Ever worth getting a new car?

SLITHER99

andygb wrote: »

Is this a realistic aim - to keep a car for life?
How long is "life" going to be, given that Vauxhall seem to think that it is 100K miles/10 years?
Other manufacturers may differ in their estimations.

Realistically, yes! My fiesta is still running today. I can see that somebody is insuring it and taxing it via the usual means; so yes there's no reason you couldn't run a car for 12 years+ if you maintain it.

@steve-l: there are some benefits to owning a new car. For one, there's spec'ing it yourself. For two, there's the peace of mind that you know it hasn't been ragged since new. Hire cars, rep cars, salesman's cars, you can near enough guarantee that as they're someone else's money, there's been no question they've been treated like c.rap from 0 miles. With a new car, you know the history. Maybe it's just me being pedantic, but I don't think new cars are a terrible idea - provided you're getting something you WANT and getting something you intend to keep for a LONG time.

motorguy

nicknameless wrote: »

No. Never. No.

Nonsense.

Very often it can work out cheaper to buy say a BMW new than to buy a pre-reg or ex demo.

Depends on what you're buying, when you're buying it, and how you're paying for it.

motorguy

steve-L wrote: »

What is SO nice about a new car? 3 months later its a 3 month old car. At the end of 2 yrs its a 2 yr old one which you have paid through the teeth for. Businesses aside (as this is a tax thing)

There are some advantages to NEW but in reality you pay through the nose for a semi peace-of-mind.
OK you get warranty .... but if the manufacturer is doing their job half right then why would this be needed?

Sorry, but this is very narrow minded.

There are very valid reasons to buy new and it can work in the buyers favour. Very often there are incentivised deals on new cars that simply arent available on used cars, which can easily offset any saving based on buying an exdemo for example or a prereg.

Also, in reality, only a very few people keep a car for its lifetime.

Most change their car every couple or three years

steve-L

pgilc1 wrote: »

Sorry, but this is very narrow minded.

There are very valid reasons to buy new and it can work in the buyers favour. Very often there are incentivised deals on new cars that simply arent available on used cars, which can easily offset any saving based on buying an exdemo for example or a prereg.

OK.... but the point of the thread is what are they?
(I wasn't actually muddying the water in terms of ex-demo or pre-reg, but it would probably be good to see examples)

Also, in reality, only a very few people keep a car for its lifetime.

Most change their car every couple or three years

Is more the point I was making...
Retiree's (in my experience, and being at a stage in life where I know more and more) tend to (for obvious reasons) discount this.

Purely from experience of friends and relatives: they INTEND to keep the car for life and then it goes past the 3 yrs and they are then unable to renew the cycle....

My old neighbours (who are also informally adoptive grandparents) did just that and they bought a reliable Japanese compact new.
Adoptive grandad has been lamenting the "new" car for a while now. Indeed, every time I give him a lift he misses having a 'real car' and the new car no longer is new.

It's no longer new ... indeed it's no longer worth much as PX...
Adoptive grandad just had a minor stroke and adoptive grandma (previously not driving) just had a new knee (not ex-demo)....

The manual could do with being an auto (left knee replaced)... but now they have a car worth little on PX because they presumed they would use it until neither of them could drive or they both died.

victor2

I have bought a number of cars around 1 or 2 years old from main dealers. I paid a LOT less than the new price and either got the dealer warranty or the remainder of the manufacturer warranty on it. It feels like a new car after a dealer has prepared it.
You just have to be patient and wait until a car of the right spec (and colour for the OH!) becomes available. I've often ended up with extra toys I would never have paid for, but have really appreciated.
Most major dealers or manufacturers have websites where you can give your criteria for a used model and they tell you what matches.

steve-L

It feels like a new car after a dealer has prepared it.

Not being critical or funny but honestly, so does a GOOD 5yr old one.

Its amazing in both directions - i.e. what a good valet and polish can do with a 5yr old and how quickly a new car no longer feels new.

In other words its amazing how much is cosmetic.

(My BMW is a bit older and actually 120k miles but still I'd challenge anyone to say it didn't DRIVE like new).
After a real thorough clean, shampoo the leather and use gliptone (restores new leather smell) conditioner then redo dash with the 'new car smell spray) etc. its amazing what that does.

OK, the previous owner wore a ring and you can see scratches on the gearstick.... (but could change for £30 on ebay) ... and of you look REALLY closely you can see one of the rear panels has had a scratch touched up....

Please note: I don't do this that often.... last time I did (end of summer and wanted to give the seats a last condition after summer and the kid had puked in the car) so I vacuumed and polished as well (lazy Sunday, nice weather).

One of my employees has been looking for a 'NEW' car and had heard I had bought a 'new' car and missed the fact it was used.

After a meeting I dropped her off at the station.
A week or so later she was asking me about NEW car's and I said I had only had one ever and that was a company car years ago.... so she asked about my NEW car and I explained it wasn't NEW, just new to me....

To me its obviously not NEW as the model is a previous model and has a 56 plate.... but she presumed (new leather and dash smell) it was a couple of months old????

Given its a 56 plate and 120k miles it kinda illustrates how much 'NEW' is in the polish and smell and equally, how quickly that disappears. I'm sure a 3yr old with 30k would be even 'newer'....

[Deleted User]

I spent nearly £500 on repairs on my 11 year old car last year.

ddebski_us

CKhalvashi wrote: »

If you're referring to my thread, we worked out that in this case, a 3.5 petrol Merc Cabrio was cheaper and just as practical over 5 years than a Passat 1.6 TDi estate in the circumstances that the owner drives.

If she was doing more miles than she is, it would be the other way around, so this needs to play into consideration here, too.



Take a look on Arnold Clark's website, as we've had a number of vehicles from them over the years. Just going 6 months older can give you a better spec; compare this to this.

For £10k, have you considered that you could be driving this, this, this or this?

If you have kids, you could be driving this or this.

I think you get the message.

These have taken me 2 minutes to find (and no, I don't work for them), but they're a very difficult company to beat!

CK

Thank you for these, but I don't intend to buy bigger than I need just because it's not much more expensive and will cost me more to run - I intend to buy what I can afford to run and need, which will be something small like a Fiesta.

Carcluster

It's now really competitive in the car market - many brands are really struggling, so you can get good deals and if not buying new, then longer warranties are taking the worry out of that. Also on the same tack - quality is a major objective over the past few years, so the "old banger cliche" is less apt. That said, of course sometimes you do get a nightmare, especially with all of the electrics and sealed components.

Buy new if you REALLY want that model - it many be just-released so no used market exists.
Cash (full-payment) will always help, too.
If you want to look after it and keep it long term and want to know where it's been all its life, then again new might be a good option.

I used to get a car allowance from work and bough new, because it does feel good, but now it's my own money - I just bought an 18month old (from a dealer with full service history). That will be the plan again in a year or so.

skivenov

vikingaero wrote: »

Many MSE'ers bang on about their £500 bangers that they service themselves and fix every fault. Well hello, not every has the time or knowledge to do so.

I wouldn't totally agree there. Say it takes you an hour to drive to your local dealers to take a car for a service, book it in and pick up your courtesy car, then the same to go pay and pick it up, there's a lot you can get done in a couple of hours on a car.

I've taught 14-17 year olds how to jack and support cars, change wheels, oil, batteries, test and replace fuses, check brakes over, change pads, bleed brakes. Yeah, some stuff ain't easy, but most routine maintanence is fairly straightforward so long as you're prepared to think things through, be thorough and get your hands dirty (or wear gloves).

You don't have to buy a new car to have a warranty, you can transfer the warranty on a new-ish car, or buy a warranty of an independant company for an older car.

I know it's arbitary data, but I drive a lot of miles, all over the country, and most of the cars I see broken down aren't old wrecks by a very, very long way.