cars news 10: The 2017 Buick LaCrosse’s 5-Year Retained Value: How Does it Compare?

The new 2017 Buick LaCrosse looks more premium than the already attractive last-generation car did, but buying a new car is about much more than just the emotional pull of a good design. Resale value can play a part too, and in the LaCrosse’s $30,000-$45,000 full-size sedan class, there are lots of interesting choices. So we asked the experts at IntelliChoice to share the latest five-year retained value info available on the new LaCrosse as well as a number of its competitors to see how it performs.

The results more or less match what we’d expect, but what might surprise is just how far above the rest of the class the Lexus ES 350 is. Currently, the 2016 Lexus ES 350 has an IntelliChoice five-year retained value of 57.6 percent. It’s clearly one perk of paying the huge price premium for the popular Lexus over less pricey alternatives such as the Buick LaCrosse. On the 2016 LaCrosse, five-year retained value ranges from 44.4 to 48.4 percent depending on trim. So far, the 2017 model ranges from 44.9 to 47.1 percent depending on the trim.

Putting aside the more expensive Lexus, the Buick is about mid-pack compared to others in the loosely defined segment. For example, the refreshed 2017 Lincoln MKZ has a five-year retained value of 38.2 to 40.1 percent, or 43.4 to 44.8 percent if you’re checking out the pre-refresh 2016 model. The Chevrolet Impala is just below the Buick, too, with 2017 models topping out at 42.3 percent for the LTZ model that would be most likely to be compared to a base-model LaCrosse (the 2016 Impala LTZ is at 45.2 percent).

Above the Buick in resale value is the 2016 Chrysler 300, which should retain about 47.2 to 50.5 percent of its value after five years depending on the trim. The 2016 Toyota Avalon is similarly priced to the Buick and comes in at an impressive 50.7 to 54.6 percent, but that car lacks the visual appeal and quietness of the new 2017 LaCrosse. If you’re looking for a sportier take on the segment, the 2016 Nissan Maxima is rated at about 50 percent in five-year retained value.

So…

How a car drives and makes you feel is important, but so is determining a car’s potential cost beyond the purchase price. Should you decide to sell a car in five years or have an accident force a vehicle change, five-year retained value might suddenly become important. The Lexus and Toyota are good bets for this IntelliChoice metric, but so are the Nissan Maxima and Chrysler 300. The Buick LaCrosse still has some ground to make up in this segment, but the new 2017 model has plenty to offer consumers in this segment—read about it in the Motor Trend 2017 Buick LaCrosse First Drive review HERE.