Is it really worth buying a new car.

[cram_it_frog]

Looking a number of forms both in two wheel and four wheel cars I see so many warranty issues ,

Is the workmanship gone down the toilet and making claims seems to be hit and miss and in some cases it might be easier to win lotto than make a successful warranty claim ,

And to top it off the depreciation values are unreal my own car was $43k new ten years ago and now under 10k .

few years ago you bought a car and you know that if something goes wrong there was a good chance it would be fixed under warranty now well you have to be lucky ,

So now they are making cars to a price and quality seems to have been left behind in many cases ,

So is it better to buy 2nd hand and save some of the money or buy new and loose a bucket of hard earned cash.

[LG17]

If you buy new and keep it for many years it's usually ok but if you flog it off after only a couple it will cost you heaps.

[johnydep]

Depends on your disposable income. If you can afford to buy something with no hardship, go for it.

Bad news always travels faster than good. Someone with a bad experience will tell 10 people, another with a good experience may only tell a few.

I've had 2 new cars, the first had a few issues but I've never regretted buying it. The second and current new car purchase has been outstanding, 7 months on and I can't pick a single thing to complain about.

[poppa smurf]

of course it is......go buy brand new, look after it, treat it like a baby, have it serviced properly before due times and NEVER thrash it........that way I get a good car a few years down the track for next to nix!

[Crazy Dazz]

Cars are not an investment, they are a depreciable asset. They require maintenance and still lose significant value. This is accelerated by obsolescence.
New cars are never "worth it" from a financial perspective, obviously owning a new car costs you more than an old car. The question is whether you want to pay for the enjoyment?
Some people look at cars like undies, the idea of driving something with previous owners is not appealing.

[MercuryT]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Cars are not an investment, they are a depreciable asset. They require maintenance and still lose significant value. This is accelerated by obsolescence.
New cars are never "worth it" from a financial perspective, obviously owning a new car costs you more than an old car. The question is whether you want to pay for the enjoyment?

On average probably yes, but far from always and buying new is more affordable than ever.

In fact I know quite a few people who have been signficantly better off buying new and trading whilst still a current model, compared to buying used taking all $$ into account over life of ownership.

As I love performance cars and need room, used is the only way I can afford what I want (currently shopping for an FG F6) in terms of an upgrade to my BA XR6T. Thus I take the risks attached, and do what I can to minimise it with thorough mech checks, log book etc.

But if I only wanted a cheap runabout/shopping trolley, I would buy new for sure....and be confident that if I buy the right brand/model/colour etc that I could potentially be better off financially in doing so.

[Franco Cozzo]

The new car smell wears off pretty quickly too.

[Auslandau]

If you can afford the depreciation then yes it very much is.

If you cannot afford the depreciation and whinge about it in 3 years time, then no it isn't. Nothing worse than those who complain about depreciation. Factor that when buying and it isn't a problem. Not like it should come as a surprise.

Buy what you can afford as there is nothing worse than driving something that you regret.

You can buy a brand new Focus for the same price as a 2 year old Beemer. It comes down to want you want out of a car.

Nothing beats the experience of selecting, ordering and receiving a new car.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Nothing beats the experience of selecting, ordering and receiving a new car.

It wasn't fun the third time after I totalled my Focus 4 weeks after buying it, lol.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Nothing beats the experience of selecting, ordering and receiving a new car.

Couldnt agree more. Although both my last 2 new cars werent ordered as such they were brand new cars.

1st one was an XR5T Focus, 2nd a Focus ST
Im not worried about the money loss on them or what they may be worth later. I purchased because i wanted new, something that no one else has owned, something im the first to drive. Also it may sound like a stereo type but that new car smell.
I could waste my money on other things but why not waste use it on something i love.

Also warranty claims, ive had 2.
1 was a busted stereo in my XR5T. Another was a busted bonnet latch but that was my fault.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

If you can afford the depreciation then yes it very much is.

If you cannot afford the depreciation and whinge about it in 3 years time, then no it isn't. Nothing worse than those who complain about depreciation. Factor that when buying and it isn't a problem. Not like it should come as a surprise.

Buy what you can afford as there is nothing worse than driving something that you regret.

You can buy a brand new Focus for the same price as a 2 year old Beemer. It comes down to want you want out of a car.

Nothing beats the experience of selecting, ordering and receiving a new car.

I once thought that, until I experienced the depreciation first hand.

Now I reckon the experience of buying a car only a few years old, with anything up to 100k, and paying only a 1/4 (or less) of it's new cost is much much more satisfying.

Horses for courses and all that, but I can confidently say I'll never buy a brand new car again.

To be able to do this, you obviously need to not worry about having the latest and greatest, and not everyone can do this.

[Andrew S]

The last new car I had was the AU I'm driving now.
It's looked after really well, both inside and out and under the bonnet and unbelievably comfortable to drive.
To replace it now with new would cost around 40 grand.
It's got a tick under 400,000 on the clock and nothing needs to be spent on it right now.
So what's it worth? Probably between 2 and 3 thousand if ever I wanted to sell it.
I have often thought about replacing it with one of the new pocket rockets because it uses rather a lot of fuel.
But the sums just don't add up for me...........

[paule11]

What Poppa Smurf said we brought our car in 2007 got the extended warranty had a fair few problems but everything fixed under warranty. Will see how it goes now that it is out of warranty.
Still enjoy every time I drive it although a 2year old beamer would be nice

[Nova 8]

Safety can also play a big part, sure you could spend a couple of grand on an old car with the potential of having been in crash, poorly looked after and doesn't have the safety features of new(er) cars. Its a matter of value for your money, how much are you willing to spend on the safety of your children?

Buying cars that are 3-5 years old always seems good bang for your buck to me, new gadgets and safety with that early depreciation done and ready for its steady decline from ~$25,000 to worthless over the next decade or so.

[GASWAGON]

I have always believed in buying an ex demonstration model if its the right car for your needs.....They're usually a few k cheaper than brand spanker.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by EF_6

I have always believed in buying an ex demonstration model if its the right car for your needs.....They're usually a few k cheaper than brand spanker.

Few kay wouldn't be enough IMO - I guess it depends on the RRP of the car but we all know how 'demo' cars are generally driven and cared for.

I looked at a demo Mirage at the dealership we got our new one from and in the 3 months it had been used it had been scraped, not washed, gutter rash, scuff marks everywhere, trim that had been impacted and snapped out of place etc etc etc. Turns out one of the workers used it as well so it was a demo / staff driven car. I would have sacked the worker after seeing the state it was in. Had 4,000km on it. Where was its 1500km going over stamp? Was it even done??

All for a HUGE $900 discount. Not a chance!

[poppa smurf]

http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/de.../?Cr=0&sdmvc=1

can't see where safety or anything else would be compromised.......but I can see where money is saved.

one amongst many bargains........

[MAGPIE]

Last time I had a warranty claim was (it was actually out of warranty but Ford came to the party) for my EL XR6 that had rusted out inner sills at just over 3 years old.

14 years and 7 or 8 cars later and not a single warranty claim, so who says workmanship has gone down the toilet.

[Nova 8]

With safety I'm talking about the cars which are 10+ years old, hence saying "a couple grand".

That is a real bargain and I guess I'd have to adjust my statement from 3-5 to 1-5 years old.

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by Nova 8

With safety I'm talking about the cars which are 10+ years old, hence saying "a couple grand".

That is a real bargain and I guess I'd have to adjust my statement from 3-5 to 1-5 years old.

I don't think I would buy anything greater than say 5 year old, looking to upgrade the BA shortly.........the FG looks very attractive but I'm also concerned about the dramatic drop in trade in price.

wife buys a new vehicle every two years..........I see no difference in buying new or a very good second hand vehicle.

the micra she traded was an exceptional little vehicle, whoever bought that got a terrific little car in top condition.

[Nova 8]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

wife buys a new vehicle every two years..........I see no difference in buying new or a very good second hand vehicle.

I've just started getting use to getting a new car every year or so using my brothers holden discount, makes buy new and selling once around a year old much easier on the pocket, much, much easier. I don't think I'll be able to warrant it once holden is gone so ill probably hang on to one in the last year, probably a HSV (the GTF almost tempted me)

Or, it means buying near new cars once again. When I sell my cars on they are in almost perfect condition (tyre wear, odd stone chip maybe) and a great bargain for the person buying them, hopefully I can find the same and then wouldn't mind about having a second hand car. After a good clean and polish who'll know?

[cram_it_frog]

Some people look at cars like undies, the idea of driving something with previous owners is not appealing: yelrotflm

never looked it that way

[Yellow_Festiva]

Have had experience buying new and used.

Bought the Festiva new, looked after it properly, serviced it correctly, attended to maintenance items in a proactive manner. To me, this level of attention was certainly an 'investment' as it served me faultlessly for 10 years. The only money I spent on it was normal consumables - ie, looking after it saved me money.

After that, bought a few cheap 'run around' cars. They were not looked after all that well and it was obvious that they had been neglected and abused by previous owners who didn't really give a toss (to be expected).

I then bought a demo Focus. I thought I was clever, after all - it was 'near new' and I saved almost 10k off RRP. BIG MISTAKE. It was a basket case - poor (dealer) servicing, poor maintenance, poor upkeep. What did it go through in the past??? How was it treated??? Did the past owner care??? See all those ??? They are unknowns.

Sold that, decided to never again buy a used car unless it was for short term use and a bargain.

Bought the wife a new Mirage with the funds from selling her lemon Focus. Straight swap actually. It will be looked after, correctly maintained and certainly not thrashed. It is 9 months old now and is 'as new' (as it should be). I lost count of the times I needed to take the Focus to the dealer in 9 months. We both look fwd to what we hope will be many years of trouble free ownership - much the same as the Festiva.

If a person knows they will change over their car every 2-3 years some will see that as an opportunity to abuse it to death and then let the next owner deal with the emerging issues - running it on E10, parking it anywhere, leaving it out, starting it cold and hammering it etc etc etc - it becomes a disposable item.

I would much rather invest in the peace of mind of buying new to remove all those ??? OR buy something several years old that has been owned by the same person since new and has a proven track record of upkeep and proactive maintenance.

If you buy new and hold for several years, the depreciation hit will soon be dissolved by the lower overall ownership costs you should expect when you correctly look after a car for the long term.

[buggerlugs]

I'm in business so new is fine, especially for depreciation. But if I were not in business I'd buy demo or up to a year old cars...........

[furiousgibbon]

I let someone drive my car once. He owned exactly the same car, but unmodified. I didn't think there would be a problem. Within 30 seconds he had smoked the clutch so badly there was a trail of smoke left behind the car, and it stank of rotting flesh for 2 days.

Imagine if someone like that owned you car for 2 years. I buy my cars new.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by furiousgibbon

I let someone drive my car once. He owned exactly the same car, but unmodified. I didn't think there would be a problem. Within 30 seconds he had smoked the clutch so badly there was a trail of smoke left behind the car, and it stank of rotting flesh for 2 days.

Imagine if someone like that owned you car for 2 years. I buy my cars new.

We have kept my wife's old Mirage as a run around car as it's pretty much worth nothing and has never let us down.

I lent it to my brother in law as he had an accident on his bike. No worries. Went over to visit one day and watched how he 'parked' it on the grass - drove off the street without slowing down for the driveway, scraped the bottom of the bumper and then ripped the hand brake to do a 180 on the front lawn.

Some people just don't give a toss. I have always had the idea that when you are using something that isn't yours you take better care of it than if it were yours as you need to answer to someone else if something happens to it...

[Iggle Piggle]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

I have always had the idea that when you are using something that isn't yours you take better care of it than if it were yours

Borrowed yes - rented no

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

not being able to get my mits in some places is a pain with later vehicles

Drives me nuts - sick of stuff that requires the strength of an adult in the hands of a child

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Iggle Piggle

Borrowed yes - rented no

See, I'm the opposite lol. I have hired a variety of cars and use the opportunity to do my own little extended 'road test' (a few that have appeared on here lol).

Perhaps it also has something to do with the fact my mate manages an Avis and gets me real good 'mates rates'..

[Franco Cozzo]

I maintain my cars mechanically with servicing but I DGAF about paint/panel/interior. Got oil stains on driver side seat in Fiesta and on the door trims, diesel covered steering wheel on Focus from the servo diesel pump, tore up the rear bar from loading my toolbox in daily, lawn mower/muddy shovels in the back and I tore up the rear fabric on the back of the back seats.

As long as she gets me to and from where I want to be reliably then CBF about other niggly issues like paint/panel/interior.

That's my own cars though, if I borrowed someone's car I keep it clean. I can treat my car like *** because its mine, respect for other peoples property.

My uncle borrowed my mums Festiva and trashed the interior, so I had to pull it apart and steam clean seats, carpet and clean up entire interior.

[poppa smurf]

the actual "experience" of purchase is identical.......same fake salesman, same fake smiles, same fake handshakes, same fake promises with the usual disappointment when something needs repair.

the smells are something I can't get used to in a new car, a mixture of plastic, chemicals and god only knows what with a hint of leather, always glad when they are gone........

nice to clamber under a new vehicle and not get covered in oil and grease though and I don't miss the grease nipples one bit.

not being able to get my mits in some places is a pain with later vehicles, and I still don't understand most of what is under the bonnet.

I've had a few new vehicles but I can't quantify the expense nowadays when so many very good pre loved vehicles are out there.