Search
Close this search box.
Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Prestige residual values: what’s hot and what’s not?

667_MercedesSLKRoadster
New Mercedes SLK roadster holds its value better than previous model reckons CAP Monitor

Share

9 April 2013

Latest Mercedes SLK Roadster
Mercedes SLK roadsters holds their value at the best of times, but demand for soft-tops is generally strong in April and May – pushing residuals higher

What’s hot?

By the look of rising roadster and soft-top values, summer must be just around the corner, whatever it feels like outside.

Guide values went up in April and look like they’ll keep rising for May. If trends follow the last few years they’ll dip again by July (probably as buyers realize that the sun just isn’t shining) so it’s vital to time your purchase right.

Porsche 911 4S
Porsche’s with a PDK automatic are finally getting recognition in the resale stakes

At last! After years of buyers ignoring Porsches with auto boxes, the new PDK versions are finally gaining approval. Value premiums on the original autos are somewhere between nothing and £500 but buyers are paying between £1500 and £2000 more for PDKs, and it looks like rising.

And here’s an interesting little nugget. Prestige cars with small petrol engines continue to out-perform.

BMW’s 1.6 and Audi’s 1.4T and 1.6 in particular are attracting customers, and since there are fewer of them than the equivalent diesel engines, values are strong.

What’s not?

Notwithstanding the rising premium attracted by Porsche’s PDK box, elsewhere automatics are no longer getting as much of an advantage over manuals. The reason is increasing supply since autos became the default spec for new prestige cars over the last few years.

And some car-makers have increased the option cost of automatics – for example it’s now £1525 to get an auto box on a BMW 320d. It was only £1220 in 2003.

All in all I think this trend will continue – one to watch.

Another trend that continues is the lack of interest in bigger diesels – following their petrol counterparts. As fuel costs rise, and the performance of smaller diesels improves, business car buyers see little point in anything more than a 2.2.

Richard Crosthwaite is prestige cars editor at Glass’s Guide.

Share this article

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit
Email

Want more motoring news?

Sign up here for our free weekly serving of motoring.

Sign up here for our free weekly serving of motoring.

Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

Latest news

Top