Three cars from 2021 worth more used than they were new

A handful of cars are destined to become classics, gaining value as the years go by while run-of-the-mill vehicles depreciate virtually on a weekly basis. One such example of the former is the original Ford Mustang Mach 1 from 1969, which today commands huge premiums on the global used car market.

So, what about its 2021 successor?

According to AutoTrader’s data for last year, the automatic version of the classic American pony car’s modern replacement had an average list price of close to R1,375,000, some way ahead of this 338kW variant’s latest new price of R1,173,900. The modern-day Ford Mustang 5.0 Mach 1 Fastback’s price on the used market was likely driven up by a lack of supply with only 90 units having been set aside for SA.

It was a similar case with the 331kW BMW M2 CS, as only 28 examples were available new from the Munich-based firm’s local division. When this special edition was auctioned at the end of 2020, the reserve price was rumoured to have been about R1.6m .

According to AutoTrader’s figures, the manual version of the M2 CS had an average list price of about R2,123,000 last year with the dual-clutch automatic variant’s figure climbing to more than R2,150,000. AutoTrader CEO George Mienie says that while sought-after limited-edition vehicles attract higher pricing than ordinary cars there’s another important factor at play.

“Global production interruptions mean waiting lists for certain new vehicles have lengthened dramatically, leading to increased demand — and thus higher asking prices — for similar cars in the used space.”  

The Mercedes AMG A45 S 4Matic+ is the only variant still technically available on the new market, though it’s suspected the Stuttgart-based company’s local arm has been struggling to secure a steady stream of stock thanks to the sort of global supply chain and production network interruptions mentioned above.

Regardless, the 2021 data set shows the 310kW all-paw hot hatch had an average list price of more than R1,331,000, exceeding even the latest new price of R1,231,766. We should, however, point out that the used examples may have been fitted with a few costly optional extras, further inflating their prices.

With sections of the used car market booming thanks to limited supply in the new-vehicle sector and the broader industry remaining firmly in flux, traditional car valuations are becoming inaccurate, leading to the rise of more modern alternatives.

AutoTrader’s recently launched Instant Offer, which uses live-market data to help car sellers establish the true market value of a given car at a given time, is one such example, proving especially useful to sellers of used cars that have managed to buck the depreciation trend.

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