Car resale depends heavily on the make, model, and price, and quality sometimes seems to be irrelevant. Some cars that people think must have good resale value are merely average, like some Porsche models, even though they are built like tanks and have far better materials quality than any GM (a 3-year-old Boxster S is a fantastic value). The resale of some makes just absolutely plummets – like Maserati.
Buying after the initial depreciation hit, but when a good portion of the warranty is intact, is a smart thing to do with family cars. Bad idea with performance cars, though, because it’s important to know where they’ve been. A bad tune on a turbo’d car could (for example) bend a rod, which could create a new skylight in your motor at any moment, even if it’s just idling in the driveway. Imagine buying an almost-new $45k 335i and having the engine commit suicide, only to have the dealer tell you it’s not covered under warranty because the ECU has been reprogrammed.
