Posted on 12/17/2023 10:09:24 PM PST by SeekAndFind
For three years now, the used-car market has been booming, after the pandemic disrupted new car supply chains, sending secondhand vehicle prices skyrocketing.
But which cars have the best resale value?
In the graphic below, Visual Capitalist's Marcu Lu and Pallavi Rao show the top 10 vehicles with the lowest depreciation rates over five years, based on data from iSeeCars.
They analyzed over 1.1 million used cars from model year 2018, sold between November 2022 to October 2023. Models no longer in production as of the 2022 model year were excluded.
Heading the list, Porsche has two models with the best resale value after half a decade.
After five years, the 911 (Coupe) only loses 9% of its retail value in the used-car market on average. Porsche’s flagship costs anywhere between $90,000–$294,000 based on the horsepower (ranging from 200–700), along with other model specifications.
At second place, the Porsche 718 Cayman loses about one-fifth of its value. Two other Porsches - the Boxster, and the 911 convertible - also feature in ranks, at 12th and 15th respectively, both losing around 25% of their retail price tag.
Here’s a look at the full list of slowest depreciating cars in the United States:
| Rank | Model | Average 5-Yr Depreciation | Average Difference from MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porsche 911 (Coupe) | 9% | $18,094 |
| 2 | Porsche 718 Cayman | 18% | $13,372 |
| 3 | Toyota Tacoma | 20% | $8,359 |
| 4 | Jeep Wrangler | 21% | $8,951 |
| 5 | Honda Civic | 22% | $5,817 |
| 6 | Subaru BRZ | 23% | $8,114 |
| 7 | Chevrolet Camaro | 24% | $10,161 |
| 8 | Toyota C-HR | 24% | $6,692 |
| 9 | Subaru Crosstrek | 25% | $7,214 |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla | 25% | $5,800 |
| 11 | Ford Mustang | 25% | $10,035 |
| 12 | Porsche 718 Boxster | 25% | $20,216 |
| 13 | Toyota Tundra | 25% | $12,588 |
| 14 | Kia Rio 5-Door | 26% | $5,006 |
| 15 | Porsche 911 (Convertible) | 26% | $42,227 |
| 16 | Honda HR-V | 26% | $7,318 |
| 17 | Subaru Impreza (Wagon) | 26% | $6,927 |
| 18 | Kia Rio | 26% | $4,959 |
| 19 | Chevrolet Spark | 27% | $4,784 |
| 20 | Toyota RAV4 | 27% | $8,858 |
| 21 | Hyundai Accent | 27% | $5,353 |
| 22 | Toyota 4Runner | 27% | $13,147 |
| 23 | Chevrolet Corvette | 28% | $22,712 |
| 24 | Nissan Kicks | 28% | $6,560 |
| 25 | Subaru Impreza (Sedan) | 28% | $7,158 |
Note: MSRP stands for Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price, the price recommended by a product’s producer to retailers. Furthermore, MSRPs from 2018 were inflation-adjusted to 2023 dollars.
The Toyota Tacoma, America’s fifth best-selling truck, comes in third, losing 20%.
The Jeep Wrangler (-21%) and the Honda Civic (-22%) round out the top five cars with the best resale value.
Two more sports cars (the Subaru BRZ and Chevrolet Camaro) feature in the top 10, indicating that these “fun” designer cars are valued for their status as well as functionality.
Aside from the sports category, Americans seem to rate Japanese automakers highly. Put together, Toyota, Subaru, Honda, and Nissan account for half of the cars with the best resale value.
This list does not take into consideration the huge cost of owning a Porsche.
Google search The average cost for a Porsche 911 Oil Change is between $523 and $550. Labor costs are estimated between $43 and $55 while parts are priced between $480 and $495.
Even Subarus are expensive when you figure a head gasket repair will cost between $1,600 and $2,000. And it will be necessary.
The one that aimed for Biden last night?
Get a reliable car you can hold on to more than 10 or 20 years and it’ll save you a fortune
“This list does not take into consideration the huge cost of owning a Porsche.”
100% right. I own a different German luxury/sport make, and the repair costs are currently bleeding me. Stuff that would likely never even go wrong in a Honda or Toyota or a Chevy will go wrong in your Teutonic sports car, and the repairs will cost 3X-5X what they’d cost in a Toyota.
The lowest mileage any of our cars have gone before we replaced them is 147,000 miles. A couple of them have gone over a quarter million miles. The secret? Be gentle accelerating, turning, and braking, change the oil before it’s due, and run them at freeway speeds for extended periods of time every once in a while.
My hubbie has his 1994 extended cab F150 - restored paint , added new a/c and cleaned up interior last year…looks great. Also has 2006 Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer….runs great. Getting ready to spruce up some interior items such as satellite radio and repair headliner. I drive 2017 Ford explorer and it looks and runs showroom new. We care for our vehicles and they keep running well for us.
At our age, our current car will probably be the last one we will have to buy. We use it around town and rent cars for vacations.
And that F150 doesn’t have a government controlled off switch.
Eggszactly! We get one or two people every month asking if he wants to sell it.
One of my buds bought a ‘23 911 Turbo S last fall. He got a call about a month ago from the dealership offering to pay him $10k OVER MSRP for it. They had someone who wanted a car RIGHT NOW, and didn’t care what it cost to get one. Just insanity.
I have owned 6 Subarus now and do not recall ever having to get a head gasket replaced.
Read later.
Cars are not a good investment. House are.
You must be very lucky or do drive them long enough to incurr the problem. Head gasket issues on the boxer engines from Subaru are well documented.
Well, I never had a single mechanical problem with my 08 Ford Edge that I owned for 12 years. However, after I bought it, I had one guy tell me it took almost 2 days labor to replace a water pump because the dealer had to pull the engine, cost he was quoted was close to $2500. Made me wonder if Porsche had designed the car (I had owned a ‘72 911 in the distant past).
LOL!
Bingo. When I was younger, I traded my car in as often as every couple of years. At that age, your focus (especially as a single male) is more on trying to keep up with your friends and projecting an image (especially to single females) than it is on practicing financial common sense. Now that I’m older and retired, my vehicle priorities are reliability, longevity, and operating cost. I am still driving an 18-year old 2005 Acura TL that has been as dependable as a tank, has 211,000 miles on it, and runs like it’s brand new. Cosmetically, on the other hand, it’s seen better days as the paint is peeling, vinyl cladding on the trim is peeling, and it was unfortunately dented pretty badly in a hailstorm last summer.
I’ve been diligent about maintaining the car throughout its life, which is paying off now in how well it still runs. Maintenance has gotten more expensive as it has aged, but it’s still far less expensive than a new car. I’ve thought a few times about replacing it, but it wouldn’t make sense since it runs fine and I hardly drive it now that I’m retired, and since we bought a new CR-V for my wife who does more driving. I’m also hanging onto it because it has a V6, produces 270 hp, and yet still averages 24 to 26 mpg. The VTEC engines were amazing. All you can get in most cars now is a 4 cylinder (thanks to Obama). I’m keenly aware of the difference every time I jump into my TL and feel the torque and horsepower it has.
Next is looking at getting it repainted and deciding what to do about the hail dents. Insurance is no help because they will just total it and give me a pittance in return. It’s funny, right now with the peeling paint and dents all over, and given the explosion in crime recently by the usual suspects, I consider this car to kind of have ghetto camouflage, making it less likely to draw the attention of gibmedats. There’s special value just in that.
Bingo. When I was younger, I traded my car in as often as every couple of years. At that age, your focus (especially as a single male) is more on trying to keep up with your friends and projecting an image (especially to single females) than it is on practicing financial common sense. Now that I’m older and retired, my vehicle priorities are reliability, longevity, and operating cost. I am still driving an 18-year old 2005 Acura TL that has been as dependable as a tank, has 211,000 miles on it, and runs like it’s brand new. Cosmetically, on the other hand, it’s seen better days as the paint is peeling, vinyl cladding on the trim is peeling, and it was unfortunately dented pretty badly in a hailstorm last summer.
I’ve been diligent about maintaining the car throughout its life, which is paying off now in how well it still runs. Maintenance has gotten more expensive as it has aged, but it’s still far less expensive than a new car. I’ve thought a few times about replacing it, but it wouldn’t make sense since it runs fine and I hardly drive it now that I’m retired, and since we bought a new CR-V for my wife who does more driving. I’m also hanging onto it because it has a V6, produces 270 hp, and yet still averages 24 to 26 mpg. The VTEC engines were amazing. All you can get in most cars now is a 4 cylinder (thanks to Obama). I’m keenly aware of the difference every time I jump into my TL and feel the torque and horsepower it has.
Next is looking at getting it repainted and deciding what to do about the hail dents. Insurance is no help because they will just total it and give me a pittance in return. It’s funny, right now with the peeling paint and dents all over, and given the explosion in crime recently by the usual suspects, I consider this car to kind of have ghetto camouflage, making it less likely to draw the attention of gibmedats. There’s special value just in that.
I have an old Toyota RAV4 and I’m keeping it.
It was my late father’s car... he was a mechanic and machinist and he said it was the best car he could find when
he needed to upgrade.
It ain’t fancy, but it just keeps chugging along..
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