Depreciation - A concern

[rsportcup]

How do people think the depreciation is going on 172s and more specifically Cups?

I might have the chance to buy a last of the line, low mileage Classic shape Impreza Turbos (X Plate) which is worth about the same as my car.

Which is going to be the safer bet over the next two years? Are the value of 172s going to drop like crazy, or will the Cup hold it well being a limited (yeah right) edition? Would the Impreza keep its value seeing as its the last of what is still thought to be the best shape??

Looking forward to the comments on this - lets avoid mentions of Crail

 

[MikeGG]

I wouldnt bet on the scoob holding its value too well unless its got ultra low mileage and you keep it standard and put it in a glass case!

I had a 1999 Impreza Turbo with relatively low mileage and depreciation hit it badly over the two years I owned it as the market has become flooded with imports which has driven down prices. You only have to look in the Autotrader to see how many there are and for the silly prices they are fetching nowadays.

 

[matt the cat]

when after a few years, say five the cars price is usually reflected in the cars desirability, by that i mean that cars have flavours, iremeber when i was doin a bit of buy/sell escort rs turbos were really appreciating in value, with people willing to pay 6k for a nice 90 spec!

Point is though its hard to tell, both cars are great but for me the clio would be the safer bet as the imprezza would only appeal to limited market as the insurance and running costs are greater, but the cup is now gaining a good following and is more accesible to the masses - therefore more demand and poss a higher price! End of the day though i would always pay more for a low milage minter that has been looked after in a performance car, so neither are particularly guaranteed.

 

[Doc]

had a 92 wrx in 1999 .. £11500 , less than 3 years later it sold for £4500 .. and mine was a good one. go me heh..

 

[Toypop]

The second hand Impreza market has really gone through the floor. They are now so cheap that the baseball cap and neons brigade are trading in their year old 1.2 Corsas for them. Thankfully they are still trying to make their 1.2 16v Extremes look like Cups/172s but they havent yet started buying the real thing which is very good!

My advice though is this:

1, Buy the car that you like the most, forget depreciation. No car is an investment and its your money and you want as much enjoyment from it as possible. You only live once so get what you really want and dont buy the second best car just because the depreciation may be lower. The time to worry about depreciation is when you are a family man buying a dull mini-MPV.

2, If you like and want the car then so will someone else when you go to sell it - but only if you look after it. Keep it in mint condition and keep modifications to the minimum as these put people off not increase its value. If you really like the car then you wont let it deteriorate or feel the need to modify it so yet another reason to follow your heart and get what you want not what might hold its value best.

I think you really want the Impreza in which case you should buy one. Otherwise you will end up tuning your Cup to make it as quick as the scoob or start putting on ridiculous rally body kits and that really will hit the resale price!

 

[BossCup]

As already said I think that the Clio would hold its value better. Having owned an Impreza (like a few on here) I can certainly relate to the running costs and I feel it is this more than anything else that has hit the market for such cars. The Clio on the other hand will always remain an affordable performance car that appeals to quite a large number of buyers. If kept serviced and looking tidy it shouldnt punish you when the time comes to sell whereas you would probably have to all but give the Scoob away unless the right person just happened to be passing. As for any performance difference (no mention of Crail I promise) I can not honestly say that I find the Cup slow after the RB5, its just a very different power delivery and tbh one that suits me better.

I would keep the Cup but ultimately you have to follow your heart.