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I mean, the depreciation hit you take once you drive it off the lot is crazy. Plus, you'll only find out if that model's on the low end in terms of build quality after a few years, regardless of manufacturer. I've had a 92 Toyota Camry that's at ~157k miles(Mom's car now), and I have a 81 VW Rabbit Diesel (346k miles), and a 82 Toyota flatbed pickup (250k miles), and they're all functionally well, even if they are a little worn around the edges. Especially the Rabbit, I think the car will literally fall apart around the drivetrain it's so beat up ;). Anyway, given that you could have the same car (not literally, but functionally speaking) for a fraction of the cost, why do you buy new, if you do?

I don't know what the prior person did to the car with a used car.

I haven't been able to justify buying a new car simply because I ended up with a whole lot more car for the money when I went used. That said, my priorities in a vehicle have changed a bit and I suspect that my next go-around might be a new car if the funds are available. (That won't be for quite some time, I hope.) This car has been great, and at 25k miles the drivetrain was practically as good as new when purchased. (Still no trouble at 40K, knock on wood!) However some little uglies have surfaced that make me wonder about its history. The paint was pretty well screwed up from sap, (though it was a good negotiating point at the time) and I realized down the road that the hood has a barely perceptible crease and misalignment, the origin of which I can't figure out. Minor accident? Falling limb? I'll never know. Fortunately I don't care, and it's a heck of a hypermiling machine for relative sportiness and comfort factor!

But, again, the next time I buy a car I'll probably looking at one of these great new "B Segment" vehicles like the Fit and Yaris, or at most a Civic or Corolla-sized vehicle. (The Fit would be great as long as they get the drivetrain sorted out for the next redesign.) My teen-aged fascination with gadgets and power is a thing of the past, putting my focus on vehicles that are inherently less expensive. If a great used one came up, then fine. But if the current trend keeps going I think that they will hold their value quite well, making a zero-mileage vehicle somewhat more appealing.

Hi Lyeinyoureye:

___You are right in most cases … Except for cars like the HCH-I, HCH-II, Prius I, and Prius II. Try and purchase one of those used and you practically pay what they cost new or in some cases more! Nobody here I hope would do that but I have seen it. Even Corolla’s and Civic’s are going for darn near top dollar and it is tough to swallow 3 or 4 thousand $ savings for a car 2 + years old driven like who knows how? Looking at used Focus’, Cavalier’s, Neon’s, SL’s or similar, now there is some real savings ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

The decision was easy the last two times - I was rear-ended. :o

The 1988 CRX HF died the day after it was hit from behind.

The 1986 CRX HF was very drivable after a hit from behind, but just did not want to bother with the repair.

That saying "watch your backside" seems to really apply to me. :D

Hi Chuck:

___Have you heard about the RR technique. It can do a lot more then just keep the tires out of the rain in the case of someone who has been rear ended more then once or twice ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

That is a good point.

For some of us however, it makes sense to buy a new vehicle instead of a used one.

In my case, because I keep my vehicles for a long time (my last one was a 1990 Civic LX) buying it new means that I absolutely know its history. I can account for everything that happened without any nasty surprises. Even the dealer noted that my 1990 Civic was well cared for despite its milleage - Heck they even had all its maintence history from day one.

In the end, I was able to trade it in for my new car for top dollar. Typically the more a vehicle changes hands the less it is worth- in part because of its unknown history (higher risk) and how the previous owners maintained it (if at all).

In any other scenarios I would agree that incurring the steep depreciation on a new vehicle just to keep it for a few years is not very wise financial move. :rolleyes:



MS

i too tend to keep my cars a long time.....hubby just put maybe $1000 into the 93 civic that i've had since it was new that year. and it just keeps running.

i like to buy new, because i know what i am getting, and i can get what i want. that said, i bought a new CRV in 2004. when the gas prices hit the roof a year later, i could not afford to use as much gas as it burned. i bought my 2005 HCH with a good trade-in on the CRV. and i more than doubled the mileage. that was important to me, and since i keep them forever, the depreciation ceases to become an issue.

also, i am spoiled and always get what i want :)

How does ridge riding protect you from getting rear-ended?
.
_H*

I buy a new car when the old one is all used up, ready for junk.
If it is 10 years old I buy, or when the age nickels or dimes me to death.
I've bought a new Grand Caravan to replace the 11 month old one which was totalled.

This is the first time I've lived so far from work (And work moved further away) and after 10 years my HCH will have +350miles. Another reason I'm very, very easy on it!

-Steve

Hi Hobbit:

___Try it sometime and watch your rear view. Those behind pull out and around from as far back as ½ mile back vs. 3 car lengths if you don’t. It works as I live by it in the Chicago area as well as everywhere else I have traveled in the last 3 years …

___Good Luck

___Wayne

For some of us however, it makes sense to buy a new vehicle instead of a used one.

In my case, because I keep my vehicles for a long time (my last one was a 1990 Civic LX) buying it new means that I absolutely know its history. I can account for everything that happened without any nasty surprises.

Agreed 100%. I've owned one new car and two used cars. My 1997 Civic HX I purchased new and have not had any unreasonable problems with it. Just the normal stuff, window regulators that only last 4-5 years, stock stereo sucks, new axles at 110,000 miles, and so on. Nothing you don't expect and consider normal wear.

The two used cars were a 1988 Civic DX, which within days of buying it, would run so hot that the check engine light came on. Fortunately I didn't care because I was planning to swap in a new engine anyway. I also bought a 2001 Honda S2000 that ended up having serious alignment issues due to a collision that was never recorded on any of the major vehicle history systems (carfax and the ebay motors history service). I spent over $2000 returning the S2000 to like-new condiditon, which is sad considering it was only 4 years old and had a mere 12,000 miles on it when I bought it.

I will never buy a used car again, if it can be at all avoided. The risk is too high of problems due to abuse and neglect.

Huh, if ridge riding works like that it says a lot about the psychology of driving. As for the whole new versus used, I can see buying new if you just don't have the time to work on the car, but considering the costs of fixing cars myself, I don't think I could justify it financially. Especially with the cost of rebuilt motors, transmissions, and ebay/junk yards for parts. Otoh, as was mentioned earlier, the hybrid and diesel markets are too hot to bother buying used given the risk, I've seen 25 year old low mileage (~100k) diesels go for $4-8k! I still wish I had the cash to by up a bunch of old vw diesels about five years ago, they've increased in value by a factor of 5-7 in the last few years... That's ROI. ;)

but, buying from ebay/junk yards is a risk in itself, let alone buying a used car. I would be worried that you may get a blown/broken/wrong/unusable part. Used cars don't usually have very honest sellers either. 'runs great' (except it needs the engine and tranny rebuilt) :p

the used 88 CRX DX that put out such great mileage on a recent trip, has succombed to the old car break down syndrome.

Before it left TX it got a new distributor.

Now, it has a new altenator, new battery, new main relay, new timing belt ... ran good for a day then it now has a short somewhere in it. It has killed one new altenator, replaced it, I think the new one is dead too. I hooked up a meter to it last night, battery was dead. Jumped it off, read at 15.5 then we were talking while she let her battery charge up, I noticed the lights went dim, checked the voltage 11.5 then it died. Unhooked the negative cable overnight, checked the volts it was still climbing but at about 11.5, touched the negative terminal to the post and the volts IMMEADIATELY dropped to 0. Something major suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I don't have the time or know-how to chase down this demon. Going to cost her 50/hr from an at home mechanic to trace the problem. Probably going to need to take the altenator out again and replace it (which is not fun on that car). Could be just about anything. (any suggestions would be helpful though)

As far as my car, I just take it in, get it fixed for free and move on (wish it was THAT easy, but close).

She has spent around $1000 in a couple weeks repairing the car, granted once all the bugs are worked out it will run superb (it did for that one day). I can make a couple payments with that money, and several more for the rest of the money she has invested such as purchase price, other things she has replaced (general maintenance, tires, etc. that were worn because it was used). I would say she has over $6-7000 and it isn't running, needs paint and body work, interior isn't pristine, etc. I am not downplaying the car at all, it is just a counterpoint to the used car is better/cheaper than new (overall yes, day to day no). It is all about perspective and luck (getting a one owner babied car).

To be honest, in the short term, it would have been much cheaper for me to buy another 2nd gen RX-7, and the driving experience is exponentially better. But, 20 mpg is less than half that of the Hybrid. Tires are more expensive by more than double, oil change @ 3000k or sooner, uses a quart around every 1000 miles due to injecting oil onto the apex seals in the combustion chamber for proper lubrication (or you can add a special oil to the gas tank, but at least it uses dino oil - much cheaper), some parts can be murderous in cost ... but in turn you feel one with the car sitting in the driver seat, it is something to experiece, especially the feel of the engine (smoothest around, except for the 20B 3-rotor in the Cosmos which is supreme), it's unique powerband.

I guess my point is, you really have to weigh out the personal value you see in each. New car reliability, fit, and finish = new car price. Used car ??? you never know ... but if you are getting something you are passionate for, then no problem in the world will deter your love.

The best example I have noticed is the wars between F-bodies (Camaro Zs and Firebird T/As) vs Mustangs. Each one thinks theirs is the best, fastest, etc. They will even go to a Honda/Acura board and troll saying their cars beat NSXs etc. They don't see past their passion - raw horsepower and torque. They don't know the quality of the inside is not up to par/outdated, that it is actually fun to the navigate twisties above 5 mph, or the slightest idea of what it is like to save fuel. It is why the advertisements bragging 28 mpg hwy impresses them. But, to each their own.

No matter what you get, new/used/foriegn/domestic, you have to LOVE it. A car is like a girlfriend, a long term investment that may cost a lot of money at times, but always worth it, but, if it gives you enough trouble, you have to know when to cut it loose and look for a new one ;)

I only buy new cars. I havent purchased a used one for myself in years.

Im having more problems with my newist round of new cars than Ive ever had with new cars. *(&^&@^%&*))(*^$^%#*^% Hondas

People are so hard on cars its not funny. Most are treated like rental cars. No way I want to purchase somebody else's problems. Ive found most folks get rid of a car because its a problem. Not because they tire of them or cant stand to drive them anymore.

I only buy new cars. I havent purchased a used one for myself in years.

Im having more problems with my newist round of new cars than Ive ever had with new cars. *(&^&@^%&*))(*^$^%#*^% Hondas

People are so hard on cars its not funny. Most are treated like rental cars. No way I want to purchase somebody else's problems. Ive found most folks get rid of a car because its a problem. Not because they tire of them or cant stand to drive them anymore.

i do see a lot of cars lately for sale that are obviously being dumped because they are mileage pigs.....pickups, campers, etc.

the question is, who buys them? if someone else does, it really never gets them out of the gas wasting cycle.......

I have never bought a new car in my entire driving life. This purchase was my first new car!

With my prior two cars (Fords), it made sense to buy 3 years used. The savings per car was about $10,000. I decided to buy a hybrid because if I could double my mileage from 22mpg to 44mpg, I'd save approximately $1,100 a year on fuel costs. I drive about 15,000 miles a year. When I looked at the used hybrid cars, I noticed that the prices were strikingly close to that of a brand spanking new hybrid car. After researching it a little more, I found out that the 2006 Prius was quite different from the 2005 and prior year models. They apparently did a lot of overhauling to increase mpg and decrease pollution output. Keeping that in mind, along with the unsubstantial price savings in buying used, and also not knowing how a used car was treated... I decided to buy new. I don't regret it!