Another one of my points proven...

[Mark72]

I posted a while back about how much a ripoff it is to buy new vehicles. Here's what the averages show proving that a person can spend far less over the coruse of a year if they keep driving their old cars. Maintanence costs are much lower than having a monthly car payment.

article link

 

[willix]

Some folks need comfort of reliability of a new car that is absent on an older car. Stuff wears out and its a safety concern to be at the side of road the interstate or anywhere. Pay the bank & drive or pay the mechanic & wait for a inflated repair bill.

 

[daman]

I bought only one new car in my life and i'll never do it again.

 

[sciphi]

Right now at this moment in time the deals on new cars are really good. And the used market is poor. I'd say buy new today if your car needed replacing.

 

[tom slick]

If you study machine reliability curves they look like a bathtub; least reliable at the beginning and end of their lives, most reliable during the middle. New vehicles being most reliable are a fallacy, you're **paying** for a "free" warranty, no stains on the interior, and new car smell.

I'd rather buy a used car that's just old enough for the original owner to take advantage of the "free" repair visits to get the bugs out and eating the steepest part depreciation.

There are many good reasons to buy new cars, economy is not one of them.

 

[KrisZ]

If you buy new and own the car until it's usefull life is almost over, about 15 years or untill major components start failing, then it's a wash IMO.

The problem is that most people will buy new and trade in at about 5 years or when the warranty expires, this scenerio will always cost more then if you bought 2-3 year old car and still used it for 5 years, but people justify cost differently and what makes sense to one will be ridiculed by others.

 

[expat]

I agree with tom, I have seen new vehicles to be most problematic in the first 6 months to a year. After that, they seem to be trouble free for 3 to 5 years until 'wear parts' start to require attention.
Unless the vehicle is a Lemon, you should not 'Hit the wall' in repair costs until it's 10 to 13 years old (even then it could be a serviceable beater!)
If you are a home mechanic to any degree, it makes even less sense (finacally) to buy new.

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
If you buy new and own the car until it's usefull life is almost over, about 15 years or untill major components start failing, then it's a wash IMO.


That's what I do; the previous new car I bought I drove over 300,000 miles and I'm well on my way with the current one.

 

[IndyIan]

We bought the Tracker new, believe it or not MSRP was $23k for a barebones model back in the early 2000's. Buying one for that price would've made me physically ill, but at the end of the 4 cyl production we got $8500 in discounts which put the price into 2-3 year old used territory. So we bought new.
I don't think we'll buy new again unless its another 1/3 off sale. Warranty is nice but we didn't use it.

 

[sciphi]

If you can fix what's broken, it's sensible to buy a 2-3 year old car and get a decade out of it, then repeat.

Getting rid of a fairly new car (4-6 years old) makes no sense to me. It's always cheaper to drive the car until there's something majorly wrong with it, and it's not worth fixing.

Right now at this moment, I'd still buy new and drive it for 10+ years since the deals on new cars are excellent, while used cars are commanding outrageous prices. Example: A 2008 Honda Fit Sport with 30k miles was selling for $15,500. My fiancee bought a then-new 2009 Fit Sport for $15,900 before taxes. She's put 20k miles on it. The 08 would now have 50k miles, while her 09 has 20k miles. It made better sense to buy new, in that specific case.

 

[daves87rs]

I'll still get a new car, but onlt because I'm in the cheaper market (compact car). Along with the fact that I will bring a decent down payment with me.

My wife has already decided that she would rather have a used car. She would rather see the money saved go toward vacations and things to that nature....which is fine with me.

 

[Scooter_man]

Originally Posted By: willix
Some folks need comfort of reliability of a new car that is absent on an older car.


I see just as many - if not more - newer cars broke down 'on the side of the road' than I do older ones. When you commute daily (like I used to) you notice things like this.

Rob

 

[panthermike]

I see the opposite in my area, with the exception of Ford 6.0's.

 

[friendly_jacek]

I agree in principle, but the problem with buying 1-2 year oil car that you can get a lemon.

 

[Nick R]

I'd still get a new car just because I'd like to have a brand new car, that has been mine since new.

 

[SteveSRT8]

same here. Every once in a while if something really works for me I want that feeling that only new gives!

That said, my last new truck has 120k miles on it.

 

[willix]

That can be very true that new cars will have issues but- the dealer will be obligated to do correction under warranty. wheather those repairs takes place without defense is another story. When buying a new car you assume it will be trouble free and have a right to it being trouble free. A new car is trouble free most all the time.

 

[mechtech2]

There have been some astounding car deals - at least really good.
It's can be great to buy new.
But I strongly lean towards high maintenance and keeping it like new.
Long term, starting new and keeping it that way is best.

 

[Spector]

No one seems to ask why the replacement. If a huge repair and car is over 10 years kind of a no brainer. But other then engine demolished and or transmission needs rebuilding IMO it is always less expensive to repair and keep it in good shape then to buy either a new one or a replacement.

Plus, if you have to have car payments it becomes very difficult to save money and one gets into the mindset that hey, the car payment is the same so let's get a new one. With that mindset one never gets out of debt, one just keeps making car payments for life.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

averages show proving that a person can spend far less over the coruse of a year if they keep driving their old cars. Maintanence costs are much lower than having a monthly car payment.

article link [/quote]

How does that prove anything?

Each person has to weigh the benefits of purchasing new or used. For some people purchasing new is a better idea, for others a used vehicle is acceptable.

If it's not your money they're spending, why do you really care if someone chooses to purchase a new vehicle rather than used?

On a side note, I've paid cash for my new cars since the 1970's. I've often kept them beyond their normal service life, and with the deep discounts dealers (at least mine) are willing to extend to a "write a check now" buyer most of my vehicles have been pretty cheap to own and operate. I've never run the numbers, but I suspect that spreading my up front costs over the life of the car, including repairs and insurance discounts (no collision after 4 years) I'm probably as cheap per month with my new vehicles as you are with used.