ALFA ROMEO: Fear of running costs is not helping Alfas at the moment and once they go over 3 years or start approaching above average miles they are becoming a less viable retail proposition for dealers. The GT Coupe Blackline with the 1.9 JTD diesel unit is sought after. The Mito has been well received and is holding up well, Like the fiat 500 it is selling best in solid colours red,Black and White. Too early to pass comment on the Giulietta with most cars remaining  within the dealer network for the moment.

AUDI: A2 surely the best investment that was ever made in a new car ? A below average miles car writes its own price.  A3 and A4’s are still good sellers but are being affected by the amount of ex lease and high milers on the market. Diesels are still preferred with S-Lines making over book and White cars in Particular making well over book. The daylight running lights that were much derided at launch on the A4 are popular with customers, and salespeople report back that they are asked for this feature constantly. Even with a recent cosmetic facelift The A6 is looking a bit dated and we are seeing a big drop off in demand pre 07.  In the Qs the Q5 appears to remain good stock in all models and prices are holding firm.  Q7 is getting old enough for a few cheapies to be floating about and last year’s facelift is starting to impact on 06 models.  Fresh low mileage stock is still at a premium for dealers, S-Lines have a quicker turnaround. Fresh A8’s are main dealer territory only. Older cars can be good stock for specialist dealers who can sell them and prices are affected geographically. For non specialist dealers they are a price driven item, otherwise they are sitting around for too long.

BMW: 1 Series remains very good stock even in petrol. Despite an influx of ex lease coming to the market many appear to have been urban leased, with the motorway milers looking at 3 series instead. Because of this high milers are rare and unwanted stock. There are so many 3 series about that it is hard to give a snapshot, however in summary, despite its ubiquity the 3 series remains a highly desirable motor car. 2 to 3 year old cars with sensible mileage are sought after and making over book regularly,  with M sports and Leather cars being the most desirable. Petrol cars are having a trying time with the 325, even in coupe form finding it hard going at the moment.  The 5 Series had been Bulletproof until recently with Msport and Leather cars making beyond top book money, they are now however on a slide and a good  520D can be picked up for £10000. There are too many mega milers knocking about and only cars with extensive histories are attracting any attention. 530 and 535D particularly in Msport and strong colours are still good sellers if you can find them. Too early to comment on the new 5 but it is thought that BMW’s cross platform strategy will affect its own sales in time. Offers are invited on old model 7’s and they are specialist territory only. Current model from 08 is still staying within the dealer network.  The X3 has shown strong residuals and it is testament to BMW that they still look modern despite being 8 years old. Two Litre diesel with the new (177) unit is popular. The 3.0 is good stock under 3 years old and the xdrive auto is sought after. 2.5 petrol in plain spec is the least loved.It will take some time for the new model to impact on the old models price, particularly as the new model is being pitched higher in the market than the old one.  Private plated oldie, petrol X5’s are changing hands for £5000 and all petrols are struggling in general.  This does not represent the real picture though. A 3.0D X 5 is still the most desirable car in its class, with retailable cars that haven’t been to mars and back holding good money. New shapes are holding firm with only the 3.0 petrol taking a knock in popularity, The bigger engine petrol cars are still run by people who can afford fuel.

Chevrolet: A steady depreciator once you get the first year of ownership out of the way. Unfortunately that first year wipes out 50% of their value. The Matiz is an established bingo hall crawler with a stronger following than the rest of their models which admittedly are competing in a hard market. The Captiva 2.0 CRD has held its value well since it came out in July 07.  It is well equipped and priced for its class, rarity is keeping prices up, with the 7 seater particularly sought after.

Chrysler:  They showed some courage to bring the PT Cruiser to market and some madness to persist with it for another 10 years. Second hand Chryslers are slow turning stock unless they are very cheap, and lately they are that. Their solid performers are the Voyager/Grand Voyager and 300C. The Voyager and Grand voyager are steady depreciators second hand; demand is strong for the 2.8CRD at the moment. The 300C or Plastic Bentley, as in “that Plastic Bentley had me fooled from 500 yards!” has been Chryslers star performer but is now on the slide. Customizers provide a home for the most unloved examples but even the fresh retailable cars have slowed down with dealers struggling to sell cars in the wrong colour and spec combos. The market is looking for Black and Silver with the Hemi rims. Buying a new one would be brave and expensive.

Citroen: C1 and C2’s like all little run-arounds at the moment are faring well. With 2-3 year old cars good stock. C3, Pre facelift cars were holding their own but are now struggling in a competitive market. New shape appears to be desirable but it’s a bit early to comment. C3 Picasso from April 09’ is a strong seller at the moment particularly in diesel, but petrol’s are only about £1500 behind.  Diesel C4 Picassos and the bigger Grand Picasso remain a good seller however a proliferation of available cars means only the lower mileage cars are being chased at top money. A strong export market is also keeping prices up at the block. EGS still makes a premium but not as much as before. The C-Crosser has been a strong Performer and continues to make decent money with low mileage, as with all big citroens their marketability drops sharply with excessive mileage. The new DS3 is too new to give an accurate view of the used price but we think all indications are this will be a safe investment Particularly in Black or strong solid colours.

Daihatsu: The Little Copen is stronger and bigger than it looks but many were not convinced. Still a seller for Dealers and specialists but they are buying them cheap. The Copen has suffered like all other soft tops this summer, without the usual bounce in value they receive when the sun comes out. The Sirion is a good seller in the small car class and extremely low mileage examples are favoured. The Terios since May 06 has been an excellent investment and continues to devalue as slowly as any car we can come up with. Lack of stock keeps prices generally over top book.

Dodge: The Caliber is standing up well beside its lager namesake (almost) Pound for pound one of the sharpest depreciating cars ever sold. Diesels are a tad better than petrol’s but they only sell on price to number plate collectors. The Nitro suffers bad depreciation in their first two years and then fills a hole in the 8 to 10 grand bracket of the budget bling market. A very low mileage Auto has a buyer waiting.

Join us this Wednesday when we continue from F.

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