Car depreciation revealed

Best cars, worst cars - and those in the middle

Mini suffers least depreciation

Car price guide Wisebuyers has revealed which cars cost drivers the most and least in depreciation. The Mini comes top -- and at the bottom is the Daewoo Nubira (the what??) which lost a stonking 90 per cent of its value in three years.

The statistics have been reproduced as tables showing which affordable cars lose the most money, and which lose the most value as a percentage of their new price.

Wisebuyer’s findings

The right model is crucial. It doesn’t matter which make you buy as much as which model and specification you choose. For example, Vauxhall have a car in both the top and bottom ten and the majority of their models are in the middle of the league (neither losing or saving the buyers a notable amount).
Buying cheaper cars can cost you more. A new Daewoo Nubira may only cost £11,012 but it loses 90.5 per cent (nearly £10,000) of its value over 3 years, making it worth just over £1,000. A £16,015 Honda Civic loses a similar amount of money, but is still worth £6,282 and will usually be more reliable and enjoyable.
Too many extras can be bad for you. Buying a standard car with a very high specification tends to create heavier depreciation. You are better off buying a mid-range specification BMW 5-series or Mercedes C-Class than a top of range Vauxhall Omega for example (worst performing car on depreciation)
Small cars and high image cars (like Lotus Elise or Volkswagen Golfs) always lose the least.

Advice to car buyers

Car buyers don’t spend enough time planning to buy their car. Just comparing today’s prices in the classified ads isn’t enough.
When buying a used car, you need to know more than one price:

o The new price (ideally you want the previous owner to have paid the majority of the depreciation)

o Today’s two main prices (for sale in dealerships and privately)

o Likely price in a year or two, or when you plan to sell it

Compare cars to see which model and specifications lose the most and how quickly before deciding which car to buy.

o Most Audi A4s lose over 50% of their value in three years, typically around £10,000, making them a great used buy, but the new car buyer should go for the Cabriolet which loses 33.8% (and is second in the top 10 by percentage)

o The customer that buys a new Mini One will lose £1,300 less than the buyer of a Mini Cooper S. But the used buyer should go for the Cooper S every time, because the previous owner has paid the depreciation and they get all the extra performance!

Remember a car is only worth the guide value it's not stolen, hiding faults or been badly looked after.

Cars under £25,000 when new in 2003
Now coming up to their first M.O.T. have they been great value new cars or are they about to become a great used buy for their next owner?
Top 10 losers - in money value				2003 New Price	Trade Price Today	Loss	Loss %
	^Vauxhall	^{Omega (1994-04)}	^{4Dr Saloon 3.2i V6 24v MV6 Auto}	^£24,995.00	^£4,880.00	^£20,115.00	^80.48%
	^{Alfa Romeo}	^{166 (1999-)}	^{4Dr Saloon 2.5 V6 24v Turismo}	^£24,335.00	^£5,683.00	^£18,652.00	^76.65%
	^Rover	^{75 (1999-05)}	^{5Dr Tourer 1.8 T Connoisseur SE Auto}	^£24,765.00	^£6,303.00	^£18,462.00	^74.55%
	^Citroën	^{C5 (2001-)}	^{5Dr Estate 3.0i V6 Exclusive Auto}	^£23,595.00	^£5,266.00	^£18,329.00	^77.68%
	^Renault	^{Avantime (2002-03)}	^{3Dr Coupe 2.0T Dynamique}	^£23,870.00	^£5,792.00	^£18,078.00	^75.74%
	^{Land Rover}	^{Freelander (1997-)}	^{2Dr Softback 2.5i V6 ES Auto}	^£24,210.00	^£6,167.00	^£18,043.00	^74.53%
	^Peugeot	^{406 (1996-04)}	^{5Dr Estate 3.0 V6 Executive Auto [SN]}	^£23,810.00	^£5,853.00	^£17,957.00	^75.42%
	^Renault	^{Vel Satis (2002-)}	^{5Dr Hatchback 2.2 dCi Privilege Auto}	^£24,857.00	^£6,918.00	^£17,939.00	^72.17%
	^Peugeot	^{607 (2000-)}	^{4Dr Saloon 2.2 HDi SE Auto}	^£24,610.00	^£7,020.00	^£17,590.00	^71.48%
	^Volvo	^{S80 (1998-)}	^{4Dr Saloon 2.4T S}	^£24,040.00	^£6,568.00	^£17,472.00	^72.68%
Top 10 losers - in percentage of purchase price
	^Daewoo	^{Nubira (1997-03)}	^{4Dr Saloon 1.6 Spec Edn}	^£11,012.00	^£1,043.00	^£9,969.00	^90.53%
	^Fiat	^{Marea & Weekend (1997-02)}	^{4Dr Saloon 1.6 ELX Auto}	^£13,555.00	^£1,699.00	^£11,856.00	^87.47%
	^Proton	^{Wira (2000-)}	^{5Dr Hatchback 1.6 EXi Auto}	^£9,860.00	^£1,881.00	^£7,979.00	^80.92%
	^Vauxhall	^{Omega (1994-04)}	^{4Dr Saloon 2.2i 16v CD Auto}	^£20,820.00	^£4,023.00	^£16,797.00	^80.68%
	^Citroën	^{C5 (2001-)}	^{5Dr Hatchback 3.0i V6 Exclusive Auto}	^£22,495.00	^£4,681.00	^£17,814.00	^79.19%
	^Hyundai	^{Accent (2000-)}	^{5Dr Hatchback 1.5 CDX Auto}	^£10,365.00	^£2,167.00	^£8,198.00	^79.09%
	^Suzuki	^{Swift (1992-03)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 1.0 GLS}	^£6,875.00	^£1,452.00	^£5,423.00	^78.88%
	^Chrysler	^{Neon (1999-04)}	^{4Dr Saloon 2.0 R/T}	^£14,000.00	^£3,015.00	^£10,985.00	^78.46%
	^Citroën	^{Xsara (1997-04)}	^{3Dr Coupe 1.6i 16v VTR}	^£12,795.00	^£2,820.00	^£9,975.00	^77.96%
	^Hyundai	^{Elantra (2001-)}	^{5Dr Hatchback 1.6 Si Auto}	^£11,915.00	^£2,664.00	^£9,251.00	^77.64%
Top 10 cars that lose the least (price)
	^Mini	^{Mini (2001-)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 1.6 One}	^£10,255.00	^£6,828.00	^£3,427.00	^33.42%
	^Daihatsu	^{Charade (2003-)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 1.0 EL}	^£6,182.00	^£2,727.00	^£3,455.00	^55.89%
	^Seat	^{Arosa (1997-)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 1.0 (Revised 2001)}	^£6,010.00	^£2,413.00	^£3,597.00	^59.85%
	^Perodua	^{Kelisa (2002-)}	^{5Dr Hatchback 1.0 EX}	^£5,140.00	^£1,439.00	^£3,701.00	^72.00%
	^Vauxhall	^{Agila (2000-)}	^{5Dr MPV 1.0i 12v Expression}	^£6,010.00	^£2,301.00	^£3,709.00	^61.71%
	^Smart	^{City (2000-04) & ForTwo (2004-)}	^{2Dr Coupe 0.6 Pure Auto [RHD]}	^£6,285.00	^£2,437.00	^£3,848.00	^61.23%
	^Honda	^{Jazz (2002-)}	^{5Dr Hatchback 1.4i DSI S}	^£9,015.00	^£5,146.00	^£3,869.00	^42.92%
	^Seat	^{Arosa (1997-)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 1.0 S (Revised 2001)}	^£6,515.00	^£2,630.00	^£3,885.00	^59.63%
	^Toyota	^{Yaris (1999-05)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 1.0 VVTi S [PAS]}	^£7,213.00	^£3,290.00	^£3,923.00	^54.39%
	^Volkswagen	^{Polo (2002-05)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 1.9 SDi E}	^£8,815.00	^£4,797.00	^£4,018.00	^45.58%
Top 10 cars that lose the least (percentage)
	^Mini	^{Mini (2001-)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 1.6 Cooper S}	^£14,420.00	^£9,627.00	^£4,793.00	^33.24%
	^Audi	^{A4 (2001-04)}	^{2Dr Cabriolet 2.4}	^£24,688.00	^£16,324.00	^£8,364.00	^33.88%
	^Honda	^{Civic (2000-)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 2.0i Type R 30th Anniv}	^£17,013.00	^£10,618.00	^£6,395.00	^37.59%
	^Lotus	^{Elise (1996-)}	^{2Dr Convertible 1.8 (Revised 2001)}	^£23,180.00	^£14,420.00	^£8,760.00	^37.79%
	^Kia	^{Sorento (2003-)}	^{5Dr Station Wagon 2.5 CRDi XE}	^£18,295.00	^£11,285.00	^£7,010.00	^38.32%
	^Volkswagen	^{Golf (1998-04)}	^{3Dr Hatchback 3.2 V6 R32 4Motion}	^£22,608.00	^£13,462.00	^£9,146.00	^40.45%
	^Audi	^{TT (1999-)}	^{2Dr Coupe 1.8 T [180 bhp] Quattro 6spd}	^£24,115.00	^£14,195.00	^£9,920.00	^41.14%
	^Audi	^{A3 (1996-03)}	^{S3 3Dr Hatchback 1.8T [225 bhp] S3 Quattro}	^£24,840.00	^£14,467.00	^£10,373.00	^41.76%
	^Honda	^{Jazz (2002-)}	^{5Dr Hatchback 1.4i DSI SE Sport}	^£11,315.00	^£6,484.00	^£4,831.00	^42.70%
	^Kia	^{Sorento (2003-)}	^{5Dr Station Wagon 2.5 CRDi XS}	^£21,555.00	^£12,301.00	^£9,254.00	^42.93%