I've always wondered, whey you see a special edition of a car (like manufacturers often do as a model nears the end of its run and a new one is on the way) do those 'special' editions hold their value better/depreciate less relative to the 'normal' editions? Are special editions considered more valuable years later or simply seen as the freak siblings of the normal editions? Is buying a special edition of a car a better or worse investment than buying the normal edition.

 

Maybe it depends on the condition/mileage vehicle... I was looking at SUV's last night with a buddy and the Eddie Bauer edition Explorers and Expedition seems to cost a little more. Buying it used is nice because you can get a car/truck with all the bells and whistles for less. That's basically why I bought my Santa Fe.

 

For stuff like the Eddie Bauer editions, they usually come with a few extra features, such as the leather seats.



For special editions it probably depends on how rare they are, and what the desirability is.

 

i have always known to believe it is a marketing scheme. no, they will not depreciate. depreciation is only based on sales.



"SE" or "LX" for example, just identifies the car as a version among other versions. The Tiburons were "FX" and those had ABS, 4 disc brakes, rear wipers foglights...etc.

 

^^ my tib is an FX and it doesn't have ABS. acording to my VIN number it is an FX made in sept-98.

 

You gotta watch out some special editions are dealer scams. Slap some wheels, different emblems, and maybe some stickers on it and charge 3 grand more

 

prime example of this would be the 78 trans am. after smokey and the bandit they were very hard to keep on the showroom floor. when the second movie came out, they came out with a special edition "bandit" version.with a little more HP(increased the size of the H/E is all they did)and slapped the bandit sticker on the side of the car, these models, even numbered editions, never gained popularity cause of the inflated price for so little.