Resession Proof Cars...

drunkmonkey

What cars are not loosing value at the moment.....

A Subaru Impreza 22B is the only one I can think of....but it's a little over budget...what would you recommend as a sound investment...

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Subaru/Impreza/22-B/200835189819928/advert

Anan1

There's no such thing, I think specialist cars lose even more than run-of-the-mill stuff in a recession.

Henry Ford III

MINI are not too bad, but all the values are plummeting at the moment.

drunkmonkey

name some that have really dropped...

mvpr

Anything with a big petrol engine:

Big mercs, audis, Betleys etc.

For the run of the mill hatchback, i would say the rate of depreciation has effectively doubled in the past year. Thats if you can sell it at all... better off going for an older car in my opinion

peasant

That would be the only recession proof car on carzone today

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1261025

Biro

drunkmonkey wrote: »

What cars are not loosing value at the moment.....

A Subaru Impreza 22B is the only one I can think of....but it's a little over budget...what would you recommend as a sound investment...

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Subaru/Impreza/22-B/200835189819928/advert

That 22B isn't worth that price. It's been modified. Description is wrong too! It's not 2 litre!
Ferrari F40's and Porsche 959's are going up in value if anything! On the other hand, cars like the Audi S8 99-00 region are about as cheap as they'll get while still working!

E92

Now is a brilliant time to be in the market for anything with a decent size petrol.

The other thing is is that the economy will pick up again, and the bargains that are presently there will go as soon as people start spending money, all the premium badge bargains will go very quickly once the economy starts to improve.

I actually don't see anything wrong with moving away from the present culture of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing(especially with reg plate snobbery where new cars *have* to be changed every year or 2); people have been ripped off but they let those doing the ripping off get away with it, which is as bad if not worse than those doing the ripping off.

Cars are capable of lasting several years with good maintenance, go to the continent and you'll see much older cars that are still in perfectly good nick, with decent sized engines and good spec levels.

Here we went for crappy engines(read pint sized and/or low power), low spec levels and changed every year or 2, which sucked.

drunkmonkey

peasant wrote: »

That would be the only recession proof car on carzone today

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1261025

I wonder would they take a trade in:)

Guy:Incognito

peasant wrote: »

That would be the only recession proof car on carzone today

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1261025

Thats a bad photo ( I hope) . It looks like a hyundai coupe that the skoda bakers got their hands on and stuck bits to the front of.

drunkmonkey

E92 wrote: »

Now is a brilliant time to be in the market for anything with a decent size petrol.
.

What would you be looking at, I currently have an Impreza so i'm used to the 20mpg, seriously considering an S class or 5 or 7 series......

doolox

My car is 12 years old and still going strong. I have absolutely no intention of changing it as I'd get nothing for it on a trade-in and would have opt for another Jap/Eastern car as I have no faith left in European cars.
It doesn't look the best but that keeps the junior scumbags away who want flash cars to speed around in and burn out at the weekends.
Also i'd think of nothing about putting a bag or two of cement/plaster paint etc in the boot, something i'd be loath to do in a new car.........
The only thing that would screw up this dream relationship is if some careless soul was to bump into me and write it off.
My wife drives a Peogeot 206 which is 5 yrs old and going fine so far although the front door is hard to close and the garage she bought it from has gone out of business and we had to make alternative arrangements for servicing.( I do my own basic servicing and get heavy stuff such as transmissions brakes etc done at a workshop.)
She had a Renault Megane before this but they are difficult to fix and expensive as well if anything goes wrong. Before that I had an Opel Astra whic seemed to last for ages, but suddenly started giving trouble in all sorts of areas. Before that I had Fords which were O.K for European cars but not a patch on the Japs.

joeperry

drunkmonkey wrote: »

What cars are not loosing value at the moment....

.....500Euro ones wont lose much

hi_im_fil

Id go with this. Even if you scrap it the most you lose is €500!
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Escort/1.6-16V/200840190182659/advert

alastair

All things being equal - Nissan Figaros are probably still a safe devaluation-proof car - if you look after them.

I'm taking a wild guess that it's not a potential candidate though...?

peasant

Stekelly wrote: »

Thats a bad photo ( I hope) . It looks like a hyundai coupe that the skoda bakers got their hands on and stuck bits to the front of.

99 points for missing the joke ...like, completely, like

Del2005

drunkmonkey wrote: »

What cars are not loosing value at the moment.....

A Subaru Impreza 22B is the only one I can think of....but it's a little over budget...what would you recommend as a sound investment...

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Subaru/Impreza/22-B/200835189819928/advert

Keep the car you have till it dies.

ninty9er

The only recession proof cars are NEW large executive saloons + the wife's car (of any make/model) for the purchaser of said car.

Basically because the buyers of these don't experience recession, or if they do the most it involves is telling their 25 year old he has to pay his own insurance this year.

Moral of the story. There are really no recession proof products, just recession proof individuals.

Ferris

Lotus Elise S1's are supposed to hold their value well. Buy with both eyes open tho, there are some really dodgy ones.

Low tax and fuel consumption make them the ideal recession hooligan's car however

Lex Luthor

peasant wrote: »

That would be the only recession proof car on carzone today

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1261025

I want one...

I though Donohues lost the Alfa dealership???

kuro_man

Cars are disposable consumer products, like TVs and washing machines, especially if they are Korean.

The few cars that appreciate in vlaue are rare, highly desirable and often very expensive to buy and own (Ferrari F40, Merc 300SL Gullwing etc.)

The real trick is to find an affordable car that will appreciate. Probably the only one I can think of is a Porsche 928. You can buy the 5L V8 version (called S4) for 5,000 - 10,000 stg. A 5.4L V8 (called GTS) for 10,000 - 15,000 stg. If you plan on doing low mileage and have a full NCB, running costs, including depreciation, should be fairly low. Find a good independent mechanic first, though.
Other alternative is the Porsche-built Mercedes 500E (5L V8), on sale last year for 9000-12000 stg and on sale this year for about the same. LHD only, though.

Big engines are usually necessary because they last longer. Maybe a Merc 190E Cosworth (2.3 or 2.5L) would hold its value - it's got racing pedigree.

Frankie Lee

alastair wrote: »

All things being equal - Nissan Figaros are probably still a safe devaluation-proof car - if you look after them.

I'm taking a wild guess that it's not a potential candidate though...?

I have to put a head gasket in one this weekend, hateful little yokes.

ambro25

kuro_man wrote: »

The real trick is to find an affordable car that will appreciate. Probably the only one I can think of is a Porsche 928. You can buy the 5L V8 version (called S4) for 5,000 - 10,000 stg. A 5.4L V8 (called GTS) for 10,000 - 15,000 stg. If you plan on doing low mileage and have a full NCB, running costs, including depreciation, should be fairly low. Find a good independent mechanic first, though.

My new boss is on his fifth or sixth 928 (currently a GTS, actually - the previous one was written off during Summer'07 in the "Sheffield floods").

I can tell you from 'close second hand experience' that it's most emphetically not an affordable proposition, whichever way you look at it or do the sums, and that it will have to appreciate a f*ck of a long way before the appreciation can begin to outpace the running costs

(you should see our company car park :eek:, between the 928 GTS, my scoob, one of the secretaries' Evo VI ... :rolleyes: I love being back here!)

Del2005 wrote: »

Keep the car you have till it dies.

is the only way to recession-proof your car.

drunkmonkey, I have an Impreza too, 2006 'eagle eyes' model. If your Impreza is an earlier 'face model', you could upgrade for a same 2006 'eagle eye' model: I believe these might depreciate least, since they were the last made in the 'proper' shape (as in: not looking like an uglyfied Astra!)

And I still have our Mk1 MX-5, now back on UK plates. 10 years old this year, in the family 8 years, looked after with no expenses spared. Recession-proofed to the hilt, as we'll most probably still have it by the time the next recession comes along in 10 or 15 years' time

kuro_man

ambro25 wrote: »

My new boss is on his fifth or sixth 928 (currently a GTS, actually - the previous one was written off during Summer'07 in the "Sheffield floods").

I can tell you from 'close second hand experience' that it's most emphetically not an affordable proposition, whichever way you look at it or do the sums, and that it will have to appreciate a f*ck of a long way before the appreciation can begin to outpace the running costs

Interesting. I assume it was not the motor tax/fuel economy that cost him? Was the maintenance cost high? Getting a good value mechanic is essential.

I think Unkel has a 928, he might share his experiences.

ambro25

kuro_man wrote: »

Interesting. I assume it was not the motor tax/fuel economy that cost him? Was the maintenance cost high? Getting a good value mechanic is essential.

I think Unkel has a 928, he might share his experiences.

Motor Tax / Fuel economy absolutely don't come into it. As I said, he's been a 928's man for donkey's years and God knows he can afford them. All the same, he's always been vociferously against 911s. I used to know him socially for years before I emigrated to Dublin in '04, and he was already a 928 man, and already cussing blind about their lack of reliability.

Maintenance is high not so much because he gets servicing by the Porsche dealer, but because the darn things are forever dying/acting up on him. I've been here 3 months and I must admit, that 928's been more often on the ramp than on the road (even now that there's a new Porsche dealer less than 2 miles away - he used to have it serviced 30 miles away in Leeds until then).

...and I used to think TVRs were bad!

Still, I suppose it says something when one is prepared to overlook the near-constant fear of sudden unreliability, to enjoy ownership of the car. So, what do I know, he may be onto something after all?

kuro_man

ambro25 wrote: »

because the darn things are forever dying/acting up on him. I've been here 3 months and I must admit, that 928's been more often on the ramp than on the road

I'm shattered, I thought they were a solid buy. I think they are a stunning car and I have on my "cars to buy" list when space/money/wife allows (i.e. never! ) Unkel, please say it ain't so!

Maybe he should sent it to Mr 928 at http://www.nixsoft-consulting.co.uk/928spares/. He's suppose to know more about them than Porsche!

MSporty

Wouldn't it be great now to be going around the dealers with a pocket full of money and no trade in looking for high end motor, you could really mess with their heads and get a great bargain!!

Ferris

MSporty wrote: »

Wouldn't it be great now to be going around the dealers with a pocket full of money and no trade in looking for high end motor, you could really mess with their heads and get a great bargain!!

Basically my plan for January!

unkel

ambro25 wrote: »

I used to know him socially for years before I emigrated to Dublin in '04, and he was already a 928 man, and already cussing blind about their lack of reliability.

Maintenance is high not so much because he gets servicing by the Porsche dealer, but because the darn things are forever dying/acting up on him. I've been here 3 months and I must admit, that 928's been more often on the ramp than on the road

Can you be a bit more specific? What were the problems he was having? Maybe he just bought a knackered one?

928s are generally very reliable mechanically. The engine is good for half a million kilometres without major work. But the electrics are complex and can and will cause problems.

I've had mine for nearly a year. I use it as my daily driver. It just passed the NCT first go without issues. The car has proven very reliable - it starts first time every time even after not using it for a fortnight. I've had 2 problems since I bought it though:

One was an ABS problem which was sorted by an independent Porsche specialist. The car could obviously still be driven safely without it (BTW the 928 was the first car in the world that came as standard with ABS - from '86)

The other was a very annoying intermittent starting problem. It turned out to be a bad connection in the starter motor relay. Diagnosed and fixed that myself (with enthusiast forum help and suggestions) for free

Some general remarks:

1. Porsche main dealer servicing is very expensive - best find a good indy
2. Porsche parts are expensive
3. A cambelt job will cost a bit more than in a VW Polo

BTW, mine is not a relatively new, mid 90s, high price GTS. It is a mere mid 80s S2.

kuro_man

unkel wrote: »

928s are generally very reliable mechanically.

I'm relieved to hear it!

daveharnett

drunkmonkey wrote: »

What cars are not loosing value at the moment.....

A Subaru Impreza 22B is the only one I can think of....but it's a little over budget...what would you recommend as a sound investment...

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Subaru/Impreza/22-B/200835189819928/advert

The air scoop on the roof combats depreciation does it?