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Off-roader prices tumble

Plummeting values are making prestige SUVs superb value second-hand. According to trade bible Glass's Guide, the average year-old luxury off-roader is worth seven per cent less than at the same time last year - and for typical premium offerings, that equates to a huge £2,500 fall in the asking price. This will increase after recent VED increases on high-polluting vehicles.

By Ross Pinnock

22nd March 2006

What's more, many of the current crop of models are due for updates, which is bound to affect the desirability of existing cars. The Porsche Cayenne gets a major facelift towards the end of the year, while an all-new BMW X5 arrives next spring. However, potential buyers should note that no matter how heavy the depreciation, and how low the price they pay, SUVs' tradition-ally high running costs will remain.

Comebacks among small models are also big news at the moment, with the Hyundai Amica and Tata Indica - the latter was sold in the UK as the Rover CityRover - returning to showrooms.

A replacement usually hits values of the car preceding it, but used prices for both models are unlikely to be affected, according to Glass's Guide. The little Hyundai was last sold in 2003 and is now available with an all-new 1.1-litre engine, with prices from £5,995, while the Tata goes on sale this summer.

Jeff Paterson, Glass's senior used cars editor, explained: "The City-Rover sold in small numbers, and rates are already so low they can't fall much further." The continuing availability of bargains left unsold after MG Rover's closure last April has ensured resale values remain at rock bottom.

Prices of the original Amica aren't tipped to drop, either. "That car is quite old," said Paterson. "The gap in values is big enough to ensure it's unaffected."

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