How can they not mention our favorite little hybrid? Top resale value cars Exclusive: CNN/Money and Kelley Blue Book tell you the cars that hold their value best. August 24, 2004: 12:28 PM EDT By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN/Money staff writer NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - If there's one thing every car does fast, it's lose value. The average new car will lose 65 percent of its value over 5 years of normal driving. But the 2005 vehicles featured in our photo gallery are depreciation slow-pokes, according to experts at Kelley Blue Book. They hold their value better than other 2005 models, retaining about half their value over five years. Click for article
The '04 Prius is too new to have a resale history. The fact that a used one can go for more than MSRP is an artifact of its high demand and recent introduction. Not to worry. I bet its resale value is going to set records.
All of the models listed are 2005 models. I guess they're going under the assumption that the 2005's are going to be as good as the 2004's and before
its easy to see why the Prius was not mentioned... do you know of anyone wanting to sell their Prius... they are out there, but an amputee could count them on his fingers and toes without much difficulty.
There has been a '03 for sale on a very busy road here in town for a little while. It even has a giant "PRIUS" written on the windshield. So maybe he is asking too much for it I don't know. I want an '05.....well I have to settle for an '05, but I want a new one. Alpha
i can believe it. although the classics are great cars also, i understand there is a huge improvement from 03 to 04 and that is where the buzz is.
More resale info from the article: "A highly popular or desirable car with limited availability will depreciate more slowly than a car that is in sufficient supply or less desirable," said Charlie Vogelheim, executive editor of the Kelley Blue Book. Some of the factors that can hurt a car's resale value are a design that looks dated quickly, high maintenance cost and high availability. Some of the cars that lose value most quickly, according to KBB, are the Pontiac Aztec, Chrysler Sebring sedan and Jaguar X-type. AND: Other things that can hurt resale value are garish colors, custom modifications and lack of popular options. Don't try to save money on your new car by not getting things like power windows and door locks, cruise control or an adjustable steering wheel. "These items don't add value to your car, but value is actually deducted if they are not there." AND: When it comes to the car's wheels, spend the extra money and get something nice. Ugly wheels hurt a car's value while premium or alloy wheels can really help, said Vogelheim. When it comes to paint colors, its best to stay conservative. Colors like black, white and silver hold their value well. Colors like orange, green, purple and yellow will reduce your chances of getting a good price for the car later. Sorry to the original poster I suppose by printing the majority of it on here, but there was a lot of awesome info in there I wanted to be sure people see, especially since I know there's a lot of people out there that NEVER go to links, regardless of what they hear is on the other end of it.
