New car vs Used car

Cherry Brigand

Cherry Brigand

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Typically you hear that buying a new car is a fools errand due to the immediate depreciation hit.
My counter to that is that I drive cars until they are no longer driveable so depreciation doesn't matter.

My biggest concern with buying a used car is that I do not trust most folks to have properly cared for their cars. So what if a used car only has 30k miles on it and I save 5k? How badly was it abused during that time?

I take really good care of my cars....so buying used seems very risky. Thoughts?
 
The moment you drive a new car off the lot it practically loses 10-20% of its value.

The risk of buying used is far lower than that 10-20% drop.
 
Used. Certified preowned if the vehicle is for the wife.
 
Buy a used Toyota and be done with it.
Very little maintenance and you can get them
when depreciation has already happened and miles are low. Drive it till 250k plus.
 
Bro, just go and buy a new Ferrari. You’re welcome.
 
It really depends on whether or not you can afford to buy a new car with no regard to resale value. Most people buy cars knowing that they are probably going to sell it once it's paid off. Depreciation is a real bitch. But if you plan to drive a car until the wheels fall off, and you're financially able to do so and buy a new car 10-15 years later, you might as well buy new.

Used cars are always a gamble, but you should always ALWAYS take a used car (whether it has 2k miles or 200k) to a trusted mechanic to do an inspection. Don't trust the "certified pre-owned 71842 point inspection" shit. If a dealer (or private seller) won't let you take it to a mechanic, it's a red flag.

Some dealerships have that as a policy; You can't take a care to a mechanic. They usually reason that they do their own inspections on vehicles, but their main motivation is to sell a car, not insure the car is in perfect condition.

Don't deal with those dealerships if you go used. If they say no, walk away. If it's a car you really wanted, they will call you in a few days and begrudgingly let you take it for the inspection.
 
We have one company car that's brand new and one used car, I don't think I'd ever buy completely new. My father in law is a mechanic so what the family does is whenever they feel like they need a car they send him to an auction to kick some tires and then he tells them what to buy. Then baby that car for 3-5 years and sell it before something goes wrong. Our used car is a 2001 Acura that he told us to buy. We bought it for 2500 and have been driving it for 5 years now. I love driving that thing more than our new one and I think I'll drive it until it falls apart.
 
Cherry Brigand said:
Typically you hear that buying a new car is a fools errand due to the immediate depreciation hit.
My counter to that is that I drive cars until they are no longer driveable so depreciation doesn't matter.

My biggest concern with buying a used car is that I do not trust most folks to have properly cared for their cars. So what if a used car only has 30k miles on it and I save 5k? How badly was it abused during that time?

I take really good care of my cars....so buying used seems very risky. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Join an enthusiast forum for the car you're interested in and check their classifieds. You're gonna find meticulously cared for examples with deep service histories documenting everything. Even if the car was driven hard and tracked, I would prefer it over something on a dealer's lot with no service records.

You're shit out of luck if it's a car without an enthusiast base though.
 
I have to assume if you think a car with 30k miles on it will only be $5 less than new, you haven't actually priced new and used cars yet.
 
My last car was a used car and it was a pain in my ass for almost a decade, my current car was brand new and I have to say is a whole different world.
 
Cherry Brigand said:
My counter to that is that I drive cars until they are no longer driveable so depreciation doesn't matter
Click to expand...
That's the beginning and end of it for me. I plan on driving it until the wheels fall off, so new.
 
Cherry Brigand said:
Typically you hear that buying a new car is a fools errand due to the immediate depreciation hit.
My counter to that is that I drive cars until they are no longer driveable so depreciation doesn't matter.

My biggest concern with buying a used car is that I do not trust most folks to have properly cared for their cars. So what if a used car only has 30k miles on it and I save 5k? How badly was it abused during that time?

I take really good care of my cars....so buying used seems very risky. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Common sense comes into play. If you are looking at used cars, if the pictures of the car are in a wealthy neighborhood and the car is parked at a house with a well maintained lawn and house.......buy the car. The pictures show the person has the financial means to maintain the car, and they are doing so with their house.

If the person lives at an apartment building and the car is street parked.......be more cautious. You can also ask for service history to make sure the car has had oil changes on schedule etc.

I bought a Lexus from a guy that looked and acted like MR. Rodgers, not a hair out of place and the guys house looked insane. The LS400 had 100k on it and he was buying a brand new LS430.

Sure enough the car was absolutely MINT.

I bought a BMW 540I M-Sport from some guy who lived in an apartment building in a depressed area. I paid bottom dollar, but the car had lots of hidden problems from lack of maintenance. I should have steered clear.

CLIFFS: Only buy a used car from a rich middle aged+ guy with a well maintained lawn and house.
 
I agree with the person who said if you're going used get a Toyota with like 10-25k miles on it. They usually have the highest resale value especially 4Runners and Tacomas. Got me a Corolla with about 17k miles on it back in September. Almost went and got a brand new Jeep but almost everyone in Mayberry told me to go with a slightly used Toyota or Honda.

First car I ever had was a 97 Corolla and it drove like a dream for over 160k miles. Other than basic maintenance I had no issues with the car just needed something a little bigger and more up to date. It was a perfect car for someone on a budget or a new teenage driver who I ended up selling it to.
 
I'd rather buy 15 pos cars for $30k instead of 1 brand new car for $30k.
 
If you're not a car guy but like cars with reasonable economy i'd buy or lease..

If you wan't to go from a to b.. buy a well maintained, used toyota..
 
If you buy a used car off of a lease that’s cpo, you generally can’t go wrong. With that being said, if you’re into lower end cars, you can get into a new lease every 3 years with very little money down and never have to worry about maintenance
 
Possible abuse by former owner is a valid concern for buying anything used.

I don't buy used video game cartridges in case someone opened it up and put some malware something or other in there. I have bought several used discs and thoroughly washed and saniwiped.
 
I bought a 3 year old honda with 20k miles on it for 14 gs. Would have cost 25gs new. Gave up 20k miles for 11 grand.
 
mjmj said:
I have to assume if you think a car with 30k miles on it will only be $5k less than new, you haven't actually priced new and used cars yet.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

Only way it's going to be 5k less at 30k miles is if it's an entry level car. If that's the case then that makes it worst since 5k is like 25-30% of the value of the car (you can't brush 5k off like it's nothing when the car only cost 18k, that's a big ass difference)
 
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