Depreciation Kings that get a Bad Rap

As I'm sure many of us do, I start car searches with modest intentions, but always seem to see cars come up in my searches that lead me down a rabbit hole of fun. While $15k may get me this perfectly reasonable and somewhat sporty something-or-other, if I just go back a couple years and a few thousand more miles I can get "y" instead, and if I go back just a few more miles I could get "z"! Which leads to research on how car "z" is holding up these days, which typically doesn't end well and brings me back to car "y" or back to the practical search .

So, I'm curious, what do we see as cars that have depreciated like a rock but maybe not by any fault of their own? While a $15k Audi S6 with the Lambo-derived V10 may not be the best idea, maybe a $15k Genesis 5.0 R-Spec is?

Channeling your inner Warren Buffet, what are cars that you can buy on the cheap but get great value out of?

Let's assume that you cannot purchase an extended warranty and cap the used price at, say, $15-20k? Miles would probably be somewhere around 80-120k, right in the heart of some major service intervals.

Im interested to see what people come up with! The big merc luxobarges seem to be a good cheap/fun factor (Cotton?? ) has two now I believe.

Lotus any lotus, how can you go wrong.... Turbo esprit ? It was good enough for James Bond.

E63 AMG's and 987 Cayman/Boxster S can be had that low with those miles. Cayman/Boxster are known to be reliable at high millage. The AMG, ymmv but most of my associstes with one don't complain.

E60 m5 can be had super cheap but boy are they needy.

The M45 might never make you any money, but it would be an enjoyable luxury sport sedan that probably won't break down.

The awkwardly looking older Benz R500 appears to be under $10k these days.

I love my CLS63. It has been great, I got a deal at $18k with 93k miles and a huge stack of service records a year and a half ago.

It is amazing how cheap 986 boxsters are.

pinchvalve wrote: The M45 might never make you any money, but it would be an enjoyable luxury sport sedan that probably won't break down.

I saw one of those in my neighborhood the other day and was drooling all over it. Very handsome styling.

Also I'm seeing that the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S depreciated like a rock. Not sure about the reliability however.

I'm very much keeping my eyes on a 3-5 year old Hyundai Genesis 5.0 sedan or Equus. Depreciating like a rock and a dead nuts reliable highway cruiser.

So I chose the Genesis 5.0 R-Spec, as it sold for $48k when new and can be found with under 70k miles for under $20k. I haven't seen any reliability issues, but it is a newly direct-injected motor (in 2012), which makes me hesitant.

I hear the the Mercs are pretty reliable, and the motor/trans require basic maintenance (albeit at slightly higher prices I would imagine). So, maybe going to the top of the line but non-AMG keeps the costs reasonable?

I looked into the Cayenne Turbo's and heard about the plastic cooling parts, not sure about otherwise?

Boxsters are crazy cheap, I am looking at 4-doors presently so I don't see them in my usual searches.

Any manuals that drop like a rock? The 4-door E90 M3's seem to have come down a lot, but maintenance seems to be really expensive.

Most Infiniti fall like stones too outside the Coupe. No real reason for it. For under 15K you can get an under 50K miles sedan with some shopping. Shoot, I'd sell my 2011 G37 with 64K miles all day long if someone offered $14K for it.

I saw a couple of Panameras with the low spec V6 for in the $30k range.

If you're going down a rabbit hole - go deep - Maserati Quattroporte. Seeing 2006/7 cars well under 20k. Ferrari V8 goodness. After 2005 a lot of the clutch issues got resolved (early cars ate clutches if you used reverse much, or at all - basically manual transmissions, but paddle shifted and no 3rd pedal - later cars got actual automatic transmissions that worked).

It's totally the cars fault, but my favorite example of severe depreciation is a Bentley Arnage. $230k new, can be had for as little as $25k today.

CobraSpdRH wrote: So I chose the Genesis 5.0 R-Spec, as it sold for $48k when new and can be found with under 70k miles for under $20k. I haven't seen any reliability issues, but it is a newly direct-injected motor (in 2012), which makes me hesitant. I hear the the Mercs are pretty reliable, and the motor/trans require basic maintenance (albeit at slightly higher prices I would imagine). So, maybe going to the top of the line but non-AMG keeps the costs reasonable? I looked into the Cayenne Turbo's and heard about the plastic cooling parts, not sure about otherwise? Boxsters are crazy cheap, I am looking at 4-doors presently so I don't see them in my usual searches. Any manuals that drop like a rock? The 4-door E90 M3's seem to have come down a lot, but maintenance seems to be really expensive.

Oh crap. $3500 Boxster

This is "look what I brought home honey" price territory.

V8 Pheaton, 68K miles, $12K. I mean, if you are going to do it, go for the W12, but this would be a killer DD.

oldtin wrote: If you're going down a rabbit hole - go deep - Maserati Quattroporte. Seeing 2006/7 cars well under 20k. Ferrari V8 goodness. After 2005 a lot of the clutch issues got resolved (early cars ate clutches if you used reverse much, or at all - basically manual transmissions, but paddle shifted and no 3rd pedal - later cars got actual automatic transmissions that worked).

So this is an example of huge depreciation, but is it deserved? I would be inclined to say "yes", based on maintenance and upkeep costs, but I haven't had the opportunity to prove or disprove it.

Seems like a lot of good options, but how many of these would actually be fun to bring home and not break your wallet? The Infiniti's seem like a good choice, but are a fraction of the depreciation of some of these other cars. The Boxster seems like a really good contender as well.

pinchvalve wrote: V8 Pheaton, 68K miles, $12K. I mean, if you are going to do it, go for the W12, but this would be a killer DD.

I was coming here to say Phaeton. It is the Mac daddy of depreciation.

Acura RL? I think the last ones had 400hp with the hybrid awd system, but I cannot find one for sale.

It's incredibly vanilla, but the Toyota Avalon. Used ones go for less than similar year and mileage Camrys, yet you get much more car.

Nissan Frontier / Suzuki Equator - been shopping these recently seems like anything more than 3yrs old is a bargain and newer prices are really inconsistent. Only real problem to my knowledge is the radiator/transmission issue in automatics. The manual trans trucks just seem really difficult to find.

Also first generation Toyota Tundras seem to be surprisingly inexpensive

pinchvalve wrote: The M45 might never make you any money, but it would be an enjoyable luxury sport sedan that probably won't break down.

Those things came and went with hardly a flutter of the car-buying consciousness, but I really liked them. And that's speaking as someone who is not a Nissan fan.

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote:

pinchvalve wrote: The M45 might never make you any money, but it would be an enjoyable luxury sport sedan that probably won't break down.

I saw one of those in my neighborhood the other day and was drooling all over it. Very handsome styling.

Not particularly handsome, but these days it stands out because it's classy.

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: Also I'm seeing that the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S depreciated like a rock. Not sure about the reliability however.

I've looked at Cayenne's, both Turbo and NA. Some scary reliability reports out there, but boy are they tempting at the prices I have seen. If the right one came along in that metallic bronze I might not be able to help myself.

Then of course I have been thinking about a 75k miles 986 Boxster that claims a new clutch & IMS done by the dealer for $6,500 asking. How bad can it be?