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2016’s Top 10 vehicles for resale after that new-car smell is long gone
While monthly payments and fuel costs may concern new-car buyers, unless you’re the type of owner who drives a vehicle into the ground, what your vehicle is worth when it’s time to sell can either cost or save you thousands of dollars.
To help, U.S.-based Kelley Blue Book’s annual Best Resale Value Awards lists the vehicles priced under $60,000 US that are projected to retain the most value long after they’ve lost their new-car smell.
Here are the Top 10 2016 vehicles (with base Canadian MSRPs) projected to retain an average of almost 55 per cent of their original prices after five years of typical ownership.
1st Place: Toyota Tacoma
Penny pincher alert: If you want to keep the most hard-earned money on a new vehicle when it comes time to resell, the $27,995 2016 Toyota Tacoma is the best new vehicle to buy. Although the five-passenger, mid-size pickup has been thoroughly redesigned for 2016, KBB expects the Toyota truck to retain its predecessor’s industry-leading resale value. Projected resale value at 36 months, 72.9 per cent; 60 months, 61.7 per cent.
2nd Place: Toyota 4Runner
Like the Jeep Wrangler, the traditional, body-on-frame 4Runner is a unique proposition. It rides stiffly and doesn’t offer as much room as some of its crossover rivals, but with a reputation for durability and reliability, the five-passenger, rearor four-wheel-drive $43,790 Toyota mid-size sport utility vehicle is a resale-value winner. Projected resale value at 36 months, 66.7 per cent; 60 months, 60.3 per cent.
3rd Place: GMC Canyon
With both its full-sized Sierra and mid-size Canyon earning KBB Best Resale Value Awards, GMC must be doing something right. Like its Chevrolet Colorado platform-mate, the five-passenger, rear- or four-wheeldrive $20,600 Canyon mid-size pickup truck is expected to keep a good chunk of its original price when it’s time to resell. Projected resale value at 36 months, 70.7 per cent; 60 months, 59.5 per cent.
4th Place: Chevrolet Colorado
Some industry types questioned the wisdom of GM re-entering the mid-size truck segment, but when it comes to resale value, the American automaker’s new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins are winners. Now with available diesel power, the five-passenger, rear- or fourwheel-drive $20,895 Colorado midsize pickup is even more in demand. Projected resale value at 36 months, 70.0 per cent; 60 months, 58.6 per cent.
5th Place: Jeep Wrangler
It sucks gas, has a cramped interior and rides, well, like a Jeep. But, when it comes time to resell, the $25,995 2016 Jeep Wrangler is a perennial KBB champ. It helps that Jeep’s four-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door mid-size SUV is unique in a market chock-a-block with carbased soft readers, and is constantly in demand as a used vehicle. Projected resale value at 36 months, 65.6 per cent; 60 months, 54.9 per cent.
6th Place:Toyota Tundra
In its 15-year history, Japan’s Toyota has never been able to break the stranglehold the Detroit Three have in the full-sized truck market. But if you want a big truck with a big resale value, the up-tosix-passenger, rear- or four-wheeldrive $29,035 2016 Toyota Tundra (refreshed in 2014) is your best bet, according to KBB. Projected resale value at 36 months, 64.1 per cent; 60 months, 53.8 per cent.
7th Place: Subaru WRX
We thoroughly enjoyed our $29,995 2016 Subaru WRX during its 60-day stay in our hands. Its sports car performance, roomy and well-made interior and loads of available safety and luxury gear made the Subaru a joy to drive. Buyers can now feel comforted that Subaru’s all-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door sports compact sedan is also a good value years after you drive it off your local dealer lot. Projected resale value at 36 months, 65.2 per cent; 60 months, 50.8 per cent.
8th Place: Chevrolet Camaro
Of the two passenger cars on this year’s list, both the Chevrolet Camaro and Subaru WRX are targeted at driving enthusiasts, and both are projected to keep their value longer than any other 2016 passenger car. The rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger Camaro two-door coupe is all new for 2016, and is expected to start at a under-$30,000 price similar to the outgoing 2015 models. Projected resale value at 36 months, 61.0 per cent; 60 months, 49.0 per cent.
9th Place: GMC Sierra
With the majority of the KBB Top 10 Best Resale Value winners being trucks and SUVs, it’s no surprise to see the $28,500 2016 GMC Sierra make the list. Beating out its General Motors’ Chevrolet Silverado, the up-to-six-passenger, rear- or fourwheel-drive Sierra full-sized pickup is the best of the domestic brands when it comes to keeping its value over time. Projected resale value at 36 months, 57 per cent; 60 months, 48 per cent.
10th Place: Subaru Forester
This is the second straight year the KBB has named Japan’s Subaru as the best overall mainstream brand for resale value (Toyota’s Lexus won the luxury segment). The $25,995 2016 Forester all-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door compact crossover is the first of two Subaru models on this year’s Top 10. Since its debut in 1997, the Forester has been a resale-value winner, and the fourth-generation version that arrived in 2014 continues that tradition. Projected resale value at 36 months, 59.3 per cent; 60 months, 47.3 per cent.