neat stuff at the local dealer

[Mike Veglia]

In a message dated 8/7/2002 David writes:

<< They had a low miles '97 A8 for $24K and change. I've seen some A8s in
the 20s at other places, but this is the dealer which typicaly marks the
used cars up a bit. For a car that was in the 60K range, isn't this
depreciation pretty steep? >>

The used car market is truly a buyer's market, at least out here in the SF
Bay Area. I was warned of this by my local ovloV servicer who sell a small
assortment of used cars. When we found a super-clean pearl white 1995 A6
quattro Avant for $9995 the point was hammered home. (Just a few months ago
that would have been a mid-teens car.) The used car dealer we just bought
the A6 from last Sunday has a ton of high line cars, mostly WMB. For
example, super clean M3, 17.9k, 528i wagon 12.9k, Z3 roadster 12.9k. His
inventory was huge and everything there was priced at, or below, wholesale
blue book.  (And yes, we did get hosed on the trade-in for the ovloV 850
turbo wagon...but good riddance, I did not want to have to sell that car
myself, and I really couldn't in good conscious).

That is a huge depreciation hit, but it is a (nearly) 6 model year old out
of warranty used car. I have seen WMB 850s that cost over $100k new in that
price range too. Da bargains are in the used stuff...especially these days
when new car makers are offering so many incentives (for example, Mitsu are
advertising Lancers with zero interest and no payments for a year right
now). I too have seen a number of A8s in that mid-20s range and they sound
like a bargain. FWIW, I had never seen a used Boxster priced for less than
$30k before and the other day a used '99 shows up in my local paper for only
$22k...

Mike Veglia
Motor Sport Visions Photography
http://www.motorsportvisions.com