New or Used? If Price Is the Only Thing That Matters, These Depreciation Deals Are for You

Autumn is here, leaves are falling, and dealers are marking down remaining 2016 inventory to free up room for models that won’t sound old in three months.

It’s a good time to hunt for that smoking deal on the 2016 vehicle of your dreams, but if your dreams — and bank balance — fail to reach that goal, looking back another model year could save you a lot of money.

New car looks and a low entry price can be yours if you’re willing to live with a vehicle boasting limited appeal and awful resale value. These are your best bets.

According to iSeeCars.com, which analyzed 14 million new and used cars between August 1, 2015 and July 31 of this year, buyers can easily save five figures on a number of 2015 models compared to their 2016 counterparts.

The crowned winner of the depreciation game is a vehicle almost universally loathed by the car buying public. We’re off to a bad start. Yes, it’s the Fiat 500L. Sales of this ungainly, Serbian-built Italian have flatlined, and resale values have tumbled off a cliff. Prices of 2015 models are 34.6 percent lower than the Class of ’16. Good news for the man or woman with eccentric tastes and a limited bank balance.

The second-largest drop in resale value goes to an old model that’s already extinct. The Lincoln MKS was axed from the lineup to make room for the 2017 Continental, meaning there’s likely a few good deals to be found on 2016 models. However, one-year-old model year MKS sedans undercut the 2016s in price by 34.5 percent, or a difference of $16,039. This could be a good option if you’re easing into retirement and your pension doesn’t allow the same buying power.

From Scandinavia comes the third-place depreciation winner, the Volvo S60. This Swedish sedan sees an average price drop of 34.4 percent between 2015 and 2016 models, a difference of $14,204.

The one-year-old depreciation list continues through the Kia Cadenza at No. 4 (who isn’t talking Cadenza these days?), Mercedes-Benz C250 (a $15,247 drop), Nissan Maxima, and Lincoln MKZ and MKZ Hybrid. The No. 8 placeholder, Jaguar’s XF, sees the largest price difference between 2015 and 2016 models — $19,966.

Numbers nine through 12 are occupied by the Fiat 500, Cadillac ATS, Chrysler 300 and Buick Regal. Even the models at the bottom of the list see a value drop of more than 31 percent.

The other side of the coin doesn’t help buyers looking for a deal, but it’s great for owners. The list of vehicles that saw the least depreciation is heavy with trucks and SUVs, go figure. While the crown goes to the Chevrolet Colorado, with a price drop of only seven percent over 2016 models, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and GMC Canyon aren’t far behind.

The Honda Fit and Nissan Frontier place No. 4 and 5 on the list, with the fifth-place finisher showing an 8.8 percent price difference over new. Subaru’s smaller cars take the next three spots, followed by the Toyota Highlander and Range Rover.

[Image: Volvo Car Corporation]