CleanTechies
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Clean Transportation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Green Building
    • Renewable Energy
    • Recycling & Waste
    • Water & Conservation
  • Contact
    • Editorial
      • General Inquiries
      • Article Submission
    • Advertising
      • Advertising & Sponsorship
      • Guidelines
      • Media Kit
  • Are you a CleanTechie?

CleanTechies

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Clean Transportation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Green Building
    • Renewable Energy
    • Recycling & Waste
    • Water & Conservation
  • Contact
    • Editorial
      • General Inquiries
      • Article Submission
    • Advertising
      • Advertising & Sponsorship
      • Guidelines
      • Media Kit
  • Are you a CleanTechie?
Tag:

resale value

Comparing Real Costs of Most Popular Compact Cars

Comparing Real Costs of Most Popular Compact Cars

written by CleanTechies.com Contributor

With public demand for small fuel-sippers at an all-time high, carmakers have devoted extra attention to compact cars, delivering improvements to every aspects of the driving experience for value shoppers.

The best modern compacts deliver superior fuel economy thanks to their light weight, slippery aerodynamics and small, efficient engines. Fuel economy is a major factor for long-terms cost of ownership, but it isn’t the only item to consider. Over a five-year period, nearly half of the average car’s cost of ownership comes from depreciation—which is the loss of resale value over time.) Other important considerations include reliability, maintenance costs, and obviously sticker price. Let’s take a look at the five most popular compact sedans on the market today and compare how much they really cost the average driver to own and drive.

Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla (shown above) is the most popular compact vehicle in the United States for good reason. Its starting price of $16,800 may not be as low as competitors like the Nissan Sentra ($15,990) or Kia Forte ($15,900), but the true value of a Corolla doesn’t really begin to reveal itself until after you drive it off the lot. Kelly Blue Book ranks the Corolla as the least expensive compact sedan to own over a five-year period, with a total cost of ownership of $29,478.

The Corolla gets top marks for retaining its resale value better than most other compacts—a factor that is frequently overlooked by buyers more interested in factors like starting price, horsepower and fuel economy.

Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is second best-selling compact on the American market and among the lowest total cost of ownership cars in the segment. Edmunds gave the 2014 Civic its “Best Retained Value” award.

Known for its reliability, safety and strong resale value, the Civic comes with a wealth of standard features. Optional on the Civic is a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that boosts fuel economy to 30 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway—among the best numbers you’ll find in a non-hybrid.

Chevy Cruze
The Chevy Cruze has been one of the most popular compacts in the U.S. since its release in 2008 thanks to its low starting price and superior highway fuel economy. But what many consumers probably don’t know is that the Cruze is projected to have a much higher cost of ownership than most of its competitors.  Kelly Blue Book places the five-year cost to own of a 2014 Cruze LS with manual transmission at $32,737—more than $3,200 higher than a Corolla. Most of that difference comes from depreciation. The Cruze is projected to lose $2,400 more of its value than a Corolla over five years.  Another sizeable disadvantage is in efficiency, where the Cruze performs well on the highway but lags behind others in city fuel economy.

Hyundai Elantra
Despite retailing for nearly $500 less than a Honda Civic, the Hyundai Elantra costs nearly $2,000 more to own over a five-year period, according to Edmunds’ True Cost to Own metric. Most of the Elantra’s relatively high ownership cost comes from depreciation and maintenance costs.

Ford Focus
Sometimes, cost of ownership projections can be subjective. In the case of the Ford Focus, Kelly Blue Book and AOL Autos disagree strongly with Edmunds TCO due to a large discrepancy in estimated depreciation. Edmunds projects the Focus to lose just $8,507 in value over five years, while AOL and KBB put that number closer to the $11,500 range. All reviewers agree that the Focus scores well in other areas though, including fuel economy (26 city, 36 highway), maintenance, and repairs.

Article by Brad Berman, appearing courtesy ebay Green Driving.



June 25, 2014 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Incredible Deals Available on Sexy Fisker Plug-in Hybrid

Incredible Deals Available on Sexy Fisker Plug-in Hybrid

written by Walter Wang

The sleek Fisker Karma first went on sale in 2011 at a starting price of $102,000 for the base model. Not only did it look great, the 403-horsepower performance vehicle was capable of more than 30 miles of pure electric driving before resorting to use of gasoline. The combined EPA fuel economy rating for the screaming fast and extremely cool Karma was 52 mpg, and unprecedented level of overall efficiency for a production sports car.

At the same time, as a plug-in hybrid with a backup gasoline engine, the Karma does not induce range anxiety, because the combination of electrons and hydrocarbons means a total driving range of about 300 miles. And it can be quickly refueled at your friendly neighborhood gas station.

Unfortunately, Fisker’s existence was short-lived. In 2012, the Karma experienced a string of technical issues, punctuated by the bankruptcy of Fisker’s sole battery supplier, A123 Systems. Production of the vehicle shut down after just 2,450 units had been built, months after Fisker had projected 10,000 deliveries for 2012 alone. Fisker Automotive filed for bankruptcy in November 2013.

Chinese automotive conglomerate, Wanxiang Group, prevailed last week in its bid to acquire the remaining assets of the defunct plug-in vehicle maker. So, there is still hope for a revival of the green-ish luxury plug-in sports car.

For car fans that fell in love with the Karma, the best hope for putting one in your garage might not require waiting for Wanxiang to resume production, but rather to check the used market. At eBay Motors, there are currently 11 used Karmas available for purchase—most with very low mileage.

What’s more, many pre-owned Karmas sell for about half of their sticker price or less. “Buy it now” prices for low-mileage Karmas often hover near the $60,000 mark. Confidence in Fisker’s future as a company will likely continue to be a major factor in resale value for the vehicle, which suffered numerous recalls and software issues the first time around.

As with many other collector cars, there is an element of risk with keeping rare automobiles in tip-top condition. But those willing to face those challenges will be rewarded with an extraordinary vehicle: an alluring limited-production speedy sports machine that burns more rubber than fuel.

Article by Brad Berman, appearing courtesy ebay Green Driving.



February 24, 2014 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

Electric Car Resale Values Are Higher Than You Think

written by Walter Wang

Recently, USA Today commissioned automotive resale value authority, Kelley Blue Book, to do an analysis of projected resale values for electric and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The publication found that on pure terms, electrics like the Nissan LEAF, Chevy Spark EV, Fiat 500e and the Fiat 500e will lose considerably

Continue Reading


January 14, 2014 0 comment
0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest

CleanTechnica.TV

Listen to CleanTech Talk

CleanTech Talk

Free CleanTechnica Newsletters

CleanTechnica's main newsletter (daily)

CleanTechnica's EV newsletter

CleanTechnica's wind newsletter

CleanTechnica's solar newsletter

CleanTechnica's weekly newsletter

Support Our Work

CleanTechnica Clothing & Cups

Recent CleanTechie Bios

Henk Rogers

JB Straubel

Lynn Jurich

Matt Moroney

Kyle Field

Paul Francis

Chelsea Harder

Griff Jurgens

Scott Cooney

The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of CleanTechnica, its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.


Back To Top