These are very strange times, especially as running costs go through the sunroof and car values disappear down to the rusty floor-plan. Are there really any used cars currently bucking that particular downward trend? Well, unless you have a Ferrari California about to be delivered that you could easily resell for at least £25K more than you paid for it, the chances are no. At Used Car Expert though we have noticed that there are several models that have not only been resistant to rampant depreciation, but also showing signs of creeping up in value. At the very worst there are a bunch of nine cars that you won’t lose your shirt on.
Go Classic
Classic Cars are very good news at the moment. At the very top end you have Chris Evans paying five million quid too much for a Ferrari and at the other small engined mainly British classics that are easy to park and cheap to look after. So while an E-type is going to hold it’s own, increasingly buyers are looking towards something family friendly like the Morris Minor. There are still plenty around and the availability of parts is superb; all of them were registered pre ’71 so qualify for zero road tax. Economy is good at over 40mpg and they are practical too. Oh yes and it’s got character, so a £2,500 Minor will always be worth that, and possibly even more if you look after it. You can buy saloons with an MOT at around £1000. We’d be inclined to pay at least double that for a really decent one.
Get Smart
Obviously small, is very beautiful, and everyone instantly believes that it must be good for your bank balance and automatically keeping running costs containable. Yes the cuddly Smart just looks frugal and that is enough to make buyers eager and sellers confidently ask rather more than they probably would have a few months back. Early examples in particular stopped depreciating a while ago and that includes the left hand drive ones, because after all Smarts are so small it doesn’t matter on which side you sit. So I’d put my bottom in a 2001 example with a modest 40,000 miles is only going to be £2,700 and I’d say it will stay there for many years to come.
Think Yaris
Still thinking small the Yaris is a no-brainer buy which has just a tad more class than a Fiesta or Corsa and a reputation for reliability that is absolutely cast iron. The Toyota badge does not hurt at all, especially as the Aygo can seem just a bit pricey. However, the teeny 1.0 litre petrol engine is very frugal and should return around 50mpg if you are careful. Most of all the Yaris will always be a doddle to resell, hence the firming of values recently. It’s one of the perfect first cars as you can slip it into the Group 1 which is good news for the under 25s. A 1999 1.0GS can be found for as little as £1500 and so much better than a noisy and scruffy Corsa.
Carry on Clio
I’ll admit it, there is definitely a pattern emerging here as small and frugal are the must have’s in the used car business at the moment. That should come as no surprise of course, but many are only beginning to realize that one of the most economical small hatches of recent times is the Renault Clio dci 65. It really could manage comfortably over 60 mpg without trying too hard and being an old generation Clio it is quite nice to drive and there’s only £35 to pay in road tax. A 2001 will cost a bit more than a cheapy Yaris and take you into £2,500 territory, but it will be worth. Why anyone would want to sell a 60mpg car at the moment is beyond me.
Go Lupo
Keeping it small should mean that I finally recommend a MINI which has recently been crowned as the UK’s lowest depreciating car, followed by the Citroen C1 and then the Ferrari F430 which sort of takes us back to the beginning. The trouble is though these cars are still depreciating and will continue do so until they are in the 5 to 7 year age group. So I’d much rather get myself a little ‘Vee Dub’ diesel, but not a Polo. No, the discontinued Lupo is the most sought after small VW hatch. With the badge of confidence and the promise of 70 mpg, plus in a cute package. You can get old SDis below £2000, but a TDi is consistently £3000+.
Pious Prius
You may love it, hate it or be indifferent to the politicians favorite ‘Green’ car. Personally I think it is a loathsomely over-praised climate saving con. Never mind what the truth is or the real mpg (it is supposed to be 65mpg, but is usually no more than 45mpg, and far worse than most diesels) but everybody wants one. At car auctions bidders get visibly excited at the mere sight of them and that translates into a very buoyant used market where prices for older models get firmer by the day. There are some imports coming in from Japan at lower prices, but the entry level is £3,500+, and that won’t change for some time soon.
A2 is still A1
It’s true that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone and those after a prestigious, quality small hatch who don’t believe the hype of a Prius, or the dowdy image of a Golf are desperate to get themselves into an Audi. The now obsolete Audi is available in diesel and petrol flavours, but to be safe it has to be a TDi. That has the widest appeal even though the 1.4 petrol is perfectly adequate, but £4,000 for a good A2 diesel is more than spot on and it is only going to look better over the coming months.
Insightful
The Honda Insight is rather more of a challenge to find than a Prius. That’s because there are not many around, but also because it was absolutely brilliant. First of all it looked like the future and though it had an extra electric motor it was on all the time and helped get 60-80 mpg for goodness sake. Rarely in the adverts and when they are its £5,000+, but you paid that a few years back, so until it needs pricey replacement batteries it will always do well.
Dial 911
Bored with being green and frugal? ’Course you are, so pick the most iconic sports and supercar ever, the Porker 911. Ignore the late models which are falling in value, but still don’t cost real world money and concentrate on the middle ‘80s Carreras and last of the air cooled models in the shape of the 993. These will always be worth what you pay and possibly a bit more. A 1988 immaculate Carrera is £12,000 and although running costs are always steep, that is the price of being depreciation proof at this level.
So what have we learnt? Well buying older and possibly iconic is always better, as is smaller and greener. Do all that and you will never, ever be out of pocket. Good luck.
Words: James Ruppert