Is buying a "NEW" car so bad? :(

quoia

Personally the only new car I'd ever have is one provided by my company and that is their choice..
As for my own private one I ONLY EVER buy secondhand.

No matter what price you pay for it, it loses about 20% of its value as soon as you drive it out of the showroom and definitely by the time of the 1st (1500 mile ?) service.

So what price have you been quoted for this Civic Type S ?

golly99

Hi there

Good choice of car! I've been in the market for a car, been looking at the new Civic for a while now. Had a go in petrol 1.8 and 2.2 Diesel, for me no comparison, 2.2 Diesel everytime, performance brill in it and would choose it even if I wasn't doing many miles to be honest. There are a few 2nd hand examples coming on the market, but if you're after a Type S then you're pretty much gotta buy new at the mo with it being so new.

There are problems with the new Civic, boots not opening, petrol caps not opening etc, but this is normal with any brand new car. I'm going to wait until the prices come down for a 2nd hand Diesel, but here's a great forum you'll find useful...tell them golly sent you!

http://www.civinfo.com/

There's loads of info from owners, there's also a Type S review and some people have also said what sort of discounts they have got...so very useful site!

Any other questions, please ask...

JasonLVC

I've only ever used to buy nearly new as the cost differences are big - but again, not likely to happen with your choice of car. But now I rent.

Have you tried lease hire?. Doing a search on https://www.contracthireandleasing.com - Type S and R Civics new shape are about £250+ VAT p/month = £293.75 per month based on 10k per annum. Extra miles cost about 6p per mile so even if you did 15k per year it would only cost you an extra £25 p/month (0.06 x 5,000).

This way, you get brand new 07 plate in March, be first on the block and at the end of the contract just walk away. This way you don;t get the hassle of depreciation and can change in two years to something else.

manda1205

Personally I'd never buy brand new, what a waste of money, as quoia said you lose about 20% as soon as you drive it out. I know my opinion is prob not valid as I'm a "girl" but my dad and OH are mechanics and I have picked up some knowledge. I stick to my trusty old fords, M reg at the moment and planning to get an older one.

Clowance

chuckles1066 wrote:

Never, ever, buy second hand...............British motorists are so !!!!poor, you'll be buying a lemon.

Totally disagree, have always had second hand cars usually several years old and seldom much bother.
My tip is buy private (not any kind of garage), get a reliable make (check which magazine for these) ; pay less and look on the saving which should be at least a couple of grand on book price as money towards any repairs you may need. I have never needed to pay much at all, max a few hundred soon after buying a car. Last car an R reg VW passat, no repairs at all, have had it two years plus now and its sweet. Paid 2700 for it private, beat that for low depreciation, even if its now worth nothing (and it isnt).

However if OP needs a particular car which is not available secondhand, they will have to put up with the thousands a year depreciation, and the niggles which mean new cars have to keep going back to the garage to be sorted out.

tomstickland

The trouble with buying a new car is that its value instantly nosedives the second you drive it out of the dealership. It's not uncommon for cars to have halved in value in the first few years.

A lot depends on what you want; some people like new cars because the value knowing the history of the car. Personally I don't care at all; I'd never buy a brand new car. In my opinion they are so reliable and easy to fix that it makes sense to buy them old. Actually, the newest car I've ever owned was 9 years old, and even that seems low compared with my current 16 year old car (1991 BMW). I've done 20K every year for the last 10 years and not had any problems.

Never, ever, buy second hand...............

If you like spending money.

The other thing to consider is that the new Civic might be good, but is it really that good? It's another front wheel drive modern hatch, not much different from a Golf, Focus, Astra, whatever. I'd prefer Honda over the other big names, but what makes the new Civic so good that you have to buy a new one? Being realistic, not very much I'd say.

Remember that the car industry and the media that go with it are dedicated to the cause of telling you that new is good. The business model depends on continuously shifting new product and the job of the media is to keep telling you that the new model is better than the previous one.

ReHaB_2

JasonLVC wrote:

I've only ever used to buy nearly new as the cost differences are big - but again, not likely to happen with your choice of car. But now I rent.

Have you tried lease hire?. Doing a search on https://www.contracthireandleasing.co.uk - Type S and R Civics new shape are about £250+ VAT p/month = £293.75 per month based on 10k per annum. Extra miles cost about 6p per mile so even if you did 15k per year it would only cost you an extra £25 p/month (0.06 x 5,000).

This way, you get brand new 07 plate in March, be first on the block and at the end of the contract just walk away. This way you don;t get the hassle of depreciation and can change in two years to something else.

Should be .com on the end of that link.

OK_Sauce

I could/would never buy a brand new car. I have bought my last 4 cars from auctions. Never had a dud - if bought carefully. Currently I drive a Volvo S80. It's fully loaded too. It was 3 years old when I bought it. Would have cost over 25K new, garage prices were about 10 - 12K at the time, privately would have been 9 - 11K. I picked it up for 6.5K!:D
Cars I look at going through auction tend to be 2 or 3 year old ex-lease cars. Normally fully serviced/stamped, with a ONE DAY warrantee! - Should give you just enough time to get an AA/RAC inspection if you're worried.

If you do want to buy a new car check out www.honestjohn.co.uk. A very useful site for all things car related including internet price comparisons.

JasonLVC

Thanks Rehab, web address amended.