How to beat depreciation

NottinghamKnight

yksi said:

Depreciation in a perfect world is a bell curve. So yes, cars depreciate much faster when they are newer. But other factors are in play, like Brexit changing possible import tariffs, people not buying as many new cars due to Covid-19 and associated income changes, congestion charge changes in London, the diesel emmissions scandal, changes to the cost of registering certain types of car, changes to the cost of different fuels, new legislation requiring X, Y, Z, yarda, you get the idea. Nothing is going to be a definite. Best just to consider that the newer the car, the more that depreciation is going to hit you, and deciding what kind of hit you are comfortable with. I would think that most people would be hard-pressed to explain a tangible difference in quality between a well-maintained 5yo car and a new one, and if looks are what matter to you, exactly how many people are going to judge you poorly for driving a 14 plate instead of a 19 plate, and is the cost worth it to you in order to kiss the backsides of those vacuous people?

It's not a Bell curve.