buying a car 3 years old or brand new

missile

barrymung wrote: »

Road safety statistics suggest it's down the the weight of the car, rather than the age.

As new cars are generally heavier than older ones the statistics are gerrting skewed.

A 20 year old Beemer, well maintained, will be safer than a modern day Smart car.

I don't think you are correct, I am more inclined to believe the crash test statistics. I remember the old Range Rover did not fair well on the Top Gear tests. I would suggest that a new car will handle better and have better brakes than a 20 year old tank.

Your analogy is flawed. I would feel safer in a new smart car than an old mini

darich

loates123 wrote: »

over 3 years would a 3 year old car save u much more money than buying a brand new one?

i mean for a example
you can buy a brand new golf from motorpoint
for 16300 5 door 2.0 gt sport tdi

the older 3 year old models 2nd hand sell for around 12000

so in them 3 years the golf loses 4300

would the 2nd hand golf lose more than 4300 after 3 years?

Something not right with your numbers here.
No car loses that little in it's first 3 years. So if the prices you quote are true, then the models are not like for like.
Check out whatcar's depeciation index
The model you mention loses around £9000 in the first 3 years. I know Whatcar quote a higher purchase price but you'll find that the huge majority of cars have lost around 50% of their value in the first 3 years.

A car is considered a low depreciator if it's worth close to 60% of it's original purchase price when 3 years old.

darich

Barrymung and Missile

You're both right and both wrong.
I think it would depend on the type of crash/impact the car is involved in so a blanket statement that a 20yo BMW is safer than a smart car is wrong if it's a 20mph shunt. The smart car's airbags etc deploy and save you from a face full of steering wheel - not so in the BMW.
However, if you're whacked by a truck then the heavier car will have more momentum and less likely to be simply swatted to the side like the smart car.

darich

It's also worth remembering that to buy a banger you need to be mechanically minded and be able to spot a good one. Not everyone has the ability, time or inclination to get overalls on and get under a car to inspect it.

For these people(and I'm one of them) buying a newer car means that in general the major mechanics are much more likely to be sound as is the structure of the vehicle.

HeadInSand_2

I bought a bargain car a few months ago for £300, got it cheap because it had warning lights on the dash indicating a host of problems, around 130k on the clock and only 3 weeks MOT which seemed to scare every single buyer away allowing me to make a silly offer, I had seen the warning lights problem before and made a gamble on it being the same fault (dodgy sensors) - bought the car, £15 later no more warning lights - sailed the MOT and car is as good as gold Has aircon (working), steering wheel mounted controls, airbags, CD player, cruise con and other nice toys, turbo diesel & pretty cheap to run.
The car before that cost me £150, was also sold as faulty as it kept overheating - I ran the car up to temperature, and sure enough the heat gauge was off the scale, I suspected faulty thermostat but they told me this was already changed - I felt hose temps and realised there was no way they were as high as the gauge was indicating, after leaving it idling for a bit I felt the rad spring into life and get warm as the 'stat opened up - everything felt perfect, so I bought the car - changed the sender unit (for heat gauge) - immediately starting reading normally, another shed load of cash saved and another perfect car Quite lucky admittedly - I sold that car for £200 nearly 3 years later, having only done 1 oil change on it (myself)
Cheap motoring can be had if you know what you're looking for and are not in a rush to buy something. (Private sales)

cepheus

darich wrote: »

Check out whatcar's depeciation index
The model you mention loses around £9000 in the first 3 years.....
A car is considered a low depreciator if it's worth close to 60% of it's original purchase price when 3 years old.

Thanks for the site, this is just what i was looking for.

A word of warning however, I doubt if the depreciation rates in the 1st year are meaningful for many cars such as Fords and some of the more executive models. These have a recommended retail price well above what you can get them for through a discount dealer or perhaps simply bartering with your local dealer. A typical new Ford Focus may have a RRP of 14k yet they can be bought new for near 10k which would make the depreciation in the 1st year proportionately little worse than many of the 'low depreciation makes' such as Toyota.

ukjoel

Thought I would chuck my tuppence worth in as have spent the last ten years working for both car retailers and manufacturers in the UK.

Returning to original post - be wary of motorpoint and other websites.
A lot of what they do is gather names and then go to a dealer who is strugglign and offer him 30 sales if he sells at cost or below.

It means they dont always have the cars and a lot of the time are unable to deliver. Ask if they have the car physically there - go and see it, ask for a test drive, if they say no then go to your local dealer with the advert and be honest and say your a serious buyer - can they match the price and if not whats the closest they can get.

Sometimes they will say YES we will match if you buy this month and you buy in one of the colours we have in stock.
Also the dealer is much more likely to give you support if your car goes wrong than motorpoint who will simply say go to the dealer.

Inactive

ukjoel wrote: »

Returning to original post - be wary of motorpoint and other websites.
A lot of what they do is gather names and then go to a dealer who is strugglign and offer him 30 sales if he sells at cost or below.

Not true of Motorpoint, they do have their cars in stock.

Inactive

kimevans wrote: »

I personally would not like myself or my family driving around in cars so close to the edge of their life.
The newer the car, the safer.

There is no such thing as a " safe " car.

Any car driven by a bad driver is unsafe, the " nut " behind the wheel is the cause of most accidents.

OverlandLandy

Interesting thread: and as ever it is never cut and dried.

For every person who buys a 'bargain' older car I come across twice as many who have regretted it!.
If you are mechanically minded - and can do some work on your own car - an older one is possibly fine for you.

If you want ZERO depreciation and FREE road tax - go the whole hog and get a Pre 1972 classic car - often these can be fantastic buys if you get one from an enthusiast.

If you're not 100% sure of your mechanical ability - go for something at 2 years old - the initial depreciation will have gone and (most) cars will still have a years manufacturers warranty on them - most at this age will generally have a good service record at the main dealer.

The best place to get on (cost wise) is via a private seller. However its worth getting an HPI check done before you buy. Its also generally worth remembering that if the seller makes you suspicious - listen to your instincts! I change my car every 2 years now (as I opt out of the company car scheme and avoid the tax issues) and I have always sold my Immaculate car at around £1000/1500 less than the garage would charge. (I get my new Nissan Qashqai in 2 weeks time and the garage that supplied my last car has already asked me to sell my current car back to them!- why? - well they generally make more money on pre-owned than new ones these days!)

If you are looking at a Golf - DON'T - go for a Seat - they all have VW Audi bits (chassis, engine etc...) but are generally cheaper, better specified and sportier. There are also less around and are less often stolen to order or for parts.

Ebay and Autotrader are a good source of cars - but again take someone along to inspect the car. Never meet in a 'Tesco or Motorway Services Car Park'. Always insist on going to their house (Rough House = Rough car?) Don't be offended if the seller insists that your cheque clears or that he gets his bank to check your Cash/bankers draft before he hands you the keys and the V5... Its the ones who grab your money that I would be more suspicious of!

Remember you can always buy your own 'mechanical' warranty from a range of suppliers - its like insurance for your mechanical bits!

Hope this helps