Reference models: what our archive pages are and are not

Models that can no longer be ordered new keep a spec reference page with us. That is deliberately a reference work, not a sales channel. This guide explains what such a page does and does not do, and why that distinction exists.

What a reference page is

For a discontinued model we show the same kind of structured data as for a current model: dimensions, VDA boot capacity, WLTP consumption or range, braked towing weight and the mass figures, all per variant and with the source attached (factory figure/type approval, RDW register, and aggregated owner reviews where available). The aim is reference: looking up a variant from an earlier model year, comparing specifications with a current model, or testing a term against a concrete example.

A few concrete use cases. You want to know whether a variant from an older model year had a higher braked towing weight than the current one; you compare the WLTP consumption of a phased-out diesel variant with a current hybrid; or you check what VDA boot capacity an earlier generation of the same model stated. Those are reference questions, not buying questions. The figures on such a page remain the figures as they applied at the time, with a reference date, so you can place them against a current figure that was derived under a different test standard or regulation.

What is deliberately missing

A reference page has no commerce CTA. Concretely that means:

• No buy button or affiliate deeplink. Currently-orderable models get an affiliate link per model; discontinued models do not. The page does not refer on to a sales channel.
• No individual offers or used-car prices. We are a specs catalogue, not a listings aggregator. You find no advertisements, asking prices or a used-car search here.
• No lead form for lease, financing or insurance, and no referral to a lead aggregator. That is a deliberate line, not a missing feature.
• No residual-value forecast as a sales argument. Value retention is often set to n.b.; see the separate guide on why.
• No “is this a good used car” verdict. We describe and quantify the specs; the judgement remains the reader’s. That follows the same line as with all rating categories.

Why this distinction

The site is a specs catalogue with tools and reviews, not a point of sale and not an intermediary. For discontinued models a price or offer element would push the page towards a used-car funnel, and that is exactly what we are not. The reference page therefore stays on the facts: what the variant was according to the figure, with source and reference date, so you can look it up and compare. If a reliable variant-specific figure is missing, it states n.b. instead of an estimate.

For data maintenance this means a discontinued model does not disappear when it leaves the sales programme. The page stays up, with a clear status that the model can no longer be ordered new, and remains fed with the same source types as an active model: factory figure and type approval for the hard specs, RDW/KBA for registration and recall data, and aggregated owner reviews for the real-world picture, each labelled and dated. What is missing or no longer verifiable stays n.b.; we do not fill gaps with borrowed or rounded figures to make a page look more complete.

What this means for the reader in practice

If you reach a reference page via a search query, you find no price list and no “view offer” button there, but you do find the structured specs to place the model. If you want to compare with something that can still be ordered, you can put the discontinued variant next to a current model in the comparator; the difference in commerce treatment (affiliate deeplink or not) changes nothing about the spec data you see side by side. For used-car prices, asking prices or availability we refer nowhere, because that falls outside the catalogue. The page answers spec questions, not market or buying questions.

Reference, not a buying or used-car channel. The specifications shown are factory or registration figures with source and date, not an offer.

Continue with the data: look at a model page with the source lines, search precisely via the search engine with filters, put variants side by side in the comparator or read the guide reading residual value.