Polo Bites The Dust

[Anonymous]

one thing I would say about the Aygo C1 107.... depreciation.

Its non existant. I think ours lost about £2500 in 5 years.. its a great car to run into the ground and pretty bullet proof

Whilst we were looking around for a small car one of the sales guys we came across gave me something to think about.
I mentioned that I owned an RCZ, and bought it from new at a cost of around £24000, so he showed me some figures, not ones he picked out from his head, but what most dealers use to value cars.

So anyway here's the figures, the Z is now worth around £15500 (top end figures) after 3 years, a loss of £8500 = depreciation of 35%, yet if I was to spend £6000 on a small car like a C1 or even a Chevrolet Spark right now, and even if that car was to suffer a depreciation value of full 100% after 3 years, which is impossible for any car after only 3 years, it would of still lost me less than what the RCZ has lost me over the same period of time.
Even more, if we use the same depreciation value as what the Z has lost ( 35% ) I will of only lost around £2100 on my £6000, after 3 years.

Now maths were never my strongest point, but figures like this did give me something to think about :eusa-think:

 

[Anonymous]

I think if we all thought about the logic in it none of us would by a car and we would on be on bikes.. In three years My Z will clock up over 100k miles and be worth pennies to what i paid for it, but in the next three years the smile on my face will be priceless!

 

[Anonymous]

Fair point.
But some owners do look at facts and figures such as these.
Me personally, well I go for what I like and need, but I think it does make interesting reading, especially if you are about to spend £6000 on a 2nd car that may or may not de-value rapidly.
I didnt go out looking for a small 2nd car with depreciation values in mind, and neither did I when I bought the Z, however, it is a bit of a reality check to learn that you've already lost more money on your gleaming pride and joy sitting on the drive (the Z), than what this new little run around is ever going to cost you. :eusa-think:

 

[RCZ1]

That's a retained value of 65% on the Z though which is good in anyone's book.

 

[Anonymous]

Depends how look at it I guess :eusa-think:
We've lost 35% but held onto 65% :lol:
So is a retention of 65% good after just 3 years, or is a loss of 35% poor :crazy: :crazy:

I would imagine though with any car, no matter what make or model, the initial rate of depreciation value must slow at some point, then level out to an average rate of depreciation.

 

[Anonymous]

15.5k after 3 years - is that a trade in value or forecourt price..?


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[Anonymous]

Forcourt price.
But saying that, I've seen same year and model as mine going for less and slightly more, so you can never tell, it all depends on what the car owes the dealer.
We saw a grey 2012 GT in one garage we went to going for £13900, ok it had a few scuffs on the wheels but apart from that looked fairly good :eusa-think:
Selling privately you will probably get a bit more.

One garage offered me £2200 for our Polo, not because it was worth that money, but because they were making so much on the car we looked at.
In reality the Polo was worth half that amount.

 

[Anonymous]

Of course 35% of £6k is going to be less than on a £24k that's why leasing is quite a good option as you are paying off the depreciation of the car which you would lose anyway.
The more expensive the car the more you lose which doesn't seem quite right really?
Imagine buying a £60k BMW and lose £25k in 3 years you would rightly say that just doesn't make sense?
That's a deposit for a house.