200 Model Year Differences worth $$$?

[gruve]

Hi all,
I've been shopping for a 200 series and typically look for something like a 2013 or 2014. However, I can't help but notice there are quite a few 2008 to 2011s with often equivalent mileage for less money.

A 2013 with 70-80k miles is probably listed 45 to 50k, while a 2009 with the same miles would probably be 35 to 40k.

I know the 2013 model year moved to "everything included" but is it worth the extra 10k?

Thanks!

 

[linuxgod]

You're paying $10k for a vehicle that's 3-4 years newer. It's less about "everything included" and more about depreciation.

I bought a 2013 with 49k miles on it in January because it was only 23 months old (and was certified) but the original owner had taken 33% of the depreciation hit. I paid ~$49k and would not have bought a non-certified 2009 with similar mileage to save $10k, but I financed my purchase and the warranty was insurance against having to eat an expensive while still making payments. Your situation may be different.

 

[jblatl]

Finding an 08-11 with out all the options I found to be rare. I looked at over 14 cruisers and only one did not have the cool box and rear tv system. The main thing for me was the Bluetooth music streaming that started in 2011. There are surprisingly a lot of rough 200's out there.

 

[Reckless]

Personally, I took the other route. I felt that it wasn't worth $15-20k extra for a 2013. Whatever I saved I am planning to spend on the 300. I would have spent $2-3k for cooling seats and HIDs.

Lucky for me I found a very well taken care of LC. It was a hard decision as I bought a high mileage vehicle (125k) but all of my friends felt like it drove like new. My biggest concern was spending more than $35k on a vehicle. Even though I regret not buying a 200 LC sooner, I just wouldn't feel comfortable driving a $50-80k vehicle

 

[gruve]

Yeah, I get the depreciation argument, and from a tax/value standpoint it makes sense. Cars depreciate. However, when speaking of a vehicle with a history of longevity, like a LC, does value as defined by useful life really depreciate 10k over say 3-4 yrs, given that mileage is equal?

I mean, if you were going to drive a vehicle for 7 years, is it worth it to spend the extra 10k?

 

[gruve]

There are surprisingly a lot of rough 200's out there.

Rough as in beat up or poorly maintained or what?

 

[drmwvr]

Finding an 08-11 with out all the options I found to be rare. I looked at over 14 cruisers and only one did not have the cool box and rear tv system. The main thing for me was the Bluetooth music streaming that started in 2011. There are surprisingly a lot of rough 200's out there.

FWIW, My '10 has Bluetooth music streaming.

 

[linuxgod]

Yeah, I get the depreciation argument, and from a tax/value standpoint it makes sense. Cars depreciate. However, when speaking of a vehicle with a history of longevity, like a LC, does value as defined by useful life really depreciate 10k over say 3-4 yrs, given that mileage is equal?

I mean, if you were going to drive a vehicle for 7 years, is it worth it to spend the extra 10k?

Personally I'm more concerned with mileage and maintenance than the year, at least on the margin (e.g. 2011 vs 2013). That said a lot of low mileage vehicles are driven in cities (I saw a lot of LXs which from the Carfax looked like NYC cars) and living in Chicago I would mentally double the mileage if it's a city car vs highway.

The first few years your LC will depreciate about $8k/year. By year 6 or 7 it depreciates closer to $4k/year. Assume 15k miles/year. I chose 2013 because it was a reasonable mix of someone else eating the worst of the depreciation, reasonable price point (to me, especially with my trade), reasonable warranty and expected reliability, etc. I paid $50k but only had to finance $35k. The 2008's with 100k miles (double mine) were selling for $32-35k at the time, so I'm expecting $3-4k in deprecation per year.

I know that doesn't exactly answer your questions though. To me, yes it was worth the extra $15k to get a vehicle with half the mileage, a warranty, and extra bells a whistles, especially since at this time I'm telling myself I won't buy a 300 series until the 400's come out. If you really want to know if it's worth it, break out Excel and figure out the average selling prices of LCs currently for 2000-2016, try to estimate some maintenance costs, and do the math and see what costs you the least and then decide how much depreciation matters to you when compared to the mileage, features, etc.

 

[gruve]

When you mention warranty on a 2013, are you buying an aftermarket warranty or is it a Certified vehicle or just leftover factory warranty?

 

[linuxgod]

When you mention warranty on a 2013, are you buying an aftermarket warranty or is it a Certified vehicle or just leftover factory warranty?

Mine was a Toyota CPO vehicle, which gave 12 months/12k on everything and 7 year/100k on powertrain. I paid an extra $1250 for the Toyota Platinum wrap, which upgraded the whole thing to 7 year/100k from date of original sale.

 

[cruiserdan]

It was a hard decision as I bought a high mileage vehicle (125k)

Hardly a "high mileage" Toyota. I consider 200,000 to be high mileage.