I often have car buyers ask me what cars lose least to depreciation because they don't want to lose a lot of money.
I can understand them not wanting to lose money, but you need to ask them a few questions to see whether heavy depreciation is actually bad news.
New car buyers, of course, need good residual values. If you are buying a new car and planning to sell in under three years, then you want cars with low depreciation.
But it's at model level that you need to look, not brand level. For example a BMW-made MINI is still popular so holds its price well. But that can't be said for the entire BMW range.
However, that only deals with a tiny part of the market. Most of us buy cars older than two years of age, so actually what we all need is lots of car for little money.
And because depreciation, in cash terms, can only last for a finite period, the more it loses early on, the more car we get for our money and the less we'll lose when we buy a three year old motor.
Take a look at the prices on UsedCarExpert.co.uk for these cars to see what I mean. Here are some great examples of cars that have lost over half their value, making them top buys for the average person:
A new Ford C-Max 1.8 litre petrol is around £17,000. A three year old example with 30,000 miles or so on the clock is only £6,000-£7,000. What a great deal.
Likewise a Vauxhall Astra 1.6 litre petrol at £16,000 new is also £9-£10,000 less after three years with similar mileage.
If you want a bigger car, the deals on Peugeot 407s will impress, and if you want a runaround, then take a look at the deals on Renault Clios.
So don't believe the new car bunkum - for used car buyers, low depreciation is bad, high depreciation is good.