Market Watch: These Attainable Used Cars Are As Good As New

Best of both worlds theories rarely align in the used cars realm. A sample too good to be true on paper could be doctored for a quickfire sale, while honest descriptions of every wear and tear - let’s face it - blunts the car ownership experience.

That’s the harsh reality of used car purchases. You’ll never really know what you’re getting until pen meets paper. Granted, extended test drives ensure that you won’t get the shorter end of the stick. That’s when more attainable options come into play. Financial outlays that are not too extravagant provide less heart-in-your-mouth moments.

These examples are not box fresh, but pitched at price points that won’t burn holes in most of our wallets. Their depreciation sits comfortably at less than 12 grand annually (S$1k per month) - unheard of in current COE climates.

2021 SEAT Arona

Depreciation: S$11,900 per year

Starting off with one that has piled on 68,000km of mileage doesn’t sound encouraging, but this agent maintained unit looks spanking fresh, with warranty assured till mid 2026. The MQB A0 platform it’s based on is shared with the Audi A1, VW T-Cross and Skoda Scala.

Differentiation is still guaranteed by VW Group’s Spanish representative, given that SEAT’s smallest crossover SUV is less common when deployed on local tarmac. This Arona is yours at a decent price, comes with upgraded 18-inchers, Brembo rotors and pads. We doubt it’ll hang around in the classifieds much longer.

2020 Nissan Note

Depreciation: S$11,900 per year

A new hybrid Note can be bought for at least 15 grand annual depreciation. If that’s too tough to swallow, its predecessor supplies most of the Note’s benefits without asking for a king’s ransom. Treat this as the Honda Jazz of the Nissan world - easy to operate, practical, built for city driving and doesn’t break the bank.

This 2nd-gen 2020 Note was in one of its final facelift form (production ran a lengthy 8 years), pushes a decent 20km/l if conditions are favourable, and looks smart even till today.

2022 BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer 216i

Depreciation: S$11,700 per year

Compact continental 7-seaters ain’t common here, which is why sales took off during its 2017 local debut, through to 2022. The latest 2 Series Active Tourer in 2022 made do without a 3rd row, which we reckon forced consumers to consider a Toyota Sienta, or climb a few ranks up for the Merc GLB.

Thankfully, a quick search revealed easily more than a hundred 7-seater Gran Tourers, with this example listed at a reasonable 1 grand per month depreciation. Cost-per-passenger ratios can’t get much more advantageous than this.

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