Except if you kept it in storage until the amount equals that loss then not only have you lost the loss, but also all that money in storage costs too. Depends on how you utilised the money now. The loss/money you spent on the car is a sunk cost, can't do anything about that now, but what you're dealing with atm is the opportunity cost of keeping it in storage, vs utilising that extra cash for something else, whether that be fun or investment. If you used it for investment then surely you'd catch up compared to the loss you'd make either way.