Purchase a Toyota Camry used and a Subaru Crosstrek new

Unlike buying a home, buying a vehicle is a certain path to depreciation. After just one year, the typical new car or truck buyer is sitting on a 30.2 percent loss in value, according to automotive research firm iSeeCars.com.

It’s a big reason financial advisers recommend buying used. But rates of depreciation can vary widely depending on the model and how popular it is in a given area. In some cases, the initial hit might be small enough to make the decision a toss-up, according to iSeeCars.com, which studied information on 7 million vehicles that sold between August 2018 and January 2019.

Let’s start with the makes and models that won’t cause new buyers to run over their wallets as they drive off the lot.

In Denver, the vehicles closest to their original price after one year were the Subaru Crosstrek, down $2,576; the Subaru Impreza, down $2,679; the Hyundai Elantra, down $2,732; the Chevy Cruz, down $3,475; and the Hyundai Tucson, down $3,481.

Nationally, Hondas dominate, holding four of the top 10 spots for low depreciation. But in metro Denver, Subaru reigns, and surprisingly, so does Hyundai, which doesn’t even make a showing on the Top 10 nationally.

The discount on the 1year-old Crosstrek was only 10.8 percent in Denver. That may still be too big to sway some consumers. But an extra year under warranty and the ability to baby a vehicle from the getgo might be worth it to others, especially those who can’t shake the nagging question of why the previous owner fell out of love so quickly.

“Instead of buying a car that’s already been driven for one year, consumers can buy the new version of select vehicles for just a few thousand dollars more to avoid the uncertainties that come with purchasing a used vehicle,” commented iSeeCars.com CEO Phong Ly in the study.

For consumers who are unswayed, iSeeCars.com offers a second study, using the same sales data, that shows which new vehicles took the biggest depreciation hit after a year.

In Denver, those models, on a percentage decline basis, were the Toyota Camry, down $10,295; the Kia Sorento, down $12,860; the Nissan Altima, down $7,557; the Ram Pickup 1500, down $13,386; and the Ford Edge, down $10,895.

Julie Blackley, a spokeswoman for iSeeCars.com, said lack of demand on the resale market and a price that was too high on the front end can explain really big rates of depreciation. Speaking more generally, low gasoline prices have caused more fuel-efficient front-wheel-drive sedans to fall out of favor.

And there are special circumstances. Normally, the Toyota Camry has a good reputation and a loyal following. Why it is so despised on the resale market in Denver needs an explanation.

The Camry underwent a major redesign in the 2018 model, which lifted the price by more than $1,000, Blackley said. She also suspects dealers discounted the older model hard to make room for the fresher version.

Nationally, the Ford Expedition took the biggest hit nationally, depreciating by $24,690 or 38.5 percent in just one year.