Maybe this is why cars aren't designed for economy

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

The upside for those of us who have decided to only ever fish in pre-owned waters is more and more efficient choices are coming down the pipe.

But new cars break much sooner, they are now designed for what, 7 years until they should get scrapped? So buying a slightly more efficient 5 yo car that will start needing major repairs in 2-3 years might not be better than getting a 10 yo that will still be rolling 5-8 years from now. Especially since new cars are getting much more expensive to service, with all of the electronics and highly specialized and hard-to-get-to (=more manhours) parts

[MPGranger]

Originally Posted by thomason2wheels

With carmakers giving 0 % financing and banks loaning money at a much higher rate, the better buy might be the new car....just sayin'

We traded the MINI in as downpayment on the Altima. Then my credit score was 789 and my wife's 778. And the dealership still wanted 4.99% interest for factory financing, and we whipped out the phone and showed our bank already approved us for 3.95%. Magically the finance guy lowered to 3.99% without even getting us approved. The Federal Reserve is doing 0%, so lenders are doing above that.

Hindsight; we should have sold the mini ourselves. We would have gotten several thousand dollars more, plus mini's sell themselves. We talked up the trade-in price on the mini by $1,500 and talked down the asking price a few hundred. So we lowered their profit a fair bit.

[slowmover]

Buying is emotional, not rational. We are a nation of consumers, not citizens mindful of their own best interests. Imagine a nation of 12-yr olds and you have Amurrica.

As DD points out, the financial loss in buying brand new makes little sense -- on average -- for nearly everyone. The exceptions might be those for whom vehicles are a deductible business expense. The rest make little attempt to really match vehicles to need.

One can clear the air in asking how many vehicles another has owned in the past twenty years. More than two is the giveaway that emotions are in charge, as any decent vehicle, decently maintained, will last 15-years. Throw in some overlapping years for buying used, etc, and the figure of about 2 per 20 holds true.

Economy is not just the ownership/operating cost per mile, but represents the loss of money that could have been in some way invested otherwise. The transportation cost per decade (public or private) is what is at stake and includes homes bought, etc., as all have "costs" built into them which are directly & indirectly related.

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[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

But new cars break much sooner, they are now designed for what, 7 years until they should get scrapped?

Where did you get that idea? Maybe things were different in Poland, but back in the '60s and '70s, it was unusual to see a car over 10 years old, or with more than 100K miles on it. The few that you did see were things like the '57 Chevy that had been turned into hot rods.

Nowadays... Well, I obviously can't say much about NEW cars from my own experience, since my two are 12 and 24 years old, but there are a lot of similar age cars & pickups on the roads around here.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Where did you get that idea? Maybe things were different in Poland, but back in the '60s and '70s, it was unusual to see a car over 10 years old, or with more than 100K miles on it.

I got it from a car mechanic, iirc.
Things may have been different in Poland, since industries function differently in a socialist economy. Also, it shouldn't be a surprise that the expected lifetime of cars was getting shorter earlier in the US, since that is where planned obsolescence came from in the first place.

Now, this may be a total coincidence, but I remember not too long ago that cars had a 10 to 12 year warranty for the chassis, now they boast about 7 years...

[euromodder]

I don't like buying someone else's problems ... and so I bought my problems new

[redyaris]

For the first 35 years of vehicle ownership my cars & vans where bought at auction. Never payed more than $2500 at the auction, and never invested more than $5000 total in any of these vehicles. In 2007 I bought my first new car, a Toyota Yaris, which I payed for "cash". The next new vehicle I bought is a Sprinter van which again is payed for "cash". I did look into used ones but could not find what I wanted close at hand; ext long wheel base with high roof. I usualy drive the vehicles until they are ready for the wrecker.