Should I buy an XV ?

[Mud master]

I am impressed with a 2018  XV SE Premium. The dealer is holding out for £20k which I think is about £2k too much. Subaru's UK market share has dwindled and the dealer network has almost disappeared. This will undermine the residual value of the car so I am thinking, if I really want one, I should wait for a year and get a 4-year old one - this will still have 12 months warranty left and the depreciation will be less. Just a bit nervous about the residuals TBH. Appreciate any feedback - thanks

[Jay762]

I am not so sure about the residuals theory - Whilst Subaru's market share has indeed declined the price some of the models are fetching has shot up in the last 3 years.

WR1's for over 20K these used to be between 6-11k

P1''s 20-30K used to be between 7-12

Type R's again 20K used to be 5-9k

What I would say is pay what you are happy paying for the model you want. If you are not happy paying what the dealer wants - dont pay it, particularly if you are waving cash under their noses.

[Judd]

If you can afford to buy the car you want and afford to lose a massive percentage of its value should the market bubble burst then by all means do so, after all you can't take it with you, just be aware that things can and do go pear shaped very quickly by accident or by design...look at what happended to the values of high VED cars in the 2001/2006 age group when the useless govt of the day suddenly and unfairly backdated road tax and put them in the highest VED bands, yes that only lasted a few months before politicians of the time realised it was a big vote loser and grossly unfair even by their low standards, but many owners sold cars quickly and lost a lot of money during that time before the values of high co2 cars of that years stabilised again, however none of us know what the useless present or future govts have planned re taxation or car owning permissions, or anything basically, ie the narrative of the current farce changes weekly.

Make sure any vehicle you want to buy is the best condition example you can find in rust free condition underneath (current thread re XV steering rack worth looking at if only to see what salt can do unseen) and preferably has lived in the southern end of the country so seen less road salt, then service it above and beyond and keep it rust free by whatever means you prefer so it keeps its value for as long as possible, the best condition older vehicles sell easily, rusty uncared for examples don't or at giveaway prices.