Why I will never buy a new car

Likewise for me too. I usually look for a main dealer, ex-demo about 6 months old with about 5k on the clock. These have usually be well looked after, are mainly used by a staff member (one of the sales team) and are kept pristine.

I agree with Chris that second hand cars are better value in most cases. There is an alternative approach that also works and that is buy a new one and keep it until it’s scrap. This works With cars that last. In my case a Volvo now 14 years old 145k miles. I am aiming for 200k then the capital cost is spread. Get it serviced at your local independent garage and keep maintenance costs lower while still maintaining the car.

It’s cheaper, in the long run, to buy a new car and keep it, say, six years, than buy a three-year-old one and change it every three years. Buying new (at a substantial discount through a broker) will get you the latest technology and hence savings on fuel and road tax, almost certainly a higher spec, a 3-year (or more) warranty, new tyres and other consumables, the chance to buy a bargain up-front servicing package, and so on. And then there’s the pleasure of owning a brand-new car.

Dealer cars will have been driven by many people and usually come with the scuffs and so on that result from being driven by someone who doesn’t own it or care too much.It will probably have been driven hard from new instead of being gently ‘run in’.

For the second time, I’m about to order a new BMW through Drive the Deal @ 15% discount. It will come from a BMW main dealer, be trailered to my door with a full tank of fuel, and cost less than the pre-registered and ex-demo cars I’ve been offered by my local dealer. Last time, when I knew which dealer was supplying, I was able to persuade them to throw in mats, mud flaps and a glovebox torch, despite the discount I was receiving.

If you’re thinking of buying a ‘bargain’ one-year-old car, be sure you know exactly why it’s being sold so young!

It depends on your use of a vehicle. When I did a high annual mileage (25,000 a year), I bought new diesel estates and ran them until the annual repair costs exceeded the cost of leasing a similar model. This was usually around 180,000 miles. At this mileage, usually they required a massive suspension replacement, and the car was worth about £500. During the 180,000 miles, the vehicles rarely needed any repairs except for “wearing and perishable parts” Hoses, belts, CVD gaiters etc. Apart from that over 20 odd years there was a water pump, a rear screen wiper motor, a repaired radiator and a flasher unit.
On one occasion, I got what I thought was a good deal on a 9 month old demo vehicle, with about 10,000 miles. I had to claim a new clutch under warranty and at 110,000 miles, it needed a new cylinder head gasket (very expensive). Basically, you don’t know what sort of idiot has been driving a second hand car; it could have been over-rev’d, the gear box and clutch misused etc.
For high mileage, Buy new, run until it is uneconomical is the cheapest overall policy. For low mileage a nearly new can be very economical.

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Even if I won the lottery (Fat chance as I don’t do it!) I would never buy a brand new car. Two years ago I purchased a Mazda 6 which was four months old with under 5,000 miles on the clock. The car was that of the main dealers manager. Price new £24k I paid £19k. Best car I have ever owned. Best saving I have ever made.

No-one seems to have mentioned the spectacular value gained in buying older cars?
I bought a 2000 Honda HR-V in 2014 for £650, ran it for 50K miles and sold it with 175K miles on the clock 2 years later for £250. It cost me nothing in repairs, just usual servicing, brake pads and tyres.
I’m now on my second HR-V, a 2005 model which had similar miles – 128K – on the clock when I bought it 10 months ago. I’ve since put another 20K onto it with just servicing, tyres, brake discs & pads, and a battery.
If you are careful about who you’re buying from, the type of car you buy, and you treat it well, buying cars 10 years or older can be seriously cheap motoring. Oh and if one of them suffers an expensive problem you can simply sell it on for spares and buy another!
Paying out £20,000+ for a new car? You must be nuts!

I was quoted £12000 trade in from the Skoda dealer that I purchased it from 2year’s earlier at a cost of 25k against a manager’s special with a higher spec .which had done 1500 miles and was 18months old but I found that I could sell mine for £13600 and buy a new Skoda with the same spec cheaper on line .My message is if you must buy a new car, buy on line, it will be at least £1500 cheaper with the only difference a bunch of flowers and a cup of coffee.