Depreciation (loss in value over time) is usually the biggest cost when it comes to buying a new car. “How little will this car be worth when I sell it in three years time?” one thinks, shortly before signing on the dotted line. There are exceptions to the rule, however: the LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Porsche 911 R and… Volkswagen California.
Indeed, the California camper (specifically, the 2.0 California TDI BlueMotion Tech Beach 150 5dr DSG) has proved to be highly depreciation-resistant. Experts report that three-year-old models with 30,000 miles can retail for as much as 83 percent of their original purchase price.
Amazingly, one-year-old examples with 10,000 miles are holding onto as much as 97 percent of their original list price of £44,022.
Yes, it’s still depreciation: you’re not exactly making money hand-over-fist like you would with a limited-edition supercar. But in relative terms, the big bus is a safe bet. The loss, in percentage terms, is nowhere near what you’d experience with a normal car.
A similarly-priced Mercedes C-Class, for example, would likely lose the £1,320 that the VW sheds over the course of a year as it rolls off the forecourt.
Why is the California so in-demand? Experts at Cap HPI chalk it up to the increasing popularity of staycations – i.e. holidaying in your four-wheeled home-away-from-home, instead of flying abroad and using hotels. The cool kudos of the California no doubt helps, too.
“It’s no wonder that VW’s California campers are so popular” commented Rachel Limbert, valuations editor at Cap HPI.
[…] holiday around the UK. But the demand was there long before COVID. For example, according to Motoring Research in 2018, a VW “is almost depreciation-proof … the loss is nowhere near what you’d experience with a […]