I agree with you, but I don't think I clarified myself, I meant this scenario also, just like you stated above.

It makes so much sense to buy a dealer leftover 1 year after it comes out.
That is completely logical, especially when it comes to a muscle car like that, to many possible problems buying it used.

P.S, I am jealous of your Cobra, hope you're loving it.... It's one of the few american coupes/sedans that I like.

 

They all still have incentives from time to time, but yes, if you want a model that's in demand, you'll have to pay through the nose for it.

As a side note, I got my car used with a clean Carfax report. It's the little things that annoy me from time to time:

1. The rear bumper was repainted, and there's overspray on the license plate and some paint is chipping off.
2. The chewed up speaker wiring
3. The bits of glitter I find here and there around the cabin
4. The old french fries I found in the seat rails
5. Abused leather on the passenger seat. Did the last owner have really fat friends or something?
6. The permanent imprint of a rear window sticker

Drives like a champ though, and I've been doing far more damage to the car myself than listed above.

 

Yes, triple tax exemption on muni bonds is great, but they would still probably not be a smart investment since the average term on a muni bond is ~10 years whereas the average length of a car loan is 4-5 yrs. In addition, there is no real secondary market for these types of bonds so these assets are far from liquid.

 

^^^

 

It is proven that buying 2-3-4 yr old car will save you money...esp if you trade a lot...ist year is biggest hit % wise....
I prefer new as I buy and hold for awhile....
Also you should see how they drive down this way...over curbs, fields....go shoping with the car running and air on as someone sits in the car for an hour or more!! Seen it!! Wrench friends say this really does not help air or engine...
New if I can...reconize the loss....

 

...what?

 

My TSX was the first car I've bought new. It was a first year car and it comes down to the fact that I wanted it. Still the best purchasing experience I've had, and driving the car off the lot was almost worth the price alone. I also got a great interest rate and the peace of mind knowing that the car had no history other than mine.

Maybe not the most sound financial decision of my life, but I'd do it all over again. I've derived a great deal of pleasure from owning this car, and there's something to be said for that.

 

You guys are giving me goosebumps as I imagine smelling that beautiful new car smell and not on of those fake pine air fresheners.

 

My first 3 cars were bought new while my last 2 used. So far the used car buying experience has been great. As long as that continues I probably won't go back to buying new.

 

Is that you Water-s?

 

Two words (for me anyway): European Delivery.

...can't do that on a used car.

 

Very good reason and sometimes you can actually save money (short trip) or break even (longer vacation).


My reasons are two fold:

I order my cars with exactly what I want, but tend to buy from companies with long option sheets, buying a car for me is a second skin, I want exactly what I want and willing to wait/pay for it.

Particularly with performance cars I like to drive them from day one because I keep cars a long time.

 

My last 2 cars were purchased used, Certified. In both cases I got a longer warranty than what the car, new, came with.

Both had less than 15,000 miles on the clock and both were about $4-5K less than new.

Both were financed at less than 5% through my credit union. Because I paid less, I was able to shorten the loan term pay them off in 48 months and enjoy something even better than new car smell - NO CAR PAYMENTS for awhile!

I will never buy new if I can get certified/extended warranty.

 

Personally i think people put too much faith when they see a car that has been "certified".

My buddy's TSX had 17k worth of body damage. He then traded in the car to Lexus after it was fixed for a IS250. A week later we found his exact TSX (same VIN) at the local Acura dealer and they certified it. Guess major body damage doesnt matter as long as they slap new tires and longer warranty to it.

Dont get me wrong, i would still buy a used car. I most likely will for my next car.
You just have to be really careful when doing so.

 

My good friend took the entire family on an extended European vacation when he went to pick up his car and broke even with what he would have paid in the US.

 

I think about buying a year old car but every time I do, I think about the times when I got a loaner car from the dealer with around 1k miles on it and how hard I drove it during the time I had it. The fact is, you never know how the car was driven in the past. If the car came with a 100k mile warranty, I might reconsider but not if all it came with was the factory warranty. If I knew the previous owner, then it's not a big deal.

 

If you're the type of person that trades out or sells every two or three years then its obviously wiser to buy "gently used" instead of showroom new, from a financial perspective. The problem is that cars arent strictly financial decisions for most people...there are personal preferences that get in the way. So, lots of people happily end up back at the dealer every couple of years waiting for the chance to drive off in something new...

I've leased a new car before (a practice I dont generally agree with any longer), financed new (once), and have owned several well maintained used cars. I cant say I enjoyed the cars I drove off the lot any more or less than the used cars I've owned, the new cars just cost more is all.

The only way I would buy new again is if my finances where to the point where I had taken care of all the more important stuff (student loans paid off, making a 15 year payment on a place, retirement accounts set up, etc), and we were talking about an absolute dream car I knew I would be keeping for a long time, because the only way you come out ahead when buying new is if you go the distance with it.

 

I don't disagree. There is another member on this board that tried to sell his certified CLS and the would be buyer showed him a carfax that said it had been wrecked! It's no guarantee of the history, but a 100k warranty is pretty sweet.

Yeah, I guess maybe I coulda negotiated that on any used car from the dealer, but I felt pretty good about the deal.

I would definitely buy new if I was buying something that is commonly tracked, like say an Elise. But I just can't see it on a plain ole daily driver.

 

American = GM and Ford, (and Chrysler pre-MB) they HAVE to give those rebates because they are/have been losing market share due to . . . shitty products?. They have been over the last 15+ years (estimated). Toyota and Honda products sell themselves and when they do give special financing, they sell even more. Lexus and Infinity has been stealing marketshare from Caddilac ever since they arrived and BMW/MB has turned around their sales too, again victimizing the American Luxury brands (Buick anyone?) I'm pretty sure i read soemwhere that the Asian companies do not believe in cash back incentives, just special financing to help push their cars.