Heavily depreciating - bargains or white elephants

[obi_waynne]

One of the biggest costs in car ownership is depreciation, it's silent and most people ignore it. However it does mean that you can pick up some amazing used car bargains.

Do you think any of these are bargains, or do you think they would turn out to be an expensive mistake?

• Skoda Rapid 1.4 Tdi, loses 74% after 3 years so £19000 new price loses £14000 in just 3 years!
• AlfaRomeo Giuletta 2.0 JDM loses 74% in 3 years, taking £14000 from the list price of £22000
• Vauxhall Astra GTC 1.6 CDTi 16V ecoTEC SRi has a list price of £24500 and this drops an astounding 77% to £18,500 in 3 years
• Renault Zoe i-Dynamique Nav Quick Charge starts off at £30000 and after 3 years it will have lost about £24400 a stunning 84% of it's value.

*(Stats taken from https://www.whatcar.com/news/fastest-depreciating-cars/)

Will these cars keep losing value at an alarming rate or doesn't it matter?

For me the bargains here are the AlfaRomeo's, they lose value quickly but are fun to drive and nicely built cars nowadays. If you plan to keep one and run it into the ground then a 3 year old example is a bargain.

I'm surprised that electric cars lose value so much. Even the Nissan Leaf loses about 80% of it's value in just 3 years.

 

[thexav]

I would never buy new but cars like these will still depreciate heavily in years 3-6 so be warned. You will get a lot of car for your money though.

The Skoda is probably the best value as it has VW build quality. I doubt a Renault Zoe can get any lower pricewise but this is probably down to the monthly battery lease payments you have to pay.

 

[wizzer]

Cars depreciate for a reason, usually because they are unreliable or wear out or look tired very quickly.

While you get a bargain on the seems of it you are actually probably going to regret it.

 

[obi_waynne]

I think the Alfas are bargains, they do not have much love out there but once you've owned or driven one you really appreciate how well designed they are. They are much more reliable than they used to be and don't turn in rust like the early models which is probably why they depreciate so much.