Which smallish diesel depreciates the least?

Spit62500

Hi,

I'm clocking up around 45000 km a year and am thinking of buying a diesel. I'm looking at buying either a Leon, Octavia, Focus or Corolla/Auris. It has to be something in that class so that my wife is happy driving it. Which do you reckon will lose me the least amount of money when I come to sell/trade in if I keep it for two or three years? I'm just interested in the resale - not too worried about which drives best or looks nice or whatever.

Any opinions appreciated...

unkel

Spit62500 wrote:

Which do you reckon will lose me the least amount of money when I come to sell/trade in if I keep it for two or three years? I'm just interested in the resale

I'm assuming you're buying new? In that case the Toyota will probably depreciate the least. Having said that, the Skoda is bigger and more practical and thousands of taxi drivers will bite your hand off for a 135,000 km 3 year old Octavia

ninty9er

Leon will be hit bad by the depreciation virus and a Focus diesel isn't really going to be easy to shift s/h. The Octavia will have a bigger engine so will limit the market...whereas the Corolla/Auris will be slightly slower from standing but will probably still hold value. At that mileage though the Octavia gives plenty of competition to the Auris...taxi drivers were mentioned^^

bazz26

ninty9er wrote:

Leon will be hit bad by the depreciation virus and a Focus diesel isn't really going to be easy to shift s/h. The Octavia will have a bigger engine so will limit the market...whereas the Corolla/Auris will be slightly slower from standing but will probably still hold value. At that mileage though the Octavia gives plenty of competition to the Auris...taxi drivers were mentioned^^

Focus MkII 1.6/1.8 litre diesels have no problem moving off dealer forecourts.

Octavia is a sensible buy but 105bhp from a 1.9 diesel these days is not great. The 1.9 TDi was a great unit but it has had it's day and the 2.0 TDi is rediculously expensive even in the Octavia.

Other choices are the Mazda 3 1.6 diesel, same engine as the Ford Focus, Volvo S40 and various Peugeot and Citroen cars. Not convinced about depreciation on the Mazda 3 though.

Also available is the Opel Astra in 1.3 litre and 1.7 litre diesel. The 1.3 litre diesel being a Fiat unit.

maidhc

Last year at least, the 1.4 D4D Corolla was hardly depreciating at all.

A few taxi companies in cork are running nothing but them too.

bazz26

maidhc wrote:

Last year at least, the 1.4 D4D Corolla was hardly depreciating at all.

A few taxi companies in cork are running nothing but them too.

My local Toyota dealer had a waiting list (mostly taxi drivers) for used Corolla and Avensis D4D models. As soon as they hit the forecourt they are snapped up irrespective of mileage.

Spit62500

ninty9er wrote:

Leon will be hit bad by the depreciation virus and a Focus diesel isn't really going to be easy to shift s/h. The Octavia will have a bigger engine so will limit the market...whereas the Corolla/Auris will be slightly slower from standing but will probably still hold value. At that mileage though the Octavia gives plenty of competition to the Auris...taxi drivers were mentioned^^

Is the depreciation on a Leon diesel that bad? I thought that any diesel VAG car would hold its value well. I can see why it wouldn't make a great taxi (rear legroom on the scarce side) but I thought that Seats were well regarded by the trade.

TempestSabre

I can't see why a leon would depreciate that much. Though I've been told (though I don't believe it) that diesels aren't that popular outside of taximen or people doing big mileages like com,pany cars, as they've gone so expensive now that its not worth the extra expensive (all things considered) over a petrol. The petrol have a bigger market and are thus easier to sell. Personally I think there's always a demand for a good diesel.

Resale I think the Corolla/Auris would be best then a VW then Seat/Skoda.

maidhc

TempestSabre wrote:

I can't see why a leon would depreciate that much. Though I've been told (though I don't believe it) that diesels aren't that popular outside of taximen or people doing big mileages like com,pany cars, as they've gone so expensive now that its not worth the extra expensive (all things considered) over a petrol.

The modern diesels appeal to a whole new group of people who wouldn't have even considered one before.

Even "boy racers" are showing up with 306 HDis and Golf TDis. The concept of having the power of a 2.0 and the economy of a 1.0 is very appealing to anyone who does more than the school run.

TempestSabre

I don't get that. They cost many thousands more to buy, more to tax and insure, more frequent servicing. All that to save maybe a 1k at best in fuel. You are starting to see more petrol taxi's on the road now because of that. There was a time when diesel's cost about the same a petrol car. Now they are a lot dearer, in part because the car companies realise people will pay more for one.

New Golf V 1.6 3DR 102BHP 1.6/1595 € 22,380
New Golf V 1.9 TDI 3DR 90 BHP 1.9/1896 € 25,060

New Passat 1.6 FSI 115 BHP 6-S 1.6/1598 € 26,010
New Passat 1.9L TDI 105BHP 5-S 1.9/1896 € 29,955

So that 4k more plus insurance, tax, servicing. Less cost of fuel and depreciation.

maidhc

TempestSabre wrote:

I don't get that. They cost many thousands more to buy, more to tax and insure, more frequent servicing. All that to save maybe a 1k at best in fuel. You are starting to see more petrol taxi's on the road now because of that. There was a time when diesel's cost about the same a petrol car. Now they are a lot dearer, in part because the car companies realise people will pay more for one.

A Corolla 1.4 D4D will cost the same to tax and insure as the 1.4 VVTi. The servicing intervals are the same. It probably returns 20mpg over and above the petrol, while the torque gives it overtaking characteristics closer to the 1.6. When you go to sell on it will be snapped up straight away with a substantial premium over the petrol.

Comparing the Passat is a bit misleading due to the slightly rubbish nature of the 1.9 vis a vis the 1.6FSi. However if you compare an Avensis 2.0 VVTi, to the 2.0D4D you get a clear picture as to why a diesel might make sense, the diesel is cheaper, offers similar performance, and far better economy.

TempestSabre

I can't easily compare the toyota's as its a badly designed flash site. I guess you have to work out the cost the specific car over its lifetime with you. Its completely different for a Passat or Avensis for example. But if you compare a the Petrol Passat (new model) to the Avensis (the old model)

New Passat 1.6 FSI 115 BHP 6-S 1.6/1598 € 26,010
Avensis 2.0D4D is 30k

How you work out the resale though? Look at cars 2006 with 50k from the new price to what they are now.

Spit62500

I worked out that I'd save roughly 700 euro on fuel a year running a diesel (over my current 1.4 petrol). The VAG diesels will cost about 300 extra per year on extra road tax and insurance. I'm banking on the lower depreciation to make the deal worthwhile as the approx 3k extra initial cost won't be made up in fuel savings alone. I can't see a big queue for a 50,000 mile two year old Focus or Corolla petrol whereas hopefully the diesel will be very saleable...

Here's a very curious car:

http://www.merlinmotorcity.ie/UsedCars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=445621

It hasn't been registered (despite the reg plate in the picture) so it can be a '07, two years after the model was replaced. Still too dear though, I reckon and I've no idea why its been unsold for so long.

bazz26

Spit62500 wrote:

http://www.merlinmotorcity.ie/UsedCars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=445621

It hasn't been registered (despite the reg plate in the picture) so it can be a '07, two years after the model was replaced. Still too dear though, I reckon and I've no idea why its been unsold for so long.

I'd say that car is more than 2 years old. It has the original Leon door mirrors which were on the 2000 to 2004 model. The Leon got a very slight facelift in mid 2004 where it got new door mirrors like the ones on the Ibiza. I'd check the original date of manufacture via the chassis number.

gyppo

Spit62500 wrote:

Here's a very curious car:

http://www.merlinmotorcity.ie/UsedCars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=445621

Theres still a few of the old leons hanging around - Midlands Kia had one in stock a few months back (again 06 plate on it) with 70 miles on the clock.
Coincidentally it was silver too, and the asking price was the same as the one in your example, iirc.

colm_mcm

06 D 12345 is registered as a Chrysler Voyager. so the plates on that Toledo are false.

Spit62500

I think that they're just for effect - the lad that I was talking to there told me that it'd be registered as a '07 with the buyer as the first owner. Its going to look really strange as a '07 (assuming that they sell it this year). Too big an unknown for me to consider though.

colm_mcm

surely the owner of 06 D 12345 would be a bit miffed to find their reg number on another car?

galwaytt

TempestSabre wrote:

So that 4k more plus insurance, tax, servicing. Less cost of fuel and depreciation.

....and therein lies the problem, as long as everyone thinks that 'diesel is IT', then the depreciation alone will skew the arguement - rightly or wrongly. And so the diesel 'myth' continues, unabated.......

and, if the car tax regime does indeed change next year, as promised, to an emissions based one, then diesel cars will be the winner all over again. Just yesterday I saw how a 2.0 Toyota D4D is cleaner than a their 1.8VVti petrol...........

Spit62500

Wait until CO2 emission based taxation comes in - it'll make more sense pre-depreciation for the private punter then. In any event, the likes of the Corolla D4D 1.4 doesn't incur any service, tax or insurance premium as it stands.

From a taxi-driver's point of view they make sense in that they're much more fuel-efficient in urban traffic and assuming that the owner is VAT registered, depreciation doesn't even have to come into the equation for it to make sense.

Some people just enjoy the extra torque and driving characteristics - for them the economics are a bonus.

WildWater

I cant wait for the new Corolla and Auris to hit the dealerships. I may just treat myself to a new 1.4D4D that I may keep for up to 15 years. I have my current Corolla 12 years car is actually 14 years old (Cost me 6k at the time thats 500 a year). 210,000miles trouble free and because i didnt have to worry about warrenty I simply serviced it myself. I hadn't intended keeping it that long but the Corollas of 97-the 2001 were just crap (mainly in design). Current model is was a lot better but heres hoping the new model will really be worth the cash.

maidhc

Just discovered our avensis is now leaking water into the headlining, due to rust around a rubber grommet near where the rear hatch hinges. Very very dissappointing car.