TRD Pro Resale/Depreciation

Does a TRD Pro really hold it's value as well lower Tacoma trims?

According to Edmunds True Cost to Own, a TRD Pro only depreciates about $3,012 in the first 2 years (assuming 15k miles per year). When I see such low depreciation, my mind tells me, why buy used when I won't save much. I started shopping for a new one and after dealing with dealers trying to charge market adjustments I decided to give the used market a chance. I'm looking at an automatic (MRSP new is $48k) but 2 yr old 2019s (with 30k miles) are selling for $40-42k. That's about an $8k deprecation ($4k/yr) assuming the original buyer didn't pay any market adjustment and this is dealer pricing which is usually higher than what you'll actual get if you sell it on your own.

Looking at a TRD OR or TRD Sport, the True Cost to Own is very similar (depreciation about $1000-1500 depreciation per year) and that is exactly what I'm seeing.

Can anyone tell me why the TRD Pros don't seem to be holding their value as well? Makes me a little nervous to buy one, even a used one. One of the top reasons for buying a Tacoma for me is resale value (that and reliability). None of my research is showing the TRD Pro having as good of resale value as I thought.

 

Just for comparison, I'm seeing 2019 TRD OR (about 30k miles) selling for around $35-36k when a new one is going for around $39k. That seems to align with the True Cost to Own. I've looked at a few other cars that I've owned and the depreciation seems to align with what these charts say.

 

It’s all Math, I can’t really answer your exact question, but in Sept of this year I bought an 18 Limited with 24k miles, for $38k. Price new was 42,400 original owner paid $41k. (Some paperwork was left in the owners manual) even being a Toyota loyalist I was still astounded at the amount of value the truck held onto. After I bought the truck I had a little regret thinking that I should have just bought a new one for that kind of money, but they were hard to find at the time with many of them sold before rolling off the delivery vehicle. We had to pay sticker for a my wife’s brand new 4Runner in August, if we didn’t someone else would have. A few thousand miles in and I don’t regret the used purchase and if I decide I want a new one, it’s value will still be strong. This doesn’t really answer your question, but I guess don’t worry too much about how much value the pro retains over the OR. Enjoy your truck and know it will hold its value no matter which trim level you buy. Sometimes top level trims depreciate a little more because they are not as popular due to cost.

 

Seeing it from an economic stand point. The TRD Pro isn’t as highly sought after as the lower end models. Sure it’s a better a nicer truck but for the majority of Tacoma buyers aren’t looking for the biggest nicest model available. A new TRD Pro model will sit on a lot longer than an SR5 model because of demand. Dealers want to sell cars as quick as possible I.e why the deprecation value is higher. This is just my theory.

 

There is such a thing as "paralysis by analysis" ...

While I understand the need to feel you're making a good financial decision (I'm there too), sometimes you've just got to go by your gut and not look back.

I feel that I'm paying too much for my new '21 TRD OR AC, but based on what others here have shared about their purchases, I've concluded that the deal I've managed to get is okay. Not great - just okay.

Once it's in my driveway I won't be looking back.

 

To some extent, for 2-3k, if it is what you want, like you said analysis paralysis—just get it.

 

No, it doesn't.
The reason is how depreciation is typically calculated. It is usually reported as a percentage of MSRP, which is not a very good measurement for most.

To wit: A $300k vehicle (say, Ferrari 458 Italia) might depreciate only 12 percent, compared to a Toyota Corolla that might depreciate 14 percent (I'm making these up to illustrate a point).

Most English majors w/minor in Journalism will report that the Ferrari is a better buy since "it depreciates less". Which it does ;-)

But, that depreciation is about $36,000 in in one year. The Corolla? About $2,800 in depreciation for the same time period.

Sooooo make sure you understand that depreciation and percentage of retained value is actually pretty moot, unless, maybe you are leasing.

My experience is that buying the lowest cost trim will ALWAYS cost you less in actual depreciation dollars (as it should, it cost less!).

The one exception I ran into is when I bought a new Porsche 930 for $62K and now that same car would sell for about $100k

My two data points are the two Taco's that I purchased new, both 4x4 and both ACs. My 2008 SR-5 depreciated about $ 4,800 over two years, my 2019 SR about $1,000. The SR value might have been skewed due to weird market conditions (Covid shutdowns) but still, the depreciation cost would still be less than the SR-5.

 

“Value” is also in the eye of the beholder. You can retain a couple grand or more for that 3 year old TRD ‘whatever’ simply because you took exceptional care for as long as you have it.

I had a 2017 TRD Sport with 134,000kms (83k miles) and wrote it off hitting an elk last month. The adjuster valued this truck at $39k CAD ($30k US) and wrote in the report it was in exceptional condition, above normal for the age and kilometres. Gave it a 3.5 rating out of 4 then added $2400 because of that. Ceramic coated and kept clean, 3M PPF, interior immaculate, engine bay cleaned once a month.

 

I keep my vehicles for many years so numbers don't mean that much to me...

 

Same here.

Our '02 Avalon was replaced with a '16 Camry. My '06 Tacoma TRD OR AC is being replaced with a '21 TRD OR AC. Total miles on each not as significant as their age.

If you're gonna buy new ya gotta keep them until the cost to maintain gets absurd (which hasn't been the case) or they start falling apart because of our New England's propensity to use caustic deicing chemicals.

 

I understand how percentages work. I never said they both depreciate at 10%, why is the TRD Pro depreciating more... obviously it would depreciate more because it's a higher priced vehicle. What I said was, Edmunds says the Pro depreciates $1500/yr while the OR depreciates $1100 per year, yet I'm seeing $4,000 per year in the TRD Pro, just looking at what the used ones are selling for... not matching up with the total cost to own that Edmunds is saying.

 

I like this... I ended up buying a TRD Pro today... happy with my purchase and not gonna over think it! No matter what, it won't depreciate as bad as the BMW I had previously!

 

I wouldn't look back either.

 

IMO, the TRD Pro is a great truck but is mostly cosmetic upgrades (minus the suspension) over the other TRD models. Cosmetic upgrades never hold value which is why you see similar value for TRD Pros as you do ORs or Sports.

Get what you want and don't look back (seems you did this, good on you!)

 

just enjoy your truck, worrying about resale gets you nowhere

 

Get the truck you want. Like I told my wife, if I die you can sell it for nearly the cost of our purchase price for the first few years. After that its still got great resale value. I paid cash for it because of this (and a screaming bonus at work) and why pay interest? My savings account is earning me nothing so spend em if you got em!

 

I can't believe what local dealers near me are asking. Here is a lifted 2016 TRD sport with manual and 61,000 miles. Asking price is more than I paid for a new 2020 SR5 with a full warranty. Part of it is I think they are trying to get more for the tires, wheels and lift they probably paid nothing extra for to the person who traded it.
https://www.thornton247.com/auto/used-2016-toyota-tacoma-trd-sport-lifted-4wd-dover-pa/50224295/

It's a decent looking truck but it's used and probably out of warranty for almost the price of a new trd.

 

Yes I did! Thanks for pushing me over the edge. I think in the long run, over the next 5 years, it will still end up being cheaper than any other car I would have considered.

 

I believe you should always get what you want, because I found if I don't you would always have some form of regret down the line. Is the Pro worth the extra $$$ probably not hence the poor depreciation. Do you like the the Pro? I did so I got one. I don't plan on any big mods and I plan keeping it for a long time. I had a Porsche Cayenne GTS and in 3 years it lost half its value. But I have to admit I really liked it.

 

If you’re wanting $$ value at the end of the day, if it’s at 4,5 or 6 years, 1. take care of it and 2. put at least $4k of real upgrades into it each year and know you’ll only get 25% value for those. It will add up. What about the loss in value for all the thousands in upgrades??, oh well.. You at least enjoyed your ride but plan to keep it for as long as possible.