370z's depreciation in a year? I WANT ONE!!
 

I'm wondering about the depreciation of the 370z over the next year. I looked at edmunds.com and they had a 8+k depreciation hit the first year. I have been in love with this car since i first laid eyes on it! its damn sexy!

Anyways, I noticed some used 350z's selling for the 26k-28k range, and was hoping i could jump on a 370z sport(at least) sometime soon for that price.

I currently own a 2005 mazda 6 Grand touring(fully loaded) worth about 9-11k, just paid off today. So jumping into another car payment right now is really hard to swallow. My plan is to save more than the previous car note each month for a while to save up for more of a down payment and emergency fund, ect...

I guess my questions is, do you guys predict the 370z's cost to follow suit with the 350z?

Thanks!

I said this in a previous thread.... Depreciation is in the eye of the beholder. So read what you like.... believe what you like.... feel free to have friends and enemies alike tell you their opinions.... it still comes down to what someone "thinks" it's worth now as opposed to when it was new.

wait a minute, sure a cars value may be subjective but they DO depreciate and the prices will get lower.

In whoever's mind. If I parked my 370 for 10 years and then took it out and put in up for sale.... a dealer would "deprciate" it around 90%.

But "is it"?

All in the minds of the beholders.

why dont you just try and sell your car privately first?

The value of the car depends upon supply and demand. If there aren't many of a very desired car, then the purchase price will be higher. If there are lots of them, the demand is less and the value is severly decreased. What should matter is the cost you initially paid for the vehicle, and how fast you can build equity, as you should be always able to get out of the vehicle without loosing money.

I would say the Z is a good investment and a vehicle which is always wanted by many, whether new or used. This always puts you in a good position if you are wanting to sell or trade it in the future (nobody wants a car that did not sell well, or is not desired by others).

I own a 370 and rarely see one or pass one on the road...I would say that puts me in a very good position if I have to let it go....so when riding down the road, take the time to see how many you can spot....they have been out over a year.

haha this could easily turn into a philosophical debate about value vs price. but i guess what we're both saying is true. in your mind your 09 370z could still be worth 32000 (for example) but in the "minds" of the people who are selling and buying cars would say "well, blue book value is only 29k."

but as it pertains to the OP and his question i would say yes the 370z is depreciating as any car would, the longer you wait to buy one, the cheaper it will get but as sports cars go it should hold its value relatively well.

eh, its his call obviously, and private party value is always gonna be higher than if he were to trade it in, so that actually may be the better financial decision. but he might not want to deal with the hassle of selling privately. and that cars still got some value so whatever the dealer gives him for it will go directly into the 370 that hes trading for.

I bought the Z hoping to keep it for a while haha crazy for that KBB projection though. oh well I still love it.

The longest I've ever kept a car is about 4 years. Yes, that makes me a poor manager of my money. However, I look at it this way -- I put a lot of miles on my cars. What I lose in depreciation, I make up in having no repair costs under warranty and in deriving great satisfaction in driving cars that really interest me. Driving the right kinds of cars -- high demand, good value retention -- lessens the blow considerably. The Z seems to fit into those criteria well.

What I do is watch that value trend downward. There's a point -- at around 45-50 months old and 65000-75000 miles that the lines (imaginary in my case, but someone really anal could probably chart this) representing the resale value, costs to repair and depreciation converge and the car starts to lose value more rapidly. I like to trade or sell near the top of this observed decline. Too early and you leave money on the table. Too late and your car's value to you will exceed its value to potential buyers and it won't draw a good price.

I find this works for me.

This is total BULLSHAFT.

Invoice for 2009 Z base sports auto is $32700.

If you can find me this car for $8K less, I will give you $1000 cash - free money.

I think Z Man hits the nail on the head. The 370 is a rare car. I have only seen two others to date. Simple supply and demand theory takes effect here as they will always be someone who wants a 370Z, but the supply will be limited it seems throughout its lifespan. As such, the value should remain.

Yea right, nobody's selling their Z for 19k.....

I didn'y buy my Z for resale anyway. I always thought the 350z was so sexy but i was wrapped up in DSM's at the time and couldn't see myself gettign a RWD sports car in Alaska. Now that I own a 370, I can't see owning a AWD sports car again. I'm loving this car even though I only drive it 5 months out of the year.

All cars depreciate, but that KBB estimate for 2+ years seems way off considering what 350s are selling for + what they originally went for.

That seems really aggressive. I'm guessing it's modeled for dealers to show people something when they ask how much they can get for their trade-in.