Which Opel Corsa trim depreciates the fastest?
Which Opel Corsa trim depreciates the fastest?
By Martin Pretorius
You’d imagine that a small hatchback with great driving characteristics, appealing styling and good equipment levels would be hugely popular in South Africa. But, in the case of the current-generation Opel Corsa, that success has remained elusive: it’s a very good product, but it competes against a horde of other equally-accomplished opponents. The initial uncertainty regarding Opel’s local future (since proven secured) didn’t help initial sales either, and still doesn’t do resale values any favours.
We had a look at the depreciation of some of the Opel Corsa’s trim levels, as measured over the two years since its last facelift in mid-2017. Taking the specific derivative’s prices from July 2017 as a baseline, we calculated the average values of those 2017 model year variants as advertised here on AutoTrader, and express their value retention as a percentage of their new prices at the time of their first arrival.
To be eligible for this evaluation, vehicles had to be as close to standard as possible, have at most 40 000 km on their odometers (representing an upper average mileage of 20 000 km per year), with the cost of options or accessories disregarded.
List price when new: R 200 600
Average current price on AutoTrader: R 166 108
Percentage of value retained: 82.81 %
As the entry-level variant to this updated Corsa range, it’s only logical that the 1.0T Essentia would be a strong seller in a budget-conscious market segment. This popularity is reflected in the fact that the Essentia is by far the best-represented on our listing pages, with quite a wide selection of cars available across a wide price range. And, with an 82.81% value retention after two years, it’s the best investment of all the non-sporty Corsas in the range as well.
List price when new: R 234 300
Average current price on AutoTrader: R 157 425
Percentage of value retained: 67.19 %
This one came as a bit of a shock. Yes, the 1.0T Enjoy did cost about 15% more than its cheaper Essentia sibling when new, but it also gave buyers a fair amount of extra kit for their money. None of these added features could arrest the Enjoy’s slide down the depreciation cliff, though – with a value retention of only 67.19% after two years, these variants proved to be rather poor investments when new.
This scary depreciation does mean that savvy shoppers could score some awesome deals in the used-car market, though – in fact, the average price of the up-spec Enjoy is almost R10 000 lower than the average price for an entry-level 1.0T Essentia.
Opel Corsa 1.4 Enjoy Automatic
List price when new: R 234 800
Average current price on AutoTrader: R 179 000
Percentage of value retained: 76.24 %
This Corsa variant was never going to be a strong seller, appealing to a rather specific niche market from the outset. However, that specialist appeal does aid the automatic, non-turbo 1.4-litre Enjoy’s resale value, helping it to retain a fair 76.24% of its new-car value after two years. This still makes for good pre-owned bargains, however, as nearly-new cars are selling for relative bargain prices nowadays.
List price when new: R 275 600
Average current price on AutoTrader: R 229 800
Percentage of value retained: 83.38 %
Another Corsa aimed at a rather small and very specific market segment, the 1.4T Sport has mildly-sporty performance and some near-OPC trimmings to go with its new-car price premium. This combination is proving useful in the used market, helping the 1.4T Sport retain a healthy 83.38% of its value after two years.
Pre-owned ones are still good buys, though: R229 800 for a low-mileage sporty-ish Corsa with 110 kW and 220 Nm is definitely a great deal of bang for your buck.
With the exception of the 1.0T Enjoy’s plummeting prices, the Corsa has maintained its value quite respectably since its mid-life update. Smart shoppers will be well-advised to consider one of those low-priced Enjoy derivatives, to get a nice load of kit for not a lot of money, while sporty types can get a very good offering in a 1.4T Sport.