John LeBlanc
Province
In a 2006 Pay Me Now, Pay Me Later world we live in — you know it, your best friend knows it, heck, even the neighbour’s kid who mows your lawn knows it: Depreciation is the biggest kick in your wallet after you purchase your shiny new car.
To help lessen the financial pain, each year Kelley Blue Book pegs which new vehicles are projected to have the best resale value after five years of ownership.
BMW and Nissan have recently done well here and 2006 is no exception. BMW’s 5 Series and the BMW-built Mini Cooper and the Nissan-built Infiniti G35 coupe and M45 luxury sedan return to the Blue Book’s Top 10.
Other returnees are Lexus’ GX 470, Porsche’s Cayenne and Volvo’s XC90, with Chevrolet’s Corvette, Honda’s Accord Hybrid and Toyota’s Prius filling out this year’s Top 10.
The Blue Book also cited key options that new-car buyers should consider that add value at resale time.
The include goodies such as power windows and door locks, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, alloy or premium wheels, a CD player, keyless remote entry and a leather interior.
Bucking the trend against the current fuel-consumption hysteria, Kelley Blue Book cites that popping for a more powerful engine option helps at resale time as well.
Meanwhile, if you haven’t heard by now, Saturn will be the North American distribution arm for almost everything Opel.
General Motors has revealed what the next Opel Corsa subcompact will look like before its official unveiling at the British International Motor Show in July.
To be built in Spain, the new Corsa will house fuel-sipping 1.0-litre, 1.2-L and 1.4-litre four-bangers and CDTi turbodiesels in 1.3-litre and 1.7-litre displacements.
With the Honda Fit, Hyundai accent, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris subcompacts all becoming increasingly popular on par with the continuing rise in gas prices, one would think importing the little Opel as a Saturn would be a no-brainer.
But, as of now, there are no plans to do so.
© The Vancouver Province 2006