Manufacturers sometimes score such a big model hit with consumers that they wish the magic would continue forever. But time marches on, and those OEMs eventually retire these iconic cars as they move in a different direction. Typically, a retired car soon becomes yesterday’s news and gradually fades from the picture, but the used market may not always want to let go. Vehicles like the enduringly popular Audi TT remain valuable in the used market across its full range, and this behavior also repeats elsewhere among German manufacturers in key segments. It seems the cars that hold their value best are the ones manufacturers have stopped building.
Audi’s Three Strongest Value Holders Are All Dead Coupes
Rear-quarter shot of a 2020 Audi TT-RS CoupeAudi
Specifications
2022 Audi TT RS
2026 BMW M2
Engine
2.5-liter turbo inline-five
3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six
Transmission
Seven-speed dual-clutch
Six-speed manual / eight-speed automatic
Drivetrain
AWD
RWD
Power
394 hp
473 hp
Torque
354 lb-ft
From 406 lb-ft
iSeeCars five-year retained value
67.8%
67.8%
In a study of iSeeCars’ current 2026 resale value rankings, Audi’s TT RS retained 67.8% of its value after five years, making it the strongest value holder in the company’s entire lineup. The TT RS wasn’t the only strong performer in the TT range either, as the regular TT Coupe scored 67.5% and the discontinued RS5 Coupe scored 67.4%. These three represent Audi’s strongest resale performers even though the company no longer sells these two-door cars in America.
Broadly, those retention figures represent about one-third of the cars’ original value over a five-year period in the projections. While that’s still depreciation, it’s quite low compared to other German luxury machinery.
Audi confirmed it would stop selling the TT RS in America after the 2022 model year, followed closely by the TT Coupe in 2023 and the RS5 Coupe in 2024. This effectively meant it was turning its back on this particular collection of compact and mid-sized performance coupes.
It’s also interesting to look at the depreciation for other Audis. The TTS, S5 Coupe, and A5 Coupe rank in fourth through sixth place. The result shows that Audi’s value-retention table is made up of a wall of two-door cars, not the crossover or sedan that typically dominate the modern luxury market.
The TT RS Had An Engine You Could Identify With Your Eyes Closed
Audi
Audi’s TT RS became an iconic car for many reasons, but one of its biggest draws was its five-cylinder engine. In its final US form, this 2.5-liter turbo unit produced 394 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. It came with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that sent the power through Quattro all-wheel drive. The coupe could hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, making it a serious performance car when new. The output is still quite potent today, but many people fall in love with the unit because of the sound it produces.
The engine’s 1-2-4-5-3 firing order produced an offbeat exhaust note once synonymous with Audi’s performance cars. That put this car among the few vehicles identifiable before you even saw them.
Meanwhile, the first US generation of TT RSs, sold between 2011 and 2013, also came exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission, and that certainly pleased enthusiasts. About 1,200 of those went on sale over the two model years, and the gearbox was the last manual transmission Audi would offer on an RS model.
For the final US model year, Audi also celebrated the model with the 2022 TT RS Heritage Edition. The automaker only offered 50 of them, split equally among five color combinations that reflected Audi’s past. The Heritage Edition gave the outgoing model a factory-built collector special to celebrate its departure.
The BMW M2 Shows That This Is Bigger Than Audi
2018 BMW M2 front 3/4BMW
It’s a clear sign the market loves small, fast German cars, and BMW’s smallest M car also holds its value particularly well. iSeeCars says the M2 should keep 67.8% of its value after five years, essentially the same as the TT RS. This is BMW’s number one model for resale value, and the M4 Coupe follows at 64.5%, with the 2 Series Coupe at 63.6%. This means BMW’s table looks a lot like Audi’s, as its strongest value holders are compact, focused two-door cars.
However, the BMW M2 and the Audi TT RS are still quite different machines. The current 2026 M2 features a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six generating 473 hp. Shoppers can choose a six-speed manual and rear-wheel drive, and the engine generates 406 lb-ft of torque while getting to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds with the manual RWD configuration. It also offers an optional eight-speed automatic, which boosts peak torque to 443 lb-ft and cuts the 0-60 mph estimate to 3.9 seconds.
The TT RS has a smaller turbo five-cylinder engine, all-wheel drive, and a dual-clutch transmission; by contrast, the BMW M2 is a more traditional rear-wheel-drive machine. Crucially, neither feels like a generic luxury product that just happens to have a bigger engine.
Sports Cars Keep Beating The Depreciation Curve
Porsche 718 Cayman S front driving viewPorsche
Evidence shows that focused performance cars are unusually resilient on the used market anyway. iSeeCars conducted a separate study in early 2026 covering more than 950,000 five-year-old used vehicles that went on sale between March 2025 and February 2026. Across the market, the typical vehicle retained 58.2% of its value, for an average depreciation rate of 41.8%.
But for performance cars, the picture is much brighter. For example, the Porsche 718 Cayman topped the list with just 9.6% depreciation after five years, while the Porsche 911 was at 11.1% and the Chevrolet Corvette at 18.7%. Some of the vehicles with the lowest depreciation included the Subaru BRZ, Ford Mustang, Mazda MX-5 Miata, and Toyota GR Supra as sports cars or performance-oriented coupes.
However, the same study also shows that depreciation can be rather nasty. Electric vehicles took the biggest hit collectively, with an average 57.2% five-year loss, compared with 41.8% across the overall market. Luxury vehicles also tended to be toward the bottom of the list, especially when they were both electric and luxury.
Sadly, a resale-value projections study suggests the current BMW i7 model will depreciate 73.6% after five years, leaving 26.4% of its original value. Even though such a vehicle has far more technology than a TT RS and costs much more new, it seems far less desirable to a second owner.
Audi Still Has The Five-Cylinder But Not Another TT RS
2026 Audi RS 3 Sportback competition limited Special EditionAudi
Those who fell in love with the engine aboard the TT RS should be pleased to know that the company still sells the RS3 sedan in the US, fitted with that 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five cylinder. This application produces 394 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque and comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive.
The engine survives, but the surrounding package doesn’t. After all, the RS3 is a four-door sedan, versus the tiny two-door coupe configuration that epitomized the TT RS. And while Audi hasn’t abandoned performance per se, its showroom has definitely lost many of the coupes that once gave the brand its enthusiast edge. The R8 also disappeared in 2023, ending the production run of this naturally aspirated V10 flagship.
Many factors dictate why a particular vehicle retains value in the open market, and limited supply alone doesn’t guarantee collectibility. But when you combine disappearing supply with an engine people recognize, some real performance, distinctive styling, and an iconic nameplate, the market often perks up. And the Audi TT RS has all of these ingredients in spades, while many used luxury cars simply wish that they did.
Sources: Audi, BMW, iSeeCars
