As soon as a new car rolls off the forecourt it’s already losing value rapidly, so getting the best price is key. But for the best value, I’ll only ever buy a used or nearly new car.
When you’re looking to replace your car, what do you do? Do you head to a main dealer showroom and pay top dollar? Or do you find a private seller or a small garage with a nearly new car, haggle hard and save yourself thousands on a barely run in motor?
Though brand new cars may have that ‘new car smell’ and only a handful of miles on the clock, you really do pay through the nose for the privilege. Especially if you head to a main dealer and pay the list price.
You can find big savings on new and used cars
We’ve already seen how Which? Car’s Rob Hull saved Sue £3,000 on a brand new car, and every week we fish out hot car deals to give you 20-30% discounts. But if you’re happy with a nearly new car with maybe 5,000 or 10,000 miles under its tyres, you can save much more than that.
Last year I helped my mum buy a one-year-old Skoda Octavia vRS diesel which had covered just 10,000 miles. Despite having two years of warranty remaining, immaculate bodywork and a pair of new tyres, my mum paid around £8,000 less than a new model would have cost. And this was from a Skoda main dealer. Head to a smaller garage and prices should be lower still.
After a year of stress-free motoring and just one puncture to its name, the car has been a model of reliability. So why would you buy a new car, unless price is really not a concern?
Buy used for even bigger savings
I’ve just taken things a step further by buying an 11-year-old car this week with 75,000 miles on the clock – all for half the price of the UK’s cheapest car.
Sure, car tax, fuel bills and maintenance costs will be much higher than for a new car, but with very little depreciation to contend with and a thorough service history, I can now run a premium car on a shoestring.
Many of you may not want to take the plunge with an 11-year-old motor, but would you consider buying a nearly new car rather than a brand new model? And if you wouldn’t plump for a nearly new model, would you head for an online broker for the best price on a new car?
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