Real-world second-hand values revealed: Suzuki Jimny beats depreciation

Residual values are the single largest component of car ownership. If you’re only getting 50% of your new car's $50K value at trade-in time, that’s a $25,000 loss. A more reasonable 65% residual saves you $7500 when it’s time to get rid.

Along with revealing the most popular second-hand cars, the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) and Autograb have provided real-world values of popular second-hand models.

With roughly 200,000 used cars sold each month in Australia, it’s a significant market, and predicted residual figures rarely correlate with real values.

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Want a car that'll hold its value? You could go a lot further wrong than a Jimny

This has been especially pronounced since 2020, as supply shortages, shipping delays, and price rises have affected new-car availability.

Take the Suzuki Jimny for example. AADA and Autograb found that two to four year-old examples of the plucky 4x4 were trading hands at an average of 136.1% of their original purchase price. That compares to Redbook’s predicted 61.5% residual value after three years.

There are a few extra factors with the Jimny; for example many have been modified and this is reflected in their price. Additionally, since launching in 2019, the Jimny's jumped from $23,990 to $31,990 before on-road costs.

If you’re looking to trade your car in, a dealer will err on the side of the predicted residual rather than what you can get on the market so consider all your options before selling up.

These lists are not definitive, but ought to provide a helpful insight into which cars might be best buys for those looking to drive their dollar further. Read on for a list of the 10 best across several categories.

Second-hand cars with the highest retained value

First, we’ll cover newer second-hand vehicles, those between two and four years old.

The data here combines dealer and private listings and only includes models with more than 20 variants sold, keeping appreciating ‘collector cars’ such as Porsche 911 GT3s out of the rankings.

Passenger cars are relatively self-explanatory. Plenty of Toyotas and Mazdas with Subaru and Kia sprinkled in. In the case of SUVs, enthusiast vehicles such as Landcruisers, Patrols, and Jimnys hold their value very well. Perhaps more surprisingly, so too does the Yaris cross.

It’s nice to know that sports cars such as the Toyota 86 hold value better than your crotchety uncle said they would.

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Don't be afraid of getting a GR86, they have great retained value!

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Your money's safe invested in a Clubsport, perhaps not its rear tyres, though...

Moving to older second-hand vehicles – those between five and seven years of age – makes things a little more interesting.

Although the HSV Clubsport is a winner for retained value on the second-hand market, you should also take into account the average time to sell.

At 118.9 days, the average VF ‘Clubby’ spends twice the time on market as others in the list, suggesting speculators are playing the waiting game to get a good price.

For those with practical minds looking to keep a car around that’s easy to offload in the event of financial hardship – or quick to get rid of when the new car on order finally arrives – a balance of high retained value and fast sell time is ideal. Look to the Mazda 2 and CX-3, Honda City, and Toyota Yaris for the best options.

By the time SUVs go beyond four years, the trend shows that values fall more significantly.

Toyotas and Nissans rule the roost, though the Jeep Wrangler and MG ZS display that taking a chance on a marque that isn't Toyota can sometimes pay off.

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