These cars too expensive for you today? Just wait.
10.) Kia K900
Just look at the Phaeton. Clearly, there isn’t a market for luxury cars made by non-luxury marques, and Kia is learning that the hard way.
That means, like the Phaeton, the K900 could be a used car bargain in just a few years time, let alone twenty.
Suggested By: Stapleface, Photo Credit: Kia
9.) Chevrolet Equinox
Any modern American crossover could occupy this space, but reader Bullitt417 suggested the Equinox, so that’s what I’ll go with.
These cars will be dated and out-of-fashion in twenty years time, just like Ford Explorers, Grand Cherokees, and Chevy S10s of the mid-1990s are now.
Suggested By: Bullitt417, Photo Credit: Chevrolet
8.) Range Rover
Historically Range Rovers have been depreciation kings and I don’t see that changing with new Rangies.
They’re even more complex than their forbearers, so depreciation seems inevitable.
Suggested By: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy, Photo Credit: Land Rover
7.) Cadillac Escalade
A wise prophet (Doug DeMuro) once said that options won’t increase the resale value of your car, and what is “Cadillac Escalade” but an extremely expensive option for a Chevrolet Tahoe?
I mean it has some additional luxuries, sure, but at the end of the day it’s a tarted-up Chevy. At least the running costs on a 20 year old Escalade won’t bankrupt you like they would on a Range Rover or a Mercedes-AMG.
Suggested By: Gordon Moorehead, Photo Credit: Andrew P. Collins/Truck Yeah!
6.) Rolls-Royce Phantom
A used Rolls-Royce or Bentley is the best way to look extremely wealthy on a budget. 25-30 year old Rollers can be had for $40k or under, which represents massive depreciation.
Luxury car buyers want the latest and greatest, and that means that older models totally fall by the wayside. Their loss, your gain.
Suggested By: Dangerous, Photo Credit: Rolls Royce
5.) Mitsubishi Mirage
The Mirage is a cheap, disposable (if charming) car new, and there is a very real chance that Mitsubishi won’t be selling any cars in the US in twenty years.
For those reasons, the Mirage may be your LeMons race car in 2035. It should actually do pretty well considering it weighs under a ton with the interior intact.
Suggested By: Jordan Hewlett, Photo Credit: Jason Torchinsky/Jalopnik
4.) McLaren 650S
McLarens are sort of like iPhones. They’re hot shit when they’re new, but the constant upgrading makes the older models obsolete rather quickly.
Think of how old and outdated an iPhone 4S feels now, even though it only came out in 2011. The MP4-12C also came out in 2011 and already depreciated a ton thanks to the 650S and 675LT.
If McLaren sticks with the constant update strategy, current models like the 650S may be worth a fraction of what they cost now. It’s the opposite of the legendary 1990s F1, which is as valuable as ever.
Suggested By: Arrivederci, Photo Credit: McLaren
3.) Nissan Leaf
Electric car technology moves on quickly, and the Leaf is already somewhat behind the curve as it sits.
In twenty years, these things will be positively antiquated, but that’s the price you pay for being an early adopter.
Suggested By: johnbaptiste, Photo Credit: Nissan
2.) Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe
Big, AMG V12 powered Mercedes coupes tend to depreciate like nothing else, sometimes losing nearly six figures in a decade.
We can justifiably assume that the current big body V12 AMG may depreciate like crazy as well. That said, whatever money you saved buying a 20-year-old example will probably be spent in maintenance.
Suggested By: Roody, Photo Credit: Mercedes-Benz
1.) Tesla Model S
The two types of cars that depreciate the most are cars with lots of luxury, and cars with technology that quickly goes obsolete.
The Tesla Model S, undoubtedly a lovely car, is both of those things. It’s a cutting edge status symbol now, but new battery and electronics tech could turn it into a relic in 20 years time. An important relic, sure, but a relic nevertheless.
Suggested By: marshknute, Photo Credit: Tesla
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day’s Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It’s by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Top Photo Credit: Land Rover (Range Rover Sport pictured)
Contact the author at chris@jalopnik.com.