Guess Who Leads the Way in Retained Value?

Foreign brands are taking top marks when it comes to retained values, Power Information Network announced late last week.

In fact, the top three brands by retained value are the Scion at 69.8 percent, Honda at 68 percent and Mini at 66.8 percent, according to PIN officials. The industry average came in at 58.7 percent.

"The top three brands all retain more than two-thirds of their value after three years, but the values for two brands in the upper echelon have declined," executives explained.

PIN also analyzed which brands showed the highest rates of retained-value improvement and found some overlap with nameplates that made the top 10 list.

"The 10 nameplates showing the greatest improvement in retained value include Acura, Hummer and Lexus, which are also among the 10 nameplates with the highest retained value, suggesting these brands continually strive to achieve better results," officials pointed out.

Also making the most improved list was General Motors, which officials said indicated, "GM's efforts to improve retained values by reducing incentives and fleet sales are paying off."

Brands with the highest retained value included:

1. Scion, 69.8 percent
2. Honda, 68 percent
3. Mini, 66.8 percent
4. Acura, 65.8 percent
5. Toyota, 65.7 percent
6. Lexus, 64 percent
7. Subaru, 63.9 percent
8. Hummer, 63 percent
9. Nissan, 62.4 percent
10. BMW 61.2 percent

Nameplates showing the most retained-value improvement from the same time last year included:

1. Isuzu: up 6.90 percent to 56.9 percent
2. Acura: up 4.41 percent to 65.8 percent
3. Dodge: up 4.41 percent to 56.8 percent
4. Hummer: up 3.75 percent to 63 percent
5. Saturn: up 3.23 percent to 57.6 percent
6. GMC: up 2.39 percent to 59 percent
7. Chevrolet: up 2.35 percent to 58.2 percent
8. Ford: up 1.79 percent to 57.6 percent
9. Lexus: up 1.44 percent to 64 percent
10. Infiniti: up 0.83 percent to 60.9 percent

Executives also noted that the industry average for improved-retained value was 1.02 percent.

Agent009 - 8/7/2007 3:52:06 PM

0 Boost

No that would have been the title if Lexus led the group.

JUGNU - 8/7/2007 3:10:41 PM

+6 Boost

Porsche should be there too.

JUGNU

dwatson - 8/7/2007 8:13:02 PM

+1 Boost

JUGNU,
I'm totally with you on that one. I am very surprised not to see Porsche on the list. It probably has something to do with a lack of reliability on the 996 Carrera. Those have always felt very cheap to me compared to the 993 and 997.

1970toyotamarc - 8/7/2007 3:16:16 PM

+4 Boost

BMW comes in at number 10, MBZ isnt even on the list. Reliabilty, quality, timeless (non-Bangleized) designs are all features of Lexuses and Toyotas. These are what consumers in the used car market need, not soul or magic feel.

M35MT - 8/7/2007 3:27:07 PM

+8 Boost

I believe reliability and brand cache have the most to do with it. Hence, Honda is a good 'name' and is reliable. Think of their other products as well (lawn mowers, generators, etc.) Very strong reputation.

cktoo - 8/7/2007 5:48:26 PM

0 Boost

I think you're confusing that with the huge Toyota sludge scandal, 06GS. Failure rate on those 99-03 Honda/Acura's were about 1% of total, so cut the hyperbole. Yes, it sucks if you were one of those people, but every manufacturer has some issues at some point with quality/reliabilty, but HondAcura, ToyLexSci, and most of the other Japanese makes continually produce high quality and reliable cars. It's not "perceived".

ceric - 8/7/2007 9:18:54 PM

+1 Boost

06GS300,
your bias is as obvious as the sun in the sky. LOL.

I own a '01 Odyssey and the tranny is as smooth as day one I bought it. Many of my friends have Odysseys. None has tranny problem. On the other hands, at least 3 of my friends have had Toyota tranny failure (including my co-worker whose tranny on his Sienna just failed on him at 100K. He just bought an Odyssey).
Every manufacturer has its share of tranny problems. Honda is not any worse or better. Overall, I trust Honda more than Toyota. None of my Honda/Acura (4 owned) have had any recall or repair (7 years of ownership on average). My Prius is still problem-free for 2 years. 5 More years to go. We will see. However, it had 2 recalls already. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
BTW, Honda extended the tranny coverage to 7 years, not 5 years. Either you had a bad memory or you got cheated by Acura.

no1listensanyway - 8/8/2007 1:52:45 AM

+1 Boost

My Dad had an 01'Odyessy and went through 3 transmissions, then he had an 04' Pilot and went through 2.

Kinger - 8/8/2007 5:31:39 AM

0 Boost

Timeless designs? As in with time they are forgotten? Come on, no Toyota or Lexus is ever remembered for having a landmark design, they hold their value because of their perceived reliability.

M35MT - 8/7/2007 3:25:20 PM

+2 Boost

I always thought Honda and BMW where at the top. Scion, at nearly 70%, that is impressive re-sale value. Considering a 5 year loan at 7%; and you've got quite a bit of equity after 3 years of ownership.

M35MT - 8/7/2007 4:59:03 PM

+2 Boost

I wouldnt. If you read my post, you'd notice I did not favor Scion in any way. All I mentioned was the 70% re-sale value, which is very high. That was the point, regardless of the car.

johannas - 8/7/2007 4:30:18 PM

+1 Boost

hooray! an american car broke the top 10!

lol.