Ridiculous price matches

bazzabear

bazzabear

bazzabear

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Just a bit of fun, might not really work, but let's give it a go.

This thread idea is based on my own long held notion that if you buy a few years older than the mainstream - say at 8 years or more - it becomes ridiculous how much economy cars hold their value compared to 'executive' cars. So much so that sometimes you can find that bog standard Fiesta might cost more than a similar age and mileage big Jag or BMW maybe.
I believe this happens because the majority of people buying in that area of the market want to pay little for the car and little to run it. The idea of buying a car for peanuts knowing that you'll have to pay a fair bit to run it is fairly niche.

That said, for the purposes of this thread, let's not be so regimented in terms of age and mileage. The rules are simple:

Find two cars which are identical in price (well, let's say a max of £50 difference) but, on the face of it*, it seems ludicrous that they would have the same value.

*By which I mean, if you spend a few seconds checking it might be obvious one has starship miles, or is 10 years older, but initial gut feeling just on looking at the car is that they would be very different in value.

This is by no means a perfect example, but just to get the ball rolling. You've got £2000 to spend.
Would you prefer to waft along in a creamy v6 feeling like a diplomat, encased in rich leather and wood?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201910313897586

Or a shoe box on wheels, built to as low a price as possible and reminding you of it from every angle?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202001146140369
 
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Might work better with a screenshot, as the link won't work once they delete their ad.

I've always thought the same though, and when ever I need a new car/have money for one, I'd much rather buy a older car that has some character, than a newer bog standard hatchback.

I've always loved the Z4 coupe, and it's a shame as they seem to be appreciating with most prices going for £6-8k now, when a year or two ago you could pick a great condition one for £4-6k.
They're creeping up on Z4M prices which seem to be holding at £14k+. I know it's still £6k difference, but if it keeps going to £8-10k, it's probably much better to find another £4-5k getting the Z4M.
But then again, at £14k, your car options are blown up open I guess.
 
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I did think of that. But I have never got to the bottom of screenshots on this forum. :o

I absolutely support future contributors to the thread using screenshots though! :D

After all, mine was just a rough example to give the general idea.
 
This is fairly obvious though, the market for complicated expensive old cars is virtually zero, as most people who have 2 grand to spend on a car don't want to mess about with a 20 year old Jaguar.
 
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[TW]Fox said:
This is fairly obvious though, the market for complicated expensive old cars is virtually zero, as most people who have 2 grand to spend on a car don't want to mess about with a 20 year old Jaguar.
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Well yes, that's what I said. And I didn't say it was ground breaking. The point is, just for fun, to see who can find the most disparate cars with the same apparent value.
 
IAmATeaf said:
My wife would probably pick the Sirion?
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I'm sure plenty would, at least if they were properly considering overall cost and what they really needed in a car.

I'm not sure I could ever make myself do so though. Even if I really did need to count the pennies. Not to that extent.
 
Surely to make this anything other than obvious the cars need to be similar in age? The Jag linked is ten years older so seems a done deal that it will have shed more "value"? (I hate the things to start with, but let's ignore that)
 
I was trying to do it in very little spare time, so couldn't research long enough. Do feel free to find ones of similar ages too - those examples will be more impressive!

They are definitely out there. :)
 
Agreed the second paragraph specifically talks about "similar age" but we're then comparing a 1998 car with a late 2009 car. It's literally less than half the age.
I understand the hypothesis being made and I agree the depreciation curve reaches a point at which exec cars don't cost much more than economy cars. But that's probably because they carry higher maintenance costs, probably worse fuel economy (which could be a factor for people at this end of the market), will no longer be eligible for cheap warranty and probably don't have that impressive a spec by modern standards (i.e. an ancient exec car might be better specced than an ancient economy car, but it will still be naff - woohoo, cd multichanger! a really clunky, small and slow touchscreen with outdated software!)
 
HangTime said:
Agreed the second paragraph specifically talks about "similar age" but we're then comparing a 1998 car with a late 2009 car. It's literally less than half the age.
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And the third went on to say that to make it easier we wouldn't maintain that limitation.

I understand the hypothesis being made and I agree the depreciation curve reaches a point at which exec cars don't cost much more than economy cars. But that's probably because they carry higher maintenance costs, probably worse fuel economy (which could be a factor for people at this end of the market), will no longer be eligible for cheap warranty and probably don't have that impressive a spec by modern standards (i.e. an ancient exec car might be better specced than an ancient economy car, but it will still be naff - woohoo, cd multichanger! a really clunky, small and slow touchscreen with outdated software!)
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I know, I agree, I said much the same in the original post!

I'm not saying it shouldn't be the case, I'm not saying that those expensive cars should be maintaining their value better, I'm not saying that age isn't a consideration for the value of a car.

This isn't a serious thread. It's just supposed to be a bit of light entertainment. It's about cars which, at first glance you would imagine vastly different values to, but for reasons of convenience, costs, age, mileage, whatever are surprisingly close.

But hey - if everyone will have more fun just adding post after post to explain that older cars are cheaper in case I didn't realise, knock yourselves out. :D
 
bazzabear said:
How about Fiesta versus E-Class?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202002107151916

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202003037976683

And yes. I know. They've got different mileages. I might not have explained the concept very well, but it's about initial perception differing from reality.
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Better example, but I can't believe anyone would pay £5.5k for that Fiesta. Why wouldn't you get something like this instead which is Titanium trim 1.6L instead of Zetec 1.4L:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202003168490343?postcode=sp12ph&advertising-location=at_cars&aggregatedTrim=Titanium&year-to=2020&fuel-type=Petrol&make=FORD&sort=price-asc&radius=1500&year-from=2010&model=FIESTA&maximum-mileage=60000&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&exclude-writeoff-categories=on&page=1
(maybe not the best example but there is plenty under £5k to choose from, newer models, leather interior etc etc)
I know it's a bit of fun but it's not fun if we just have to go and find overpriced economy cars to compare with sensibly priced exec cars :)

[TBH - Fiestas seem to hold their value quite well. The idea a 10 year old Fiesta would be selling for 4, 5 grand is surprising to me when you could get something like a newer Seat Leon for the same money]
 
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