Do you buy new, used, or very well used cars?

[Pea-n-Me]

I grew up with family in the car business, so even when really young I got cars sometimes for free or super low cost. Only problem was, they weren‘t the greatest, lol. One I had in college was so rusted out my foot went through the floorboard one night when I went to put the high beams on (back when the button was on the left side of the floor) and all the lights went out. That was on a weekend trip out of state in the mountains so a bit of a problem. (Still careful driving in that state as I got into a little trouble for it. And for the record, cars where we live typically rust out underneath due to heavy road salt in winter and salty ocean air and sand on roads, etc.) IMO having a car like this early on builds character and keeps us grounded, lol.

Shortly after I got my first real job, before kids, I bought two brand new Jeeps five years apart, and it was a nice feeling. But then we had kids and I realized how expensive it was to buy new, so I started buying gently used, just enough for someone else to eat a good portion of the depreciation yet still have a practically new car. Over the years, like with booking Disney, it’s been sort of a hobby of mine trying to find the best deals on cars. Twice I’ve gotten really good deals from cars at dealerships other than the maker when they really weren’t familiar with the car, but I was. Currently driving an older crossover that I had to buy several years back when my mother was ill and could no longer step up into my higher SUV, but I like it and am hoping it‘s, as many say, just warming up at 90K miles. (It’s my first Toyota - bought it at 53K at a Mercedes dealership, sold there as a trade in as it’s a beautiful car.)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

First car was used 1956 Ford, bought in 1961, 5 years old, $695. Next 6 cars were new, purchased. Next 11 cars were new, leased. Most recent car, new, and now that I am retired and no tax benefit to leasing, purchased.

My rustbucket above was a 69 Ford Torino. We used to call it the cockroach.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

a truck both he bought new. The truck actually cost more than our 5th wheel we also bought new.

That was basically the case with my in-laws. Their custom F350 they bought was close enough to the 40+ft 5th wheel they bought both new. But it was about half the cost for both of those than the RV they had been considering so I guess they made it out good enough on that.

 

[kymom99]

My rustbucket above was a 69 Ford Torino. We used to call it the cockroach.

My first car was a rusty 1974 (I think) dodge dart that overheated regularly. We called it a banana. It was yellow with a black top.

 

[TippyThomas]

I've only bought one car and it was new. I doubt I'll live long enough to need to replace it. It doesn't get used very much.

 

[mumto3girls]

We almost always buy used, but a few times have bought new. We generally keep our vehicles a long time and try to buy cars that have a reputation for lasting. Currently we have a 2010 Toyota Corolla bought in 2020–driven by middle DD, a 2012 VW Passat bought in 2020 from MIL’s estate—driven by oldest DD, a 2013 Toyota Highlander bought in 2014–driven by me and a 2018 Toyota Tacoma bought in 2019–driven by DH. Obviously we buy the kids older vehicles than we buy for ourselves, but we still try to get something reliable that we think is going to last.

Our biggest mistake was probably the 2006 Hyundai we purchased for oldest DD in 2017. We knew the owners and the vehicle had recently had the engine replaced which was a plus in our book. They were upsizing due to a growing family, but the vehicle was only good about a year and then started having a lot of issues. We replaced it with MIL’s vehicle when she passed away.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My husband and I were in the market for a new car to replace my husband's 2010 in May 2021 but that was when the chip shortage issue was rearing its ugly head in the biggest way so we backed off. For us it was our needs were changing and we needed more of a smaller suv or a truck as opposed to the compact and subcompact we presently own. We were likely going to try for a purchase at the end of the year when the subsequent model year had already been out for a while but that tactic went out the window with the chip shortage.

Nowadays it is easier to find a 1 year old to 2 year old used car on lots since many dealerships had been buying those off of people to have vehicles to sell but we're continuing to hold off due to pricing. We're making due with our cars as they are. A lot of people we told about getting a new car assumed we'd trade in my car but my car doesn't cost much at all to own or insure and wouldn't get much anyhow so financially that makes zero sense. My husband's car doesn't cost much to own or insure either but he has put a lot of miles on it (he has more miles than my car) so in the end would would either keep his car (which is not quite as likely) or trade it in whenever the time comes. He would use the new car as his commuter car as well.

He did get a chance to test drive the Ford Lightning and it really got off the line fast and he enjoyed it but the pricing had gone up significantly and Ford choosing to focus differently on base vs higher end models that we decided not interested anymore.

We're not necessarily stuck on new or used here some of it really will come down to features and cost. When we were searching for cars back in spring 2021 we didn't always like the looks of the newer model years too.

 

[disykat]

My first car (when I was 21 and graduating from college) was definitely used because that's what I could afford. Since then, I've always bought new. Our main family vehicle we've usually kept them between 10 and 12 years and then sold them or gave them to our young adult kids or in one case sold to a niece for really cheap. We still have a 96 Ford Ranger that is still going strong.

 

[jo-jo]

During our almost 45 years of marriage, we have bought exactly 4 new cars. We both had cars that were several years old when we first got married. We've been "looking" for about 4 years but so far the cars we have, just keep running. Cheaper to put $4-5 hundred a year into a car than pay $40 grand for new one.

I love old cars, Oh look a new scratch to add to the others. Opps the bag of dirt split open. Somewhere in the tiny spaces of the car , we have needles from Christmas trees over the last 30 years ago. It's part of our history,

Of course, I wouldn't try to drive anywhere beyond 50 or so miles away from home. I know we are living on borrowed time and I don't want time to run out far away from home.

 

[amcnj]

Since I began working full time, mostly new models that had large rebates or incentives, usually $2000-4500. My commute was lengthy and I kept cars till they reached between 175,000 and 200,000 miles.

One I sold to someone I knew, and last time I saw him, he had it up close to 350,000 with only one minor repair. So I guess I bailed out too soon!

 

[tom1944]

My wife always wants a new car but she keeps her cars a long time

I buy a car coming off of lease and I drive it as long as I can

 

[disneychrista]

New. Kept the last one 13 years. Current one is 9 years old. I’ll probably keep it another couple years. Before buying another new car. Probably a 2025 Toyota something.

 

[lpereira]

At 52 years of age I purchased my first ever brand new car. I only did it because they practically paid me tontake it off the lot and my 74 year old mother has never driven a brand new car in her life. It was the least I could do for the woman who worked side jobs so I could do things like go to summer camp, music lessons, dance lessons, and all the other privileges of kids from wealthier families.
For my self I have purchased beaters in the $400-$800 range all my life- successfully too I might add. Few minor repairs, nothing major, and about 5 years use on average.

 

[goofyernmost]

I cannot begin to remember how many cars I have purchased since I started driving in 1964. (I lied. I decided for grins and giggles I would try to list the cars I owned). See below! Most of the exact year they were is lost to history Right now I can only remember 3 that I bought brand new. I have leased 2 and just bought out my lease on the second one so I have had it since it had 4 miles on it, I consider it a one owner car... me! Quick count that's about 20+ cars total plus 4 that I purchased for my daughters. I tend to keep cars for a long time. My first new one a 1970 Buick Skylark that I bought right after I returned from Vietnam, I had it when I met my wife, went on our honeymoon, brought our first child home in as well as our second and a few years after that as well, that became my wife's car and I got the junkers to use. Didn't seem fair.

4 VW's
2 Chevy Sedans
1 Chevy Pickup
1 Chevy Camaro (came with my wife. Had to sell because we needed the money. She never forgave me!)
1 Chevy Sprint
3 Oldsmobile's
1 Plymouth Station Wagon (first car, a real chick magnet)
2 Plymouth Reliant's
1 Plymouth Laser
1 Plymouth Horizon
2 Toyota Pickups
1 Datsun (held together with chewing gum and straw)
1 Pontiac (same as above)
4 Buicks
2 Dodge Caravans
2 Cadillacs

 

[Disneylover99]

We bought our first new car about 10 years after we got married, and we’ve been buying new ever since. We recently looked at a 2 year old vehicle to buy, but we decided, the price difference between a new and used, wasn’t too much of a difference, so we’ll probably buy new.

 

[swaggystackslv]

As an adult I have only ever bought new.

As a kid I had very well used cars (20+ years old) that often left me stranded. I think that has influenced my belief that new is for me.

I know that from a purely financial standpoint a 1-3 year old used car is the best buy but I really enjoy the feeling of driving off the lot in a brand new car.

One of my neighbors previously only bought used, that 1-3 year old range, but at the beginning of Covid snagged a new car at a price he could not pass up. Since then though he has continued to buy used.

When he sticks to that 1-3 year old range he always seems to end up with a reliable car but he puts so much more effort into his car purchases than I do. He often travels out of the state to get the used car he wants and sometimes makes a 500 mile round trip only to return without the car because it smelled or something else was misrepresented in the ad. My new buying process seems to involve so much less effort, I guess that is what I get for the price premium.

If you buy from enterprise you don’t have to do anything… cars are all well maintained. Only 2 years old, and come with a no haggle price.

I’ve bought 2 relatively new cars ( under 20k miles) that way… both were 4-5k below Kelly blue book values.

No hassle, no hidden issues, still had new car smell with no mechanical issues as of 4/5 years later.

I have owned many brand new off the lot vehicles. I originally got my VW atlas through enterprise because there were none to be had without a wait, and the resales that met my specs were in east coast states and required an additional transportation fee.

I highly recommend this way to save 10s of thousands… at least on the west coast. On my VW I saved 25k compared to new, on the mustang I saved 20k approx.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have had ONE new car in my lifetime, and it was the least reliable one I ever had. Since then I have stuck to used, a year or two old.

 

[Boopuff]

We buy used. Especially when you get sticker shock with the prices of new!

 

[Magical2017]

We have not bought a new car in years. Man, it sure smelled nice. We like Hondas and they last a long time so we use our savings and avoid car payments. Remaining debt free is our main goal. Instead of cars I like to travel so if we got some kind of windfall I would probably use it for a trip rather than a car.

 

[disykat]

We have not bought a new car in years. Man, it sure smelled nice.

For my last birthday I asked my husband to get my car detailed. We were amazed that it looked and smelled so fabulous!