Anyone worried about depreciation on their A3?

[Eeef]

Could be worse. You could own a petrol A8.

http://www.compucars.co.uk/vehicle-detai...Page=1&ID=56009

If you wanted a big car, what a bargain!!! If it wasn't for that wood I might be tempted...

 

[stewarta13wsb]

I am!

Can't remember which forum I read the post on, but from memory, my A3 Sportback with DSG lost around £750 last month vs. only £250 for a non DSG non Sportback /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif

 

[god_thats_quick]

The TT and S3 were actually numbers 7 and 8 percentage wise in the least depreciating cars in a recent survey. I think all very large cars with big engines loose money like a gambling idiot.

 

[mfspen]

There's a useful car valuation guide on the the AA's site. Claims to use the Glass's Guide database :-

http://www.theaa.com/motoring-advice/index.jsp

 

[Eeef]

I guess that must be what you'd pay at a dealers? Prices seem quite generous otherwise.

 

[Cupramax]

Just p/x'd my Sportback and got a ****** good price for it. Hopefully the Cab will hold its money as well.

 

[wilko]

Come on guys if you were worried about how much you were gonna loose by buying a car you would only ever buy bangers!

Cars aren't like houses... your never gonna make a profit from buying a car.

 

[Amchlolor]

There's a reason for that A8 being so cheap.
They forgot to mention;

"Featured in the film Ronin"

 

[tinka]

what about the s-line models,will they hold on to their value a bit more,do you think?.

 

[Amchlolor]

I obviously don't have to worry about depreciation (company car),but I think I would worry if it were my own.

A3's (3 and 5 door) really are just incredibly common up here.

Give it a couple of years and the papers could be full of used ones,which just drives (sic) prices down,regardless of what 'official' depreciation charts tell you.

 

[imported_Spin140]

whatever you buy there is no safe bet, I say forget what you read and just enjoy your car whilst you have it, look after it and come px time you will get the best price possible, if really concerned about residuals buy a Kia Picanto apparently the least depreciating vehicle, I'd rather lose a bundle and have a nice car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[h5djr]

In a recent article in What Car when they compared a Golf, an A3, a BMW 1 series and an Alfa 147 the said that the A3 would cost you £6690 for 3 years (list price minus trade-in), the BMW would be almost identical, the Golf would cost £6460 and the Alfa £8865.

They also say that either of the Golf, the A3 or the BMW would be a shrewd buy and would work out cheaper overall over three years than the Skoda Octavia or Seat Leon.

 

[cdb2]

[ QUOTE ]
There's a reason for that A8 being so cheap.
They forgot to mention;

"Featured in the film Ronin"

[/ QUOTE ]

I seem to remember they stopped the car for Sean Bean's character to be sick on the pavement, so shouldn't smell inside ! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[benw123]

I'm concerned about depreciation on my 54-plate Sportback SE. WIth the glut of S-Line models around, particularly now with the facelifted 06 model, they're instantly visually more desirable than mine and put pressure on its value. We've got a few nice options such as Xenons, Symphony II and DIS, but it's true that the SE lacks the visual drama of other models in the range, including the Sport.

 

[tinka]

the face lift did'nt help,thats for sure,gits.

 

[trekbiker]

what sort of price did you get as i'm after one of these!

 

[beaker]

[ QUOTE ]
There's a reason for that A8 being so cheap.
They forgot to mention;

"Featured in the film Ronin"

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought it was an S6 they used in that film.

 

[dickys3]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There's a reason for that A8 being so cheap.
They forgot to mention;

"Featured in the film Ronin"

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought it was an S6 they used in that film.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope... S8!

 

[imported_Skywalker]

I'm sorry to say that Sportbacks really are depreciating faster than the equivilent 3 door model.

That said, we are all screwed. The motor trade is fecked. I've been in car finance for ten years and I've never known it this quiet. Dealers I work with that would normally be selling 15-20 cars a week are doing 2-3 cars /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Petrol prices up, gas and electricity prices up, council tax up, tax, tax tax. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif The public can only take so much.

Get "new" labour out now!!!

 

[missviper]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sorry to say that Sportbacks really are depreciating faster than the equivilent 3 door model.

That said, we are all screwed. The motor trade is fecked. I've been in car finance for ten years and I've never known it this quiet. Dealers I work with that would normally be selling 15-20 cars a week are doing 2-3 cars /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Petrol prices up, gas and electricity prices up, council tax up, tax, tax tax. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif The public can only take so much.

Get "new" labour out now!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well i can say my cars not common not with the colour anyway.
And it is here to stay for a long time, adding a few mods of course. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/1luvu.gif

 

[imported_Skywalker]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sorry to say that Sportbacks really are depreciating faster than the equivilent 3 door model.

That said, we are all screwed. The motor trade is fecked. I've been in car finance for ten years and I've never known it this quiet. Dealers I work with that would normally be selling 15-20 cars a week are doing 2-3 cars /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Petrol prices up, gas and electricity prices up, council tax up, tax, tax tax. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif The public can only take so much.

Get "new" labour out now!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I've just logged in and seen this post. I don't even remember typing it. Must have been more p1ssed than i thought last night.!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Scotty]

[ QUOTE ]
The TT and S3 were actually numbers 7 and 8 percentage wise in the least depreciating cars in a recent survey.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here it is :

 

[AndyMac]

What no Saab?
And what about Rover?
That's obviously one screwed up list.

 

[god_thats_quick]

[ QUOTE ]
What no Saab?
And what about Rover?
That's obviously one screwed up list.

[/ QUOTE ]

You what? I hope that's sarcasm and I've missed a point somewhere?

 

[AndyMac]

I think it's a bit naive to think that the collapse of the new car market is directly related to fuel prices. It's actually largely due to the change in the company car taxation.
Lease companies are the biggest buyers of new cars.
Very few company car drivers are choosing to stay in company car schemes
The intelligent company car drivers are opting out & buying secondhand.
You could also point the finger at flexible mortgages where people would rather pump disposable income into paying off early than p1$$ it down the drain buying a new car every 3 years, losing 20% (£4-£5k) as soon as they drive it off the forecourt.
I don't think the car industry can really be surprised when their figures are through the floor.

 

[Amchlolor]

Official depreciation figures really are a pile of pish.

Any I've seen are based on full RRP,so the likes of an Alfa 147 (for example) will 'technically' suffer,but no-one ever pays full RRP for them,so the figures are completely irrelevant.

In the real world,if you negotiate a good price on a particular car,then you could end up suffering less depreciation than an Audi owner who has barely managed to scrape 5-10%off the full RRP.

You can never use a straight percentage calculation for depreciation,as it simply wouldn't make sense.

If they say an Alfa loses,say,60% of it's value over three years,then what if you bought it for £14k instead of the full £18K ?

Does the 60% still come into play ?
So the car is worth £4800 instead of £7200 ?
I don't think so.
It'll still be worth around the £7200,so the actual depreciation figure is only 51%.

Audi depreciation only looks good if you use full RRP.

 

[AndyMac]

Yes but they can only quote full RRP for such a survey otherwise it would be impossible to compare like for like. If you then manage 10 or 15% off list then take this off the depeciation figure. Also bear in mind most people will spec options when buying new Audi's (or negotiate the price around them) which add very little to resale value although will make it easier to sell, so I guess you'll get closer to top book price, but again they can't factor this into the figures.
Most importantly the colour will dramatically effect the depreciation but no mention is made of this in any calculations, i.e. all the cheapest Audi models, like for like, on Autotrader are Green for some reason, so sticking to boring black/grey/silver will ensure a better price as you'll have a bigger target market.

 

[h5djr]

Why is it Alfa and other dealers have to offer much greater discounts than Audi inorder to sell their cars ?

 

[Amchlolor]

[ QUOTE ]
Why is it Alfa and other dealers have to offer much greater discounts than Audi in order to sell their cars ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Umpteen reasons.

Could be a narrower range,perceived quality,how the buyer wants to be perceived when driving it,snob value,styling,perceived reliability,'orrible colours etc.etc.

There is definitely a potential for less depreciation with other makes,if you buy at the right price.

Audi definitely benefit from the depreciation figures though,as people tend to view them in simplistic terms.

Yeah,the Audi may be worth £2000 more in 3 years time,but it if costs you £4000 more to buy in the first place,where's the gain ?

Aside from the reliability issues I've had,I would never,ever,buy the likes of an Audi or BMW with my own money because there aren't any bargains to be had.

I'd rather negotiate a ****** good deal on the dozens of other makes around.If it costs me less to buy in the first place,I won't be too bothered about it's resale value.

Meanwhile,your Audi/BMW buyers have to look for 'top dorra' because they paid 'top dorra'.

 

[h5djr]

Each to his own, as you know I love my A3 and will be more than happy to part exchange this one for another one when this one is around 3 years old.

When to comes to buying a car, getting exactly what I want is much more important than saving a vew quid. If I save money but don't get what I want then I have not really saved anything at all.

 

[onianbag]

thats a very valid point, in some cases money DOES buy happiness.

my 3.2 is costing me an arm and a leg with current petrol prices - but would I swop it for a daewoo ??!

 

[AndyMac]

Well said Dave, in fact when it's your own money you are far more likely to go for an Audi or similar and get exactly what you want rather than put up with whatevers on the LeasePlan list.
No bargains to be had? Just have a look at Autotrader, RS4's for £20k?
If you're opting out of a company car scheme then insisting on buying new then you really are missing the point.

 

[h5djr]

But to me buying and taking delivery of a brand new car is something I really enjoy. If it costs me a few extra pounds then so be it. Money is not everything in life. And by buying new I can get exactly the spec, colour, interior etc that I want, rather than having to put up with someone elses choices.

If saving money was so import to me I'd probably be driving a Nissan Micra and hating it as much as Bowfer hates his A3 in particular and Audi in general.

 

[god_thats_quick]

I think if everyone on here is all so worried about how much their car is costing them can I suggest a gorup trip to Toyota and buy lots of diesel Aygos, it'll do everything a car needs to do and be a cheap as chips to buy and run there even good fun in a wierd kind of way.

Bowfer the problem with alfas isn't just the initial 3 years plummet in cash they just keep going down until they are worth about a pound over a pretty short space of time!

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/79653.htm - 2002 156 for £4,495

The original price was somewhere between £18,000 - £20,000 so it's lost at least £13,500 around 4 years or put it this way it's worth 25% of it's original purchase price and that is not something you'd be saying about most Audis I will own an Alfa at some point but I won't be trying to justify it as a sound financial decision.

PS. I'll never buy a car with depretiation etc being one of the deciding factors and as it happens my S3 has done pretty well but it seems my other choice at the time of a new civic type r has also done well so it wouldn't have really made any difference.

 

[Amchlolor]

[ QUOTE ]
If saving money was so import to me I'd probably be driving a Nissan Micra and hating it as much as Bowfer hates his A3 in particular and Audi in general.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing against Audi in general,until my very specific piece of crap A3 sullied the reputation for refinement,reliability and quality that my A4 had built over three years.

I probably wouldn't buy the cheapest car out there either,but I would balance desirability and driving enjoyment with the ability to get a deal.

With the best will in the world,there is no way on earth my car is worth over £24k brand new,with little chance of any meaningful discount.

When I think what else I could get for £24k,if it were my own money,it's scary. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[h5djr]

I agree. Depreciation is never the most important factor when I'm choosing a car. Mind you I've bought either a VW or and Audi for the last 30 years and they have been OK from the depreciation point of view. In nearly every case the trade-in value has been around 50% of the original purchase price, even if that price was discounted.

I always assume the trade-in value includes a certain amount that is discount on the new car as well as the actual value of my car.

 

[Amchlolor]

[ QUOTE ]


Bowfer the problem with alfas isn't just the initial 3 years plummet in cash they just keep going down until they are worth about a pound over a pretty short space of time!

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/79653.htm - 2002 156 for £4,495

The original price was somewhere between £18,000 - £20,000 so it's lost at least £13,500 around 4 years or put it this way it's worth 25% of it's original purchase price and that is not something you'd be saying about most Audis I will own an Alfa at some point but I won't be trying to justify it as a sound financial decision.


[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry,but this is the misleading crap I've been going on about.

You're assuming the owner of that Alfa paid full RRP !

Highly unlikely he did.

I bought an Alfa 156 in year 2000,imported from ireland,for £13500 brand new.

I sold it a year later for £10000.

The new owner didn't know how little I paid for it.He just thought it was a fair price for a year old Alfa.

Suddenly,the 'depreciation' doesn't look so bad now,does it ?

Unless you know what the buyer paid,there's no way you can randomly chuck comments of "look at how much that car's lost" at them.

 

[AndyMac]

"But to me buying and taking delivery of a brand new car is something I really enjoy. If it costs me a few extra pounds then so be it. Money is not everything in life. And by buying new I can get exactly the spec, colour, interior etc that I want, rather than having to put up with someone elses choices."
I was really referring to company car drivers deciding to opt out and then buying new. Maybe I misread bowfers post but he referred to buying an Audi/BMW with his own money, so I assumed his current Audi was a company car.
Obviously the main reason to opt out is to save money, why else would you do it?
If you then decide to buy the same car again new with your own money you haven't really saved anything at all so why do it?
Surely it makes more sense to buy secondhand and get something either better than the company car or far cheaper of a similar spec.
With the secondhand car market the way it is at the moment you can get exactly what you want (and already paid for) so I don't really buy the whole "putting up with someone elses choices" thing.
For me I'd rather be mortgage free in 5 years time than enjoy the momentary ego boost of taking delivery of a new car every 3 years. But, hey, if you all stop buying them then there wouldn't be the bargains to be had out there, so knock yourselves out.

 

[bacardi]

bought an Alfa 156 in year 2000,imported from ireland,for £13500 brand new.

I sold it a year later for £10000.

The new owner didn't know how little I paid for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hope you told him it was imported /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Amchlolor]

[ QUOTE ]
bought an Alfa 156 in year 2000,imported from ireland,for £13500 brand new.

I sold it a year later for £10000.

The new owner didn't know how little I paid for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hope you told him it was imported /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course,but given that Alfa's are built in Italy (and Audi's are built in various places) they're all imports.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

.