High-Performance Wagon Depreciation: What Ten Super-Wagons Are Really Worth
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A fast wagon is the enthusiast’s secret handshake — SUV space, sports-car pace, and a used-market story that runs from “screaming bargain” to “worth more than new.” We pulled the original sticker price and the current market value for ten of the greatest performance wagons and plotted what actually happened to the money. Every point is a real figure: manufacturer MSRP when new, and current average sale value from live auction data.
Each line runs from original MSRP (100%, age 0) to the car’s current average value. Steeper = faster depreciation. Colours match the table below.
The dip-and-recovery in between is described in the table, not plotted, because we only chart figures we can verify.
| Wagon | MSRP new | Current avg | Retained | The story |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon (W213) | ~$106,950 | ~$95,000 | ~89% | 603 hp twin-turbo V8; scarce US allocation keeps resale near sticker — the RS6’s only real rival for holding value. |
| Audi RS6 Avant (C8) | ~$110,000 | ~$92,000 | ~84% | 591 hp; a $110k car that has shed barely a sixth of its value. Scarcity and a cult following do the work. |
| Cadillac CTS-V Wagon | ~$62,360 | ~$45k / $66k* | ~72% | 556 hp supercharged V8; bottomed near $28k and climbing — the 6-speed manuals now trade above their 2011 sticker (~106%). |
| Dodge Magnum SRT8 | ~$37,995 | ~$24,700 | ~65% | 425 hp Hemi; held its value better than almost any 2000s Dodge. |
| Audi S4 Avant (B7) | ~$50,710 | ~$31,000 | ~61% | 4.2 V8, 340 hp — the last naturally-aspirated S4 wagon. Cheap for years, now bottoming and turning collectible. |
| Volvo 850 T-5R | ~$37,095 | ~$22,000 | ~59% | 243 hp, 6,964 built; the icon that launched the fast-Volvo cult. Appreciating — the best examples are back near original price. Values vary widely by condition. |
| Subaru Legacy GT Wagon | ~$31,570 | ~$16,000 | ~51% | 250 hp turbo boxer, offered with a 6-speed manual — the attainable enthusiast wagon; clean manual examples are climbing. |
| Mercedes E55 AMG Wagon (S211) | ~$82,600 | ~$37,000 | ~45% | 469 hp supercharged V8; the E63’s predecessor, now deep in bargain-supercar-wagon territory. |
| Volvo V70 R | ~$40,000 | ~$15,500 | ~39% | 300 hp sleeper; cheap to buy, though the best 6-speeds are now appreciating. |
| Mercedes E63 AMG Wagon (S211) | ~$86,000 | ~$33,000 | ~38% | 6.2 V8; deep depreciation makes it the bargain supercar-wagon — now stabilizing. |
What the curves show
Two cars barely depreciate at all. The C8 RS6 (~84%) and the W213 E63 S wagon (~89%) are the residual-value freaks — most six-figure cars shed a third of their value in three years; these have held nearly all of it, on scarcity and cult demand.
The middle is where the modern classics live. The CTS-V wagon and Magnum SRT8 fell for years, bottomed, and are climbing again — the manual CTS-V wagon now trades above its 2011 sticker. The S4 Avant and the two Volvos sit here too: attainable performance wagons that stayed cheap and are only now turning.
The bottom is the opportunity. The E55 and E63 (S211) and the V70 R are near their floors — an $86,000 AMG wagon for about a third of that, a supercharged E55 for E-Class money. Depreciation has done its worst; the best-kept, lowest-mileage examples are the ones starting to move.
Sources & methodology
Original MSRP figures are manufacturer / period pricing from Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds and manufacturer releases. Marked ~ where approximate: the RS6 is 2021 base MSRP (it rose to ~$126k by 2024); the E63 (S211) wagon is ~$86k (loaded); the V70 R launched between roughly $38,700 and $42,300 depending on source; the 850 T-5R wagon was $37,095 new.
Current values are approximate average sale prices from classic.com, which aggregates Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids and other auctions; the RS6 residual also draws on CarEdge and KBB. Two cars carry unusually wide spreads — the Volvo 850 T-5R and the Subaru Legacy GT wagon range widely with condition and transmission, so their figures are best treated as representative mid-market, not precise. Values move with mileage, condition and transmission — verify a specific car before buying or selling. This is market information, not financial advice.