I bought my Toyota 86 for R340,000 in 2016. Today, it is worth less than half of that, according to car dealerships.
The reasons for this valuation are numerous, and are a reminder that a two-door sports car which delivers an excellent driving experience is not aimed at the mass market.
At the risk of making it even more difficult to sell the car – which I am in the process of doing – I detail what “real life” thinks of the 86, below.
Buying the car
I purchased my 2015 Toyota 86 2.0 High Manual in 2016 for R340,000.
It was a demo model from a Toyota dealership, included an extended warranty, and had 19,000km on the clock when I took it home.
I had seen the Toyota 86 advertised new in August 2014 for R370,000 and thought it was the business.
The Toyota 86 is an incredible car to own and drive, and is a huge amount of fun to take around a corner.
You can read all about that in this owner’s review – but the summary is that this is a car for those who want to drive “manually”.
In 2017, several months after buying the car, the price of a new Toyota 86 had increased to R490,000 – and I felt my decision to buy the 86 was justified both in terms of the driving pleasure and the financial value.
Life was looking good.
Market demand
Fast forward to August 2021, and it is now time to sell the 86.
I aim to buy a new car – and in the hope of squeezing out another article for TopAuto, I will stop that storyline here.
I took my 86 to a nearby dealership, which I hope to buy a new car from, and asked them to provide a valuation for my Toyota-Subaru mash-up.
For the record: it has 75,000km on the clock and is in really good condition. The interior and engine are spotless, and there are only minor chips and signs of wear on the paint.
The head of the used car section said the 86 was a hard sell, and that it did not have wide appeal. No problem there – that is the truth.
They offered R160,000.
The 86 does not retain its value like a Corolla, it seemed.
A second valuation was then received from a large second-hand car dealership, which came in at R185,000.
Looking at this dealership’s website, there are only three 86 cars for sale across the country. This sports car is not winning any popularity contests, either.
I have not accepted an offer as yet, but I will be happy with either.
I did not have a single thought about resale value when I purchased the 86, and I think that if you buy this kind of car you do not have much right to.
This is because happiness definitely does have a price: it’s the amount the 86 devalues by before you sell it.
How much the smiles it gave you along the way are worth is much more difficult to calculate, but I will throw caution to the wind and say “a lot”.
This is an opinion piece, based on real-world experience.
Keyword: Selling my Toyota 86 – When real life kicks in