There’s nothing inherently wrong with sedans. The most popular automotive body type of all time, the humble sedan has for years served the American buying public with a sort of quiet reserve and dignity. Residing in the space between the utilitarian station wagon and the flashy, indulgent coupe, the sedan has, for decades, outsold all other passenger-vehicle types.
Should I Buy a Car or Crossover?
Consumer tastes change, however. The conventional station wagon is all but gone, and the sedan is now quickly being displaced by the crossover. For a look at why the crossover has become so popular, click here.
While the move away from sedans may be bad news for traditional new-car shoppers (some manufacturers have announced the discontinuation of a number of their sedan models), it is very good news for used-car shoppers looking for a late-model sedan bargain.
As interest in new sedans has declined, the price of used sedans has also fallen–in some cases, rather compellingly. The value plunge is most evident among luxury sedans, a number of which can now be considered bargains.
According to automotive research site ISeeCars.com, all of the top ten sedans with the worst resale values are luxury models. To compile this list, ISeeCars analysts compared the listing price of new models in 2016 with the asking price for the same models in 2019. While the average vehicle in the study dropped in value by approximately 38 percent, the ten luxury sedans listed below plummeted in value by approximately 55 percent (see below).
Note that vehicles with a listed price of more than $80,000 in 2016 were not included in this analysis. Note also that the ISeeCars study included vehicles in a number of classes. You can view the full report here. Finally, price calculations were based on listing prices as seen on ISeeCars and not the final transaction price; values below do not include taxes or fees.
Telling of the state of the luxury-sedan segment, several of the cars on the list below have been discontinued, or are about to be discontinued. Among those dropped are the Cadillac CTS and XTS, and the Lincoln MKZ/MKZ Hybrid. Also, note that the Audi A6 and Kia K900 have been redesigned for 2019.
All images below are of 2019 models, which may not be representative of the used vehicles for which values are given.
10 Vehicles With The Best Resale Value
10 Vehicles With the Worst Resale Value
Best Used Luxury Car Deals
Acura RLX
Average Price New (2016): $62,658
Average Price Used (2019): $28,259
3-Year Depreciation: 55.8%
Lincoln MXZ
Average Price New (2016): $45,178
Average Price Used (2019): $19,855
3-Year Depreciation: 55.6%
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Average Price New (2016): $69,469
Average Price Used (2019): $31,051
3-Year Depreciation: 55.4%
More Mercedes-Benz news and reviews
Jaguar XF
Average Price New (2016): $67,238
Average Price Used (2019): $30,268
3-Year Depreciation: 54.8%
Test Drive: 2016 Jaguar XF R Sport
Cadillac XTS
Average Price New (2016): $57,980
Average Price Used (2019): $26,306
3-Year Depreciation: 54.5%
Test Drive: 2018 Cadillac XTS V-Sport
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
Average Price New (2016): $43,698
Average Price Used (2019): $20,034
3-Year Depreciation: 54.5%
Looking for a Niche: 2017 Lincoln MKZ
Kia K900
Average Price New (2016): $61,458
Average Price Used (2019): $26,522
3-Year Depreciation: 54.4%
BMW 5-Series
Average Price New (2016): $65,248
Average Price Used (2019): $30,203
3-Year Depreciation: 53.8%
Cadillac CTS
Average Price New (2016): $57,730
Average Price Used (2019): $26,785
3-Year Depreciation: 53.8%
Test Drive: 2016 Cadillac CTS-V
Audi A6
Average Price New (2016): $62,567
Average Price Used (2019): $29,941
3-Year Depreciation: 53.3%
Used Luxury Car Deals