My current 2003 Acura RSX is the first and only new car I will ever buy/have bought.

I buy new cars, but I keep them until they pretty much fall apart. Never had one for less than 12 years. Most longer.

Everybody has a vice, right? Some people drink, some gamble, some cavort. I get bored with cars.

We've bought new, bought used, and leased a lot of different cars over the last 20 years. Longest tenure was 12 years for my diesel 2500HD (held it's value remarkably well) and the shortest was 18 months for a Pontiac G8 GT (wrong car at the wrong time). Three cars in the garage right now aged 2 years (bought used), 2 years (bought new), and 2 months (bought new) respectively.

Can't say I have had a new car for my self but I've had several brand new trucks.

I totally forgot about the motorcycles:
A 2012 Honda NC700x
A 2016 HD Roadster
A 2016 CRF150

Have purchased a few new cars myself but it wasn't until I retired at the close of 2013 that I could pay cash for both my wife and I outright heading into retirement and not wanting any payments and a new car warranty. Mine came directly off the truck as the last of the 2013's were delivered and the wife picked up a 2014. Still have both and not expecting an unexpected downturn in health, mine sits in the garage with still 5960 miles on the ODO as of yesterday. Still looks showroom new. I haven't any regrets and it'll always be there if and when I need it.

Only one. I kept it for 20 years, raced it, tracked it, had a ball with it.
Everything else is 2-3 years old when we purchase it, for 50-66% of what it sold for, new.

I've had 12 cars since I started driving in 2002.
A few of those were very short lived vehicles in between cars, or were a 3rd vehicle that our family had.

Of those, only 1, my 2016 F150, was bought new & only 3 had under 100k miles. My first 2 cars were purchased at over 300k miles (early 80s Mercedes diesels).

My wife is on her 3rd car since she started driving, and simlarly, has only had 1 new.

I’ve bought three new cars since 1986. First was a Toyota 4x4 truck, then a 1995 Dodge Neon (for the wife at the time) and just a couple months ago, a 2019 Ford Ranger. It’ll be my last new vehicle.

Two that I purchased myself, the last being my Mazda in 2004 which I'm still driving.

Several as company issued vehicles. Originally we got handed down cars from the senior staff; as you advanced you got closer to the head of the line.
I was so happy when they changed policy so everyone got a crack at a new vehicle. Finally the day arriced, they had someone drive my brand new car up from our corporate HQ to deliver to me... and the fargin bastage had smoked in it, and burnt a hole in the front seat with a cigarette.

I have owned a lot of cars in my life....still own a few, but have never owned a brand new car. Maybe someday, but I doubt it.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

One time: a 2000 Dodge Neon

I can easily believe that POS would sour you on any more new cars.

It actually lasted me a reliable 65,000 miles and only got rid of it because I read they started to have (expensive) timing belt issues after that mileage but I never had a problem with it.

It's funny but it was right on the edge of 80's/90's technology as you didn't see these things in cars much after 2000 or so:

-Cassette deck
-Crank windows

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

One time: a 2000 Dodge Neon

I can easily believe that POS would sour you on any more new cars.

It actually lasted me a reliable 65,000 miles and only got rid of it because I read they started to have (expensive) timing belt issues after that mileage but I never had a problem with it.

It's funny but it was right on the edge of 80's/90's technology as you didn't see these things in cars much after 2000 or so:

-Cassette deck
-Crank windows

The SRT Neons made for some little sleepers too, though they tended to be fairly loud when modded up.

I recall riding passenger in one that was keeping up with an SRT Lightning F150.

It is only new the day you drive it off the lot!

I have had many new cars (actually vehicles, since most are pick up trucks) over the years, and quite a few used ones, too. I was an accountant, and I used a facts and circumstances test for each purchase. I also had a 60 mile one way commute for 25 years, and a farm. The equation is further compounded by the quaint fact that Virginia charges about 3% annual persona property tax on vehicles.

I am also an anti-mechanic. That means I am so bad at repairing cars, that if I try to fix something, I usually break something else. A litany of broken bolts and stripped threads. I do know good mechanics, though, so I am not afraid of used vehicles.

Trucks hold their resale value very well - it doesn't really pay to buy a two or three year old pick up. Especially since I don't need a diesel or an extended cab. I have ordered trucks just the way I want at quite reasonable prices. I have a 2003 F350 XLT dually for the farm. With a V10 engine, it cost $22,000 brand new. It now has 45K miles and looks like it is brand new. It should last another 10 years anyway.

I've done both the new car, and lease turn in thing. Key is to do the math on cost of ownership.

For example:

I had a 2010 Ford F150 that was getting a little long in the tooth, and was contacted by Ford about a new truck. Understand that I bought the 2010 with about 55k miles on it, and drove it until it had 135k miles on it, so I put 80k on the truck. Those 80k miles cost me $0.33/mile in acquisition cost. I did not include gas or insurance, because they will be pretty equal between the old truck and the new one.

When I looked at the acquisition cost of the new truck, if I drive it to the same 135k point, it will have cost me $0.28/mile, so the new truck is a better value than the old truck if I drive it to the same point of wear.

I would go with the best deal you can find. Last October when I got my new truck, there were very few lease turn-ins to be found in Florida, and they were correspondingly expensive, while the dealers were getting flooded with 2019 models so they were incentivized to move the 2018s remaining. I took advantage of that and got a decent deal.

Cars:

1985 Mazda RX-7
1988 Mazda RX-7
1990 Ford Mustang 5.0 LX
1995 Ford Thunderbird V8
1998 Ford Explorer Sport (still own it)
2003 Mini Cooper S
2004 Honda Element
2006 Ford Mustang GT (still own it)

Motorcycles:

1979 Honda CX-500 Custom (first new vehicle)
1987 Honda VF700C Magna (owned about 14 years)
1989 H-D Heritage Softail
1990 H-D Electra-Glide Classic
1991 Honda VFR
1999 H-D Road Glide
1999 Honda CBR1100XX
2000 BMW R1150GS
2008 BMW R1200R (still own it)
2017 Honda CB1100EX (still own it)

Since high school I've generally had 2 cars and 2-4 motorcycles at a time. My parents raced SCCA in the 60s-70s so I acquired the bug for vehicles partly from them but I had a taste for mechanical stuff early on. I was building nice (Campagnolo level, not Huffy) 10-speed bikes from scratch when I was 13. Probably spent way too much time and money on things with wheels but it's hard to give up.

I bought a new car once. A 2000 Dodge Durango. Had it for 14 years and 196,000 miles. I wrecked it in a snow storm. Ran like a top until I totaled it. That will most likely be my last new car.

When 18 years old I bought a 1974 AMC Gremlin new, when I graduated from high school. Bought a small condemned house and fixed it up at the same time.

Paid cash for both, with money made mowing yards... with a push mower, and working with Dads construction company.

Got married same spring at 18... that's where it all went to shit.

Car and house both turned out to be a better investment than the first wife. Ran the car for 12 years until my family with wife version 2.0 outgrew it. Also outgrew the house and sold it for 5 times what I had in it. 40 yr later I still have the wife 2.0.

I thought this was a car thread, so I didn't post my motorcycles, all bought new:
1973 Honda 350 twin, sold in 1977
1981 Yamaha 650 twin, traded in on
1984 Harley-Davidson 1000 Sportster, sold in 1989 following a very bad accident.

flashguy

Shortly after I got married 87 Bronco II and now a 16 F-150.

Might get another one before it’s said and done, but I pay attention to what I perceive as the real value. I wasn’t about to pay what I considered a premium for a used truck.