quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Maintenance costs are minimal below 100k miles. Above 100k miles the maintenance goes way up. Typically, if the plan is to drive the vehicle for 100k miles after I buy it, there is no savings to buy used. The reputation for reliability is factored into the used prices.

That’s especially true if you are not a cash buyer. Interest rates are worse on a used car as well.

I bought one brand new car, and will likely never do it again. Nowadays, all my cars are purchased at 1-3 years old with 5k-15k miles. I then drive them for 80k-100k+ before I get another.

Let someone else take the initial big depreciation hit. For example, most recently purchased Mazda CX-5 Turbo Signature was 1 year old with 11k miles, and cost ~12% less than a new one of the same trim level. And because it was a Certified Pre Owned, the original warranty was extended for a year, so I get the same number of years of warranty coverage on it as if I had bought new.

The only time I'd consider buying brand new these days is if the new one was such a smoking good deal that it beat out buying lightly used (like a dealer that was desperate to get rid of a prior year model and heavily discounted it).

Some new deals have been better than used.

Bought a couple of cars new at the end of the selling year when dealers need to dump inventory for new cars coming in.

The cost of the new car was almost the same as used with better financing.

You have to run the numbers.

I keep cars for about ten years or more.

You have to run the numbers and figure the total cost of ownership, not just the purchase price for comparison.

My first new car was a 1971 Chevy Vega GT.

I learned some things.

Never ever bought a new vehicle, as a matter of fact I still drive a 1970 Ford Pickup!
Paid Cash!!!

Bought 1 in the 80's $6300, been buying used for cash ever since.

Roughly half of my cars and trucks have been new, including my current one, now 14 years old. My father was almost 60 before he bought his first new car, a 1978 Ford Fairmont.

I bought my very first car brand new. I think I was 17, and my parents had to co-sign the loan. Have never purchased new since then.

I only bought one new, in 2017 and realized my mistake after. Took 3 years and a lot of sacrifice to pay it off.

I'm 56 and have personally never bought a new car. We did buy a new one for my wife about 12 years ago with cash, which we are still driving. We have never had a car payment.

I bought my first new car at age 67.

I have owned a number of cars over the years, but never a brand new one. Some that I have purchased were very low mileage (4K, 9K, 28K, etc.) but never a brand new one. Perhaps I will, but I wouldn't bet on it. I have never bought a car on time, always paid cash.

I bought my first new car at 34 in '03. The dealer wouldn't let me leave the lot empty handed. I still drive that car every day. That was also the last new car I will ever buy. T'aint worth it.

The only used car I've ever bought was a very old one when in Hawaii in the Navy. Bought a few for my kids.

I like the idea that it's only my farts in that cushion.

I bought a new truck at 22. Never again.

I'm only 50 but no I have never bought a new vehicle and never will if I have any say in it
My current truck is the newest vehicle I have ever owned and it's a 2001 that I bought..... 4-ish??? years ago??? Maybe 5???

Only 54, I've never owned a car/truck with less than 50K miles on it.

Now that I think about it, bought em with...
52k, 77k, 90k, 170k, 207k, 240k and one "lord only knows"

I have never bought a new car. Thought they were too expensive. But, I'm pretty good keeping them running, which is why all my cars are somewhere between older and old. For a minute I felt bad about myself never having bought a new car, but I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping them running and looking good. Not everyone can do that. A previous poster is right, after a certain point it's not worth buying old cars for any real money, since eventually everything will wear out to junkyard status.

Never owned a new car or truck but several new motorcycles.

Never really thought about it much, but I had one new car. I got it mid year 1982 and sold it 21 years later. I turned 60 in June and have owned 4 cars (including the current one) and 5 motorcycles. Only one was a street bike (I still have it) and it was the only used one of all 5 bikes.