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Market view by brand E through H. June/July 2011
Fiat: The Little 500 has been a supreme performer since launch, and while they are not about to plummet all those cheap monthly lease specials are dripping back into the market providing a lot of options for buyer. Supermarkets and dealers will be pushing deals to move a lot of stock over the summer. If you are buying then Solid colours are best. Grande Punto: Our hire car of choice is really heading for the bargain bin over 4 years of age. Fresher cars are still saleable with lower miles. 1.3 Multijet Diesel is always popular. Multipla, old model was no looker but had a following. New model is as practical, but this is a harder market now with more options for buyers, main dealers and MPV specialists can sell them nobody else.
Ford: Ford can absorb over supply in the market better than any other manufacturer and although there many competitors good stock sells well. The Ka has been a strong seller new and many ex lease cars are going straight to supermarket. Plain 1.2 studios can now be picked up from £5000 add an Extra £500 for a style and the same again for a Zetec. Garish colours look funky but are proving hard to shift with the worst offenders being Blush(Maroon metallic) and Jump(Key lime pie!). Mileage is key with cars over 25K struggling. Old model Ka’s still have a following and an old model 1.3 Zetec with lower miles and some alloys or other extras would be sought after. Fiesta (03-08)1.4TDCi is a sought after car and increasingly rare without silly mileage. The 1.25 and 1.4 petrol’s are still a good seller but a bit of spec is helping. New shape Fiestas from 08’ are cheap in plain spec, with plain 1.25 style 3drs from £5500. If you are buying it’s a trawl for the most spec for year. The 1.6 TDCi is holding its value well and the 1.6 Zetec s with the 17” rims is a strong retail car in a 3dr. Conservative colours are best Silver,Light Blue,Grey, Black and White. The Focus is a strong performer and there are no bargains in honest cars. 1.6tdci will have best medium term residuals. Mondeo , new shapes are surprisingly cheap and look around before you commit. TDCi Titanium X and Ghia models are still good news. The Hatch outsold the Saloon massively, as a result saloon prices are holding up well. S-Max Petrols in general are hard work with the 2.5 being particularly unloved unless it’s an exceptional low mileage example. Lots of high milers on the market in diesel, and low mileage cars are making good money. Plain LX spec is only shifting at the right price. Autos are always popular with a 2.0TDCI Titanium Auto being primo retail stock. Facelifted 2010 cars will make a good premium over non facelifted 2010’s. Galaxies’ remain as popular as ever, even old models. A 1.9TD is now hard to find in sub taxi mileage Zetecs and Ghias are always popular, but the main driver is mileage. New Shape Petrol’s are floating about the trade for small money and the market is only chasing Diesels. A conservative market is reflected in preferred colours Black,Silver,Blue and Grey are making the better money.
Honda: Jazz Older models are dropping under 4K.Still a great seller but demand massively influenced by mileage. It’s getting harder to sell the current shape in plain spec and Autos are not making the premium over Manual that we saw in the old shape. Civics are one of the most popular cars in Britain, Therefore a steady depreciator which stays solid regardless of market conditions. New shapes have dipped in recent months and petrols and higher mileage diesels are now slow going. High spec cars with leather or the glass roof are still desirable but customers are not as willing to pay the premium they once would. The Hybrid IMA was one of the few cars that smashed book prices for the last year with many going to Ireland due to favourable VRT. This market has now slowed and they are getting back to sensible money, low mileage cars sell well and a leather car is at least £1000 ahead of a cloth car. The Type R like all sports cars has been affected by comparable cars in the marketplace. A bad choice new but a sensibly priced 2-3 year is worth buying now. With the Accord Honda proved they could make a medium sized motorway eater, and big mileage cars are still saleable. Expect to pay full money for a low mileage car, Leather and sat nav models still the most popular but are not making the premium they used to. 2.0 Vtec Petrol’s in plain spec are hard to shift. Newer shape Legend from 2006 has surprisingly held up well although this is mainly due to the limited number that was sold new. Still wouldn’t take one into stock unless I was a Honda dealer. The FRV has gotten more popular as people have warmed to them.2007’ on ES and EX diesels are very good stock. The CRV remains popular with school runners and motorway eaters(and they can handle the miles) Prices have come back as more cars are making it to the market, but still no bargains to be had in low mileage cars with decent spec in conservative colours. The S2000, Because of their ability to rev like a motorbike and their unfortunate tendency to swap ends there are some questionable cars in the cheaper end of the market. Like the Civic R a sensibly priced 2-3 year old car is a decent investment. The gulf between main dealer and independent dealers is hard to explain.
Hyundai: The series 3 coupe looked like a budget scaglietti- aston martin hybrid, unfortunately it’s all a bit long in the tooth now and depreciation has been savage. The I-10 is a good little performer in a mileage sensitive niche. Low k autos are always sought after. The I-20 is a cheap car new and hasn’t devalued too sharply so far. The 1.4CRDi Comfort is the best news at the moment. The I-30 has been slow for a few months now and is fighting against some heavyweight opposition in a competitive sector. If you find yourself looking for a car like the I-800 you will find that, short of converted vehicles it fills a rare hole. Good retail cars are holding their values with main dealers and MPV specialists. Obviously there is a gulf between retail and ex private hire/taxis. The Santa Fe continues to be a sought after vehicle and in the 2.2 Diesel there are few bargains in moderate mileage cars. 7 seats are preferred. There was a 2.7 petrol which didn’t sell well new and is not desirable today.
© 2011, MD. All rights reserved.
