Buying a Car - Opinions?

[KyleW]

Looking for opinions and thoughts. If you were buying another car (newer than 2012) - would you buy used, certified pre-owned or new? I'm looking at possibly upgrading to a newer truck, curious if people think the certified pre-owned is worth buying over just a used, no warranty truck.

[rut-ro]

if you don't need one now, I'd keep an eye out for a used one. of course you have to be picky searching for one with the things you want and need. If your car now is good just wait it out and keep looking.

[clintbodie]

I've always thought it was a great idea to buy an "almost new" vehicle. Let somebody else take that hit on the immediate depreciation. Typically for the car to be a "certified pre owned", it has to be the same make as the dealership sells, so that may limit your options if you're looking for particular colors/trim/etc.
I will say, I thought the "certified" warranty that comes with a certified vehicle was always included in the price. But shopping for cars last fall I found out with Mazda that was not the case. For them it meant you could purchase some kind of a Mazda extended warranty (maybe just power train?) Idk, I was out when he said I'd have to pay more for it to be certified. So just be aware and make sure you know what you're getting.

[Mike D]

Buying a Car - Opinions?

I haven’t bought a new vehicle since 2005 or 2006.

Since that time I’ve purchased 3 used trucks and 1 used car.

My current truck is a 2012 Ram diesel and has 111k on it.

My truck I handed down to my son has just shy of 250k on it now. He’s been driving it for 2 years now.

The truck previous to that had 156k on it when I sold it to buy the one my son has now.

My wife’s car is a 2008 and has 216k on it.

The only non maintenance item I’ve done to my Ram is a front hub.

The only non maintenance items done to my sons truck since 2011 is water pump, transmission at 230k and 4wd actuator at 235k.

There were zero non maintenance items done to the truck previous to my son’s.

There have been zero non maintenance items done to my wife’s car since we bought it used in 2010.

The point to all of that is, save money and buy used. The sweet spot for buying used is typically 2-4 years depending on the vehicle. If you don’t have the $$ to shell out for repairs if needed you might consider an extended warranty; although a good amount of warranties go unused.


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[txpitdog]

We drive ours into the ground. 200,000+ miles and usually at least 10 years. For us a brand new car gives the best cost per mile and per year. If you are going to trade it in before it’s wore out then slightly used is the best deal. Otherwise the depreciation isn’t made up by the miles that are already on the car.

As for certified ore-owned, never again. We bought a 2012 Toyota Avalon that was CPO from Toyota and it had been in a wreck despite its clean CarFax report. It won’t hold alignment and the longevity of the engine and trans are offset by the cost of tires. We’re going to ride it into the ground since we got lifetime alignment from an independent shop. Rotate tires and alignment every time we change the oil. Otherwise we’d dump it.

[JLivi1224]

Used and Low mileage for us.

[KyleW]

Thanks all for the input. My current truck is a 2008 Ram 1500 quad cab with 88,000 miles as of last night, bought it from my dad who was the original owner. I just have never liked it that much. Going to keep my options open for sure

[Lungbustr]

We drive ours into the ground. 200,000+ miles and usually at least 10 years. For us a brand new car gives the best cost per mile and per year. If you are going to trade it in before it’s wore out then slightly used is the best deal. Otherwise the depreciation isn’t made up by the miles that are already on the car.

As for certified ore-owned, never again. We bought a 2012 Toyota Avalon that was CPO from Toyota and it had been in a wreck despite its clean CarFax report. It won’t hold alignment and the longevity of the engine and trans are offset by the cost of tires. We’re going to ride it into the ground since we got lifetime alignment from an independent shop. Rotate tires and alignment every time we change the oil. Otherwise we’d dump it.

I also buy new, but drive them even longer until they are completely worn out and become a constant headache.

[Lungbustr]

Thanks all for the input. My current truck is a 2008 Ram 1500 quad cab with 88,000 miles as of last night, bought it from my dad who was the original owner. I just have never liked it that much. Going to keep my options open for sure

Sounds like you are of a different mindset than me. As long as the vehicle gets me from A to B, holds all the passengers I need, will tow and haul required loads, and is 4wd I'm keeping it. There will always be something newer, nicer, better looking and also cost a lot more out there.

[KyleW]

Sounds like you are of a different mindset than me. As long as the vehicle gets me from A to B, holds all the passengers I need, will tow and haul required loads, and is 4wd I'm keeping it. There will always be something newer, nicer, better looking and also cost a lot more out there.

Main reason I don't like it is it isn't 4x4 and just doesn't drive as nice as my old one did. Had to sell my old truck due to engine issues though.

[Walker]

See if any car rental companies near you rent trucks. I buy tundras.from budget in SA with 15000 miles. About 8 grand cheaper than new from the dealer.

[TexMax]

What truck. And what does the cert offer in addition to an aftermarket warranty. Cert pre owned cars from my field go about a g over a reg car, have a much more extensive factory inspection before making it into certified status, plus the additional warranty associated. In my experience it is worth it when buying from a dealer. It is not when shopping from Craigslist or whatever private party site where you could score a significantly better deal, it is a low risk vehicle or you intend to modify/delete

[kry226]

I'm a fan of buying used and our current car was bought used when we got over here.

Having said that, what I've found the last few years is that, in general, people don't take care of their vehicles anymore. I cannot tell you how many 2 and 3-year old cars I saw while we were looking for our current ride that looked like complete garbage.

It seems that finding a solid vehicle that looks like it's been cared for and maintained is MUCH harder than it used to be. And honestly, used car prices as compared to new, ain't what they used to be either.

So I find myself looking at new vehicles more as they seem to be a bit better value these days with warranties that cover all that electronic gadgetry stuff. YMMV.

[mikerosa]

Been in the car business I guess 40 years ? Lol

CPO ( Certified Pre Owned) is always a good idea. The manufacturer almost guarantees your getting a clean history car. Frame damaged stuff is weeded out.

The CPO in most American brands is very short. You almost HAVE to supplement your purchase with the brand make extended wrap warranty.

BMW, Nissan, Volvo, Jaguar are a couple brands that offer 100,000 mile warranties standard as part of the CPO program that you can also buy out further.

So it depends on the make whether to go pay extra for CPO or not, imho.


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[lbbf]

Be sure to look closely at the difference in price. I bought a new Tundra last year. After looking at what people wanted for a used on plus an extended warranty I could very nearly get new dead even. With new I know how it has been treated and how well the upkeep was.