Acura And Lexus At Top Of Luxury Brand Residual Value Rankings

Kraut God (what an insulting name, especially since I am German), in Europe the resale value of Lexus cars is at the bottom. On the used car market nobody is interested in a Lexus because they're expensive to own due to their poor fuel economy and what is seldom advertised, expensive spare parts. Furthermore Lexus dealerships in Germany in particular demand just as much payment per hour as a typical Mercedes or BMW dealership, which equates to about € 50 / hour. This data basically states that Lexus were designed for the American market where they remain very successful. Here in Germany, they're at the bottom with Cadillac in terms of consideration. The wealthy elite here prefer luxury cars with heritage and thus a Mercedes, a BMW, an Audi and a Jaguar are the first choices when it comes to practical luxury sedans. After these brands we have another niche occupied by also luxurious brands such as Lancia or a high-end model from Citroen or Peugeot. After this niche, it is safe to say comes Lexus and Cadillac and other MINOR brands.

— ErichHartmann (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 4:42:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

You have to remember that in North America we don't get the A-Class, B-Class, Low-end 1-series, A1, etc.
If we did, than BMW and Mercedes ranking would be better because they sell many high-end models that also drop in value much more. They drop farther because they start off much higher. This explains why Acura is at the top, because their vehicles do not list anywhere near $50k
or higher.

— david999 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 5:20:31 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

This brand had the best resale value of all last year. _______ http://www.kbb.com/kbb/NewsAndReviews/BestResaleValueAwards.aspx?YearId=2008&SelectedTabIndex=2

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 10:51:38 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

How can you deboost that statement? The information is right in front of you when you copy and paste the URL in your browser's address bar! Lol!

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 2/6/2009 2:46:09 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Still I prefer Germans cars, that hurts too...my mind will change the day that I see japanese cars so powerful as AMGs or with the driving precision of BMW.....then might be. I have a Brand new Benz and one very old (1984), that turns on as soon as you show the key.....I would like to see how many Toyota Lexus or Honda Acura will be working as well after 25 years....then talk to me....or us...

— Yonder7 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 1:52:35 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Acura I might consider one day, but Lexus doesn't speak to me at all. Before buying my C230 I tested the Lexus IS250 and was not impressed with the engine and ride. Maybe the IS350 is better but the '250 is just a car that Lexus offers for the sake of gaining sales. There is nothing remotely sporty or appealing about it in my book.

— Willis (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 1:58:45 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

Residuals have a lot to do with market demand. On the used car market, I would think that reliability has a lot more influence than performance. Also factoring into the equation is repair expenses. Remember, this is for the average buyer and for the average buyer Lexus and Acura offer better value. Does that mean I would buy one over another make? Not necessarily, depends on what I'm looking for. Just because your favorite brand didn't make it to the top of this list doesn't mean you or your brand suck and the opposite is quite true as well.

— _43LE (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 2:34:26 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

The IS250 handles really well, has a pretty comfortable ride, but it's slow. Even for it's size and weight I think it is slower than it should be. The IS350 on the other hand is a beast. It's as fast as a BMW 335, but with much more consistent acceleration.

— SanJoseDriver (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 3:15:20 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -4   

No surprise here. Who would want some use German POS crap that stays in the show 364 days a year....Maybe if you have no life and hang at the dealer all day and talk about cars like BMW poser's do...

— iLexus (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 3:46:41 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

Resale values are only important to those who intend to re-sell their vehicles. So, since I don't care about resale values and I certainly don't care about Lexus or Acura, I'll keep my Chevy.

— BSBB (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 5:04:04 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

I think the overall message here is that the relative residual worth of a particular car or car brand is relative to values of the majority of the people in whatever country they may be living in. In the case of Americans who tend to value reliability, name brand and 0-60 times over other factors like fuel economy or handling it's really not too surprising that Japanese brands fall in the top two positions. What's really surprising is that VW falls in 3rd place ahead of brands like Toyota, Nissan and Mazda.

— Eyecarehawaii (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 5:44:46 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

id never buy a used luxury car at all

— Jordanski (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 6:27:54 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -8   

Never buy a used german car

— BJS470 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 6:58:17 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 9   

If its based on reliability how did Land Rover beat BMW n Merc? I am not a german fanboy I love LR but they arent tht reliable

— jt716 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 9:06:53 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Kudos to Lexus and Acura for their hardwork... when it comes to this article... i would probably base my opinion that it is talking about the American Market. Because in Europe... that would be where I think mostly Lexus should work on because the resale value for a Lex there is just horrible. Dont mention how many europeans would actually consider lexus as a "true" luxury brand. But they sure caught the eyes in the American Market. Europe is a place for Mercs, BMWs.. as well as maybe audi. On a second thought, I dont really know why Lexus isnt considered that much of a luxury brand anyways. Could it be that there are many other luxury makers in Europe?... or are they just buying their own cars?

— shabaru (View Profile)

Posted on 2/5/2009 9:43:40 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

How bout u take your own advice and STFU!

— 0to60 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/6/2009 1:12:20 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 7   

0to60, here here! Crappy bites.

— _43LE (View Profile)

Posted on 2/6/2009 1:18:22 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

Just like your comments.

— _43LE (View Profile)

Posted on 2/6/2009 1:20:45 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

Your posts crack me up, keep em' coming! (no pun intended!)

— StarSearch (View Profile)

Posted on 2/6/2009 1:08:34 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

I agree with StarSearch.

— downtoearth (View Profile)

Posted on 2/6/2009 3:59:12 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Residual = Secondary Market Value. If you truly don't care what this number is then you are either in denial, or in a car you intend to drive into the ground. Otherwise, you should have a vested interest in the number. Why does it matter? Because if the number is waaay off, wither the captive lenders get buried, or the full circle deealers get buried, and neither one can really afford it right now.

— Kthorn (View Profile)

Posted on 2/6/2009 3:50:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Regardless of the looks, Honda/Acura both won in their respective categories. Maybe they have that "magical" combination of value, features, and reliabitlity cause face it, no one wants a car that stays in the shop or is overpriced to repair.

— BlakuraTLS (View Profile)

Posted on 2/6/2009 8:50:39 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

I guess everybody is wanting those used TLs now.

— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 2/7/2009 12:46:10 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

The TSX isn't bad-looking, it's just boring. The grille doesn't really add much visual impact. The TL is the ugly one.

— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 2/7/2009 11:26:32 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

there is nothing funnier and sadder at the same time than a bunch of gm driving euronazi fanboys. you cant afford asian or german cars yet you show up every week spouting your ignorance. go back to mcdonalds and get your fries ready.

— OneOfOne (View Profile)

Posted on 2/8/2009 2:45:34 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

EricHartmann,
Got a question for you. Why does an A4 oil change cose $125 while a Jetta oil change costs $60? They're the same engine.

Yonder7,
Ever heard of a Landcruiser, or maybe a Civic? I guarantee there are more 80s Japanese cars on the road that run fine than there are Germans cars left from that decade.
Its sad to say but you ever wonder why the Taliban and company choose Toyotas? They know German cars can't take it if there's no road.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/9/2009 9:06:19 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

The real reason why Acura and Lexus hold their value is because German cars today are just badges that come with a free car. There's actual substance in a Toyota and Honda, not some make-believe orgasmic feel because it came from one country or another.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 2/9/2009 9:08:19 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1