Finding the Best Year to Buy a Used SUV

There’s no single best year that applies to every SUV, but there is a reliable way to find the right year for the one you want.

Here at Cathedral City Auto Center, we look at three things when narrowing down used SUV inventory: where the model sits on its value curve, where it sits in its design generation, and whether a certified example changes the math.

How Depreciation Shapes the Price

An SUV that’s a few years old can look and drive like a new one for a lot less money. The reason is the depreciation curve: an SUV loses value fastest in its first few years on the road, then the decline slows.

The exact pace differs by brand and model, but the shape of that curve is consistent. By the time a model is a few years old, the steepest part of the drop has already happened, and it still carries much of the technology and safety equipment of a newer one.

Further down the curve, prices flatten. The savings between older model years get smaller, and the equipment gap can get larger.

The Generation-Change Question

Every SUV is redesigned on a cycle. Standard equipment tends to change at a redesign or a mid-cycle update and then hold steady for several years. A larger center screen, wireless phone mirroring, adaptive cruise control, or a hybrid option might arrive in one specific year and stay for the rest of that generation.

That makes the first year after an update worth a close look. It often carries the new equipment at a lower price than the latest year of the same generation. The final year of a generation can also be a strong choice, since early changes have usually been worked into production by then. Our sales advisors can tell you where a given model sits in its cycle and what changed from one year to the next.

Where Certified Coverage Changes the Math

A certified SUV has passed the manufacturer’s inspection and carries factory-backed coverage on top of what remains of the original warranty. That can make a slightly newer certified example the better value next to an older non-certified one at a similar price.

Our certified pre-owned vehicles are managed through each brand’s own program, so coverage terms differ. An advisor can pull the specific terms before you compare.

Comparing Model Years Near Palm Springs

The easiest way to settle the year question is to drive two examples of the same SUV a generation apart. Our campus on CA-111 houses nine dealerships, meaning our used vehicle inventory usually has several model years of popular SUVs at once. Our earlier guide on narrowing down a used SUV covers seating and cargo choices.

Schedule a test drive at Cathedral City Auto Center at 68100 Perez Rd, Cathedral City, CA 92234, or call (844) 312-9940, and our team will line up two model years side by side for you.