The WRX Has The Best Resale Value Of Any Subaru Model - Why It’s A Problem

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Which Subaru model has the best 5-year resale value and is ranked above all the rest? The Subaru WRX is the top model for Subaru of America, but it's a problem for performance car buyers looking for a used model.

Is the 2023 Subaru WRX a good value for performance car buyers? According to a new report from iSeeCars, the next-generation 2023 Subaru WRX has the best 5-year resale value of any Subaru model in its all-wheel-drive lineup. It's a good value if you buy a new WRX, but not so good if you buy a used WRX sports car. The resale value report comes from iSeeCars analysis. ISeeCars determine the best resale value cars and SUVs by analyzing over 3 million vehicles to calculate how much each SUV model depreciates most or least after five years. Subaru has two models that rank best in their category. The Subaru Crosstrek ranks number one in two categories. The Subaru WRX has the best resale value overall of any all-wheel-drive Subaru of America model. Here are the iSeeCar rankings. What are the five small and compact cars with the best 5-year resale value? The best resale value for small and compact cars is still the Subaru WRX ranking at 70.7 percent 5-year resale value. The Lexus RC 350 is the best resale value luxury small and compact car at 67.7% 5-year resale value. The Honda Accord ranks #1 for midsize cars' best resale value at 61% 5-year resale value. Among all mainstream (non-luxury) small and compact cars, the Subaru WRX ranks number one at 70.7%, the Honda Fit is second at 70.2%, Honda Civic at 69.6%, Honda Civic (coupe) at 69%, and Toyota Yaris Hatchback at 67.3%. A used Subaru WRX is not a good value. If you want to buy a used sports car, the Subaru WRX has the lowest depreciation of all Subaru models. And it's best to buy new versus used because you will only sometimes find a new WRX sitting on a Subaru retailer's lot. A lightly-used low-mileage Subaru WRX will cost more than a new model. The sports car segment is generally known for its value dropping quicker, but not the sport-tuned WRX sedan. Subaru keeps inventory levels low on its new vehicles, contributing to higher resale values. Subaru keeps the value of a new WRX even higher because of low inventory, and they offer the lowest incentives and rebates of any automaker. What is the price of the 2023 Subaru WRX? The 2023 WRX has four trim levels: Base, Premium, Limited, and GT. All 2023 WRX trim levels get a $1,525 price increase, including dealer fees. The 2023 WRX 6-speed manual trim level starts at $31,625. The WRX with Subaru Performance Transmission (SPT) is $33,475, the WRX Premium 6-speed manual is $34,125, the WRX Premium SPT is $36,175, the WRX Limited 6-speed manual is $38,515, WRX Limited SPT is $40,765, and WRX GT is $44,415. Pricing includes destination and delivery fees ($1,020). The 2023 Subaru WRX is the best resale value model overall for Subaru of America and the best of any compact car you can buy today. Despite the price increase, the 2023 WRX is still among America's best sports car values. A used WRX is not your best pick because the WRX depreciates less than all other Subaru models. You Might Also Like: The 2023 Subaru WRX Pricing And Model Guide and Which Trim Is The Best

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report, where he covers the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Subaru Report - We’ve got you covered! Check back tomorrow for more unique, informative SUBARU news, reviews, and previews you can trust. Leave your comments below, share the article with friends, and tweet it out to your followers! Photo credit: Subaru USA

Submitted by Tomas X (not verified) on August 18, 2023 - 12:01PM

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The keys to resale on a Subaru?

First, get some skills, or kiss loads of cash goodbye

Second, be responsible with the "crappy" paint...it's not crappy. Do not go crazy polishing. Do NOT waste massive cash on "paint correction" & pro applied ceramic coatings. Polishing & correcting wears away modern thin clearcoat. Instead, claybar 1-2x per year. If you develop swirls, get a D/A polisher and use aggressive polish/pads. If you dare, get a rotary polisher. And get affordable DIY ceramic sealant and just apply it each year. My all black (yes, black) Oitback XT, driven year-round in Wisconsin looked new after 17 years.

Third, keep the seating surfaces and carpet clean, use floor liners in winter. Use a sunshade to protect the plastics/dash. Don't pick at the steering wheel. Regularly check the headliner for spots. Don't scratch up your boot. Use PaintScratch touch up on chips, because it fills/blends paint.

Finally, use some skills and think outside the box! Brakes are not hard to replace or bleed. Pads are maintenance. But quality rotors and calipers are not expensive. Install new ones. Nuts? Hardly. They may need it anyway, and flushing the brake fluid should be done anyway. The look of bright, spotless brakes has massive curb appeal. Get underneath and use an aggressive abrasive pad to clean the worst layer of rust off the pipe from the axle back. Clean the muffler and polish the tip. Power wash the wheel wells and struts/springs. Use the pad again to get rust off. Idea isn't to hide the rust from a buyer, but make it more "patina" than "corrosion."

And under the hood, clean it thoroughly, or at minimum spray cleaner/degreaser on visible areas of the engine and plastic and rinse it off. Super Clean is the best. In the last stages of preparing for sale, use something like Stoner Trim Shine on all plastic under the hood. Not thick. Spray it, let it sit for an hour, then wipe down areas. The idea isn't gloss, but satin black. And when you wash the car - wash out all the door jambs! Then spray Trim Shine on exterior plastic. Even tires. But again, wipe all of it to leave a flat or satin finish.

And get rid of crap like sunshades, excessive aero shite like vortex generators, even window tint. Get all the stupid "overlays: off lights and emblems. If you de-badged the car, order and install OEM badges. I always get OEM floor mats (or keep them aside if buying new) and put them in when listing the car. If "carpet" trunk liner on the sides is in bad shape, replace it. If you haven't been using one, put a trunk mat in.

The idea is making it look like a grown-up owned it. Even younger buyers are more attracted to this because it lights up their brain with mods THEY want to do.

I have sold my cars FAST and for insane prices. I bought a used 2011 STI in 2014 for $32k...sold it in 2022 for $29k. I was in a rush to sell. Easily could have sold for $32k or more. I bought a black 2006 Outback XT in Nov 2005 for $32k, road tripped it and it went hrough 17 winters. Sold it in 3 days to a 20-something who paid my list ($11k) within 15 minutes.

Also, bought.a 2001 Audi S4 in January 2001 for $40,500. Then sold it after a phone bidding war to a Porsche mechanic who flew one way from Connecticut, paid $32k and drove it home.

All three buyers = "It looks better than the photos" - and I'm a good photographer.

What I described here - it's a long read - but not a lot of work and money saved in many areas more than covers things like my new brakes suggestion. Consider the math. I got 32.5 years of ownership out of three cars, and my net cost (purchase-resale) was $104k - $31,500 = $2,231...or $186 per month. And they're all top of the line models.