid altogether and buy a shed.
1. Keep it and be done with it. Car will do about 2000 miles (Europe not included) a year. Depreciation will be no different to anything else.
2. Sell it and replace it with something that will lose as little as possible for two years but still fits the bill for hound, etc.
3. Sell it and not replace it with the risk that if Europe does happen I'll have to buy something (wife's car is a Mini Cooper convertible so not really suitable!) if I need to.
Thoughts anyone? (25k is what I may be able to get for the car today, give or take).
The question, then, is what the hell do I do with the car? I could keep it, its shed most of its depreciation after two years although there's more to come, obviously. I'll still use it when I come back and if we do end up doing another Europe thing we can use it then. Get rid and get something that will lose bugger all money over the next two years but will still carry us, the hound and stuff through Europe if we need to (I did think of a classic car but knocked it on the head). Get rid altogether and buy a shed.
1. Keep it and be done with it. Car will do about 2000 miles (Europe not included) a year. Depreciation will be no different to anything else.
2. Sell it and replace it with something that will lose as little as possible for two years but still fits the bill for hound, etc.
3. Sell it and not replace it with the risk that if Europe does happen I'll have to buy something (wife's car is a Mini Cooper convertible so not really suitable!) if I need to.
Thoughts anyone? (25k is what I may be able to get for the car today, give or take).
Edited by Osinjak on Friday 15th September 15:25
ambuletz said:
sell it, buy a wafty barge for £3-5k, this will depriciate very little over years, nowhere near as much as something 2yrs old. with the remaining £14-16k you can buy yourself some weekend fun if you want, something that will barely depriciate as you wont drive it much.
This was my first thought.Fastlane said:
How about selling it and leasing something instead? You can get some cracking deals on that low a mileage and you don't have to worry about depreciation or maintenance.
Just a thought...
But I didn't think about this. Interesting one, thanks!Just a thought...
On a serious note, if you are doing low mileage you'll get cracking value out of an E63 AMG (saloon or estate). The car was 80-90 grand new and you can probably pick up a clean example W212 5.5 biturbo under 50k miles for your budget. The previous models are still 15k - 20k plus for low mileage so there really is little depreciation left in them - 520 bhp means 60 in 4.2 secs on the PP and will top out north of 180 - probably one of the best sounding engines to boot. The new car is over 90k, and the facelift cars are still high 30's/40's - limited numbers for sale so at the bottom end residuals stay pretty firm for clean low mileage cars.
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