You're not wrong. These cars are in absolute free-fall right now and have been since November of last year. From watching auction pricing, there's been close to a $4k loss across the board since November. And if your car has more than 50k miles or more than 75k it may be worse.
I didn't see this decline coming not at this pace I wish I had waited on buying mine. I could have jumped 2-3 years or dropped 50k miles for almost the same money.

 

Isn't this normal, especially since the world went mad with its love for annoying SUV's, crossovers, CUV's and other assorted truck-like vehicles?

 

With how much I could get in trade-in on my car now, I would much rather keep it around as a daily or something to play with.

 

 

 

It's not just the LS, it's all Luxury sedans, the market has shifted dramatically away from the sedan platform in favor of SUV's and Trucks. Look at Ford and GM's shift away from cars as the best data point. When the manufacturers decide it's not worth chasing the sedan market you know it's not just a blip, it's a long term trend.

I don't see any reason it's going to reverse course in the next few years either. Only a gas price shock might be enough to turn the market at this point. And I don't see that happening unless something really breaks out in the middle east large enough to harm oil production for years.

The new LS is one example of how much the market has changed. The manufacturers that are investing in the sedan market are going after it with performance oriented, low slung designs not upright sedan styles. So they further drive those traditional buyers towards Truck/SUV styles to get the size, headroom, etc those buyers are looking for.

I'll give my personal experience. I drive a 30-40K miles a year between cities in the Southeastern US. Right now I have an ES Hybrid but it's about time to change rides again. In all honesty, the car is fine it's just my wife wants it as her daily driver and I want more bells and whistles for my next 2-3 years.

My personal dilemma is truck vs. sedan.
I was planning to buy a used LS and drive it for a couple of years, but with the level of refinement in a modern truck means I can get all of the bells and whistles I want, with a really comfortable ride and a much better view (ride height) in a truck. If I put 80-100K miles on it, I'll still have decent resale as truck resale is less impacted by mileage then sedans.

I think the SUV/Truck platforms have been refined to the point where they are a like replacement for the usual sedan. I'm not saying they have reached LS parity, but they are more than refined enough for most people.

Looking at the market, I think the used dealers are still hoping that tax refund season bails them out on some sedans, but come may/june you will probably see the prices fall even further as they can't hold onto them forever and interest rates continue to creep up. It's going to get worse before it finally bottoms out.

 

I have been contemplating a new truck with all the bells and whistles but the average "luxury" truck with the bells and whistles costs ~60k. Looking at the used truck market, they're still in the 35-45k range for a slightly 2-3 yr old used truck with a ton of miles. I don't know how i would feel getting into something new and it not having all the bells and whistles after being pampered by the ls. Even thought about a nice luxury SUV but with options similar to my 11 year old car it would cost me quite a bit as well. No idea how the big 3 trucks with all options can cost as much as a "Luxury SUV"

 

None of those high dollar trucks sell for the sticker, you can get 10-15K off the sticker depending on the manu/model. I got from 60 to high 40's without a ton of effort for both Ram and Chevy on the new models.

 

I sold a 2014 1794 Edition Tundra to buy my LS. I prefer the LS as a daily but I am really regretting the move from a financial perspective. For kicks I looked up the book value of both and the tundra has dropped 5k since I sold it 1.5 years ago and my LS has dropped 14k in the same timeframe... I have enjoyed and still love the car but not at a depreciation rate of $1,200/mo on a used car that has been driven 10k miles. I could have leased a new LX or LS for that kind of money.

Also I am a general contractor and a 2 boat owner so having a truck was definitely useful at times..

 

I sold my F350 to buy my LS. At the time it seemed like a great decision since diesel was getting real expensive. I have owned the LS for almost 5 years now. I see trucks for sale with less options and more miles for more than i sold my truck for back then. I still think the LS is a wonderful vehicle and its nice showing the executive rear seat to people but sometimes you need a truck to move things and buy larger items. I have wanted to go back to a ford but even after the incentives it still seems really expensive. Ford has 0% for 72 months on all their '18 F150's right now so it'll be about 55-60 for the ones i would want. I still would like to get into a new superduty but at 70k after the 10k off on a platinum or king ranch, it just seems like it would be fiscally irresponsible of me to spend that much money on a vehicle.

 

I've found that trucks are an incredible bargain to lease, for those who can live with 12-15k miles per year. I've been leasing Ram 1500s and Ford F150s for years, and I can generally get a nicely loaded truck (sticker price around $45-50k) for a total monthly lease price of $240 a month (zero down, including sales tax). I drive my leased truck anytime the roads are sloppy (to keep my LS clean), and I find it handy to have access to a pickup for hauling things occasionally (I have a 10-acre property with lots of trees). I enjoy keeping my monthly costs very low for the truck and never worrying about breakdowns (it's always under warranty). I never even have to change tires, and I normally get by with 1 oil change per year. Just my way, I know it wouldn't work for everyone...

 

I paid $35K for mine in 2010 which was a bargain at the time.

I'm looking at snatching a 2007 Bentley Continental GT for $40 K - now that's a bargain!

 

Ditto here. I was seriously considering selling our 2013 LS Ultra Luxury and getting a Model S, but seeing how little I would get, even private sale, for an impeccable car, I decided against selling. The chaotic situation within Tesla has also caused me to pause on getting an EV, but the resale market on the LS is a bigger factor. The LS is too nice to let go at current market prices, even if it will just keep going down as I load up the miles.