buying a car 3 years old or brand new

Keith

Inactive wrote: »

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.

In the same way as speed doesn't kill, it's the stopping that does it.

I see both sides of the argument, I love to have a lovely expensive motor on the drive, alongside it is my silly car which I get to get my hands dirty with.

I'd still buy prereged and then forget the depreciation for a year or two

Riq

I once owned a Honda Civic Type-R, as a 22 year old guy driving at least 50miles per day it haemorrhaged money. So I got rid and got a 1.4l Civic worth half as much. Best decision money wise I did. Not as much fun though.

But I would never buy a sub £5k car, ever. I want a relatively new car. I do car what car I have as I love cars. Driving round in a crap banger is just not me. Say what you will, but i wouldnt feel comfortable.

OverlandLandy

Riq wrote: »

I once owned a Honda Civic Type-R, as a 22 year old guy driving at least 50miles per day it haemorrhaged money. So I got rid and got a 1.4l Civic worth half as much. Best decision money wise I did. Not as much fun though.

But I would never buy a sub £5k car, ever. I want a relatively new car. I do car what car I have as I love cars. Driving round in a crap banger is just not me. Say what you will, but i wouldnt feel comfortable.

Echo that.

Its only me in the house and I have 3 cars

2005 Seat Altea Sport 1.9tdi (for sale now Qashqai is on its way) - Very Sensible with 53+ MPG
1964 Historic Rally Car - Love working on it and driving it - Fun (but noisy)
1993 Land Rover Defender - Practical, Cheap, Easy to Fix - Runs on Veg Oil!!!

The one thing about them all is that they are SAFE, Solid and very well maintained. Every time you go out onto the road you are taking a risk/ I want to minimise that risk as far as possible.
They are also all Fun (in their own way)!
But buying a car with your heart alone is never a great idea!

missile

darich wrote: »

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.

I never said a smart is safer than a 20 year old beemer. I have no doubt that most new cars are safer than their 20 year old equivalent. Like Barryhumbug you are not comparing like with like. Who knows what could happen in a hypothetical crash - that is why we have crash testing?

Just to play devils advocate - One could argue you would have more chance of avoiding your hypothetical smash in a more nimble new small car. Maybe better off in the smart swatted to the side than trapped under your hypothetical truck in a heavier 20 year old beemer with no crumple zone, dodgy brakes, defective seat belt, no air bag, your chest crushed against the streering wheel and head through the windscreen :rotfl: ?

Davidboy

Sorry I know this is not money saving but...s0d it. You only live once, buying a new car....ooooo nice and the smell mmmmmmmmmm

Just bought my wife a new car, pick it up in a week or so. :beer:

Life is for living. :j


D

OverlandLandy

I Notice the OP is not making any comment?

Did you get your answer?

darich

cepheus wrote: »

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.

I agree massive reductions can be had if you're a good negotiator but the same applies to the low depreciation makes like Toyota. Negotiate a good discount to start with will take a bite out of the depreciation but the car will still depreciate at a scary rate for the first 36 months.

MadAboutSales

My opinion: 3 years old. My car cost me £4300, new it would have been £14000 (Dec 2004 registration)

Ten grand is enough to cover for the little fixes. Plus, I got for £650 3 years breakdown cover, parts and labour.

Andy_Hamilton

I bought a 4 year old VW bora TDI from my boss (ex company car) with 100K miles on the clock. I paid £6K for it after he paid £16K for it.
The car is now 8 years old, cover 210K miles and still pull like a steam train. Just last week my neighbours were talking how rubbish ther saxo has been (reliablity) and wish they had a VW like mine. They are trading there's in to buy a new "08" basic car because of the "08".

The thing that makes me laugh is that people spend a fortune on the car then find the cheapest tyres to fit.

I keep runnig costs down to a minimum with doing my own services etc but have a performance braking system and tyres to avoid accidents.

The more metal/crumple zone the better for me - simple as that.

nomoneytoday

The price of £12000 on the forecourt for a 3 year old car that cost £16500 new sounds like a main dealer.

A 3 year old mainstream car costing £16k new, would usaully be worth somewhere between £6000 and £9000 depending on the model at trade in time. There are exceptions like Bini's that lose less, and rep-mobiles that heamorage (sp) bucket loads more...