<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Add on big rebates and they have just sucked your resale value out of your vehicle. This deteriorates the used value and additionally discourages buyers of the new model due to the excessive depreciation. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, There weren't any real big rebates on the '03s. There was a $1K at the end of production, but that is pretty standard to offer a little something to clear out the stocks of last year's model. Comparatively speaking, on a 50K vehicle, a 1K rebate is just to give you an excuse, not a real value add.
Now on a cheap Chevrolet, like, say, a Cavalier, a 4K rebate is almost 1/5th of the cost, and that SHREDS the resale value. HUMMER didn't do that. There is a coupon offer that other people have discussed on the board, but again, it's for a grand, and I think it was only mailed out to select people, not the general public. This doesn't hurt the resale value.
What would really hurt was if GM had done a radical change after the 03 model. The owners of the 03s would have been up sh*t creek, with money sunk into a vehicle that had to be redesigned after the first model year. Sure, adding options makes sense, and doesn't make the 03 depreciate, but if say....a diesel was offered for 04 and not 03, then all of the 03 people would be looking at massive depreciation. Hummer didn't change the H2 after one year, and I think that it proves that they're looking out for the resale value for current Hummer owners. Hummer doesn't do discounts like the rest of the GM empire, or Ford, or Chry....I mean Benz
and that also helps to preserve resale value.
Arguably, the worst time to buy is if there's a redesign coming. Then you got suckered, because your vehicle isn't even passable as the "New model". And from what we have been given to understand, Hummer isn't making many 04s so that H2 and SUT production will be in synch. This also helps the resale value on 04 models. Will there be a redesign in 05? That's the question, and I hope the answer is "NO"
Yes, this is my truck. No, I will NOT help you move.