It depends what you mean by crash. High-performance models aside, almost every new car goes through a period of depreciation in value from the moment it leaves the showroom and only picks up again when it starts to be appreciated as an up and coming classic. Indeed, the cars that lose the most value are often huge, gadget loaded, luxobarges - think of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or BMW 7 Series - the fourth generation of the latter had prices starting at £57k in 2002 but can now be picked up for £7k in the classifieds. I'd say that it's this end of the market that experiences the biggest 'crash'. What about the MGF? Well, it was launched at a time when the Rover Group was going through a difficult period with ownership moving from British Aerospace to BMW and finally to the Phoenix Consortium. The mid-engine design means that maintenance is often neglected because the engine is hard to reach. The car was fitted with the K-series engine, which has a reputation for overheating (although specialists have been able to work around this with steel head gaskets and improved head studs). And despite offering good roadholding, the unconventional Hydragas suspension put people off and was replaced by springs and shocks with the MG TF. MGFs also had build quality issues. Finally, the car was simply outclassed by the Mazda MX-5 All of these factors have weighed the car down and kept prices low - something that goes hand in hand with the many poor examples out there. That said, you can get MGFs on a classic policy, there is great club and parts support, and if buy one from a specialist and you'll pay upwards of £3k. Are they good value for money? Absolutely - as long as you buy a good one, budget for repairs and rustproof it.