waiting for solar powered

I delayed a car purchase until my car broke down again and I really had no choice. I bought a new car because for what I wanted, it was less expensive to just buy a new one.

I decided I wont buy another new car ever, period. I took too much of a depreciation hit on the one I have now. I'll let some other sucker lose 50% of the value before I buy it.

Oh.... and there is nothing wrong with the one I have, except I'm bored with it.

Wait...what? Not buying something because you don't NEED it? IS THIS STILL AMERICA??!

Ahem. Sorry. Anyway, I don't buy new cars. If I could afford any car I wanted, I'd get a nearly-new used car, and finance it myself (through my credit-union, probably). As it is I get used-used cars, and they work fine.

Too costly.

Kudos to all those who don't buy new cars because the old one works fine. Yes, it hurts the car industry but too many people buy the newest and bestest model of everything for no reason. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I'll probably never buy another new car. I've had too much good luck with used ones, and I don't want to take the depreciation hit or deal with all of the minor problems that always seem to plague new cars. I'll let someone else deal with that, and pick up a well-sorted vehicle for a good price when they're done with it.

I worked in car sales for a brief while several years ago, and I remember the general manager telling me something to the effect of: In 1970, 80% of car shoppers were looking because their current car was dead (or dying). In 2000, 80% of car shoppers were looking because they simply wanted a new car.

It's just part of a return to rational financial attitudes in America. Shame it took a credit crisis and recession to bring it.

I've been driving my Cavalier for almost 9 years now. The main reason I haven't bought a new car is that I really, really like not having to make a car payment and my insurance is pretty low on this vehicle. I will admit, however, that I was considering buying a newer car before the new year (something very small, like a Yaris or a Versa), but then my company laid off 30 people and I decided that I really didn't need a new car all that much to begin with.

Does the survey classify a "new car" as in, fresh off the assembly line, or "might be used, but new to me." Because I just got the latter. I can understand people not buying freshly made cars a little more than the second, although I understand both at this point in time. But I just got a 2005 car. A GM, of course.

@Mary Marsala with Fries: Amen to that. I don't know why you'd buy new, unless you had very specific things that you coudln't live without and had very specific color choices or something.

2008 cars with 10k miles on them routinely sell for 25% less than a brand new 2008. 10k is nothing in the lifetime of a car, but 25% is a lot of money to save.

This doesn't surprise me at all. Cars of all makes are far more reliable than they were 20 years ago. With some cars now coming with 100,000 mile powertrain warranties, even the old "I don't want to have to deal with a breakdown out of warranty" argument isn't that compelling anymore.

@Raekwon: Yep, we have a car that is nearing 110,000 miles and it's still running strong. It's fine if people want to buy a new car, really it is. But there has to be a guarantee that they can actually afford the payments, or else we get into a whole other mess of repossessions and debt.

I'm tired of being upside down in car loans so I am going to drive this one as long as I can. And I love it. Sure, I'd like to have something faster and newer but not at the expense of my continued progress out of debt.

FINALLY Thank you for realizing this SOMEONE!

My parents and I all bought new cars recently. My dad because he was driving a behemoth (which he originally aquired for free from my grandparents), my mom because her car was wrecked, and mine because my old car was old and unsafe to get me to college reliably.

My mom was upset to replace her car because it was only 7 years old. Literally in tears of rage because it had at least 5 years left in it, and she was angry about having to shell out the money to buy a new one without just cause.

Mine was an absolute necessity, and I'm running it into the ground for sure! It's 4 years old and going strong.

@PandaWatch: Sometimes, that's all too true.

@Raekwon: IF more people realized this, with all purchases, there would be little to no debt, anywhere.

But then banks couldn't stiff people out of millions of dollars each year and... OHS NOES! *FLUSH* there goes the economy.

For some reason "responsibility" + "capitalism" don't work. Apparently.

I bought a car in August of 2008. It was an '07 with 5k miles on the clock.

I'm planning to replace my daily-driver once the new car is paid off in 2-3 years. That'll be in 2011-2012 and I'll probably pick up an '06-09 model.

New cars just aren't exciting (at least not the ones in my price range). I really don't need a car that syncs with my phone and iPod, lets me surf the web, and brews a cup of coffee.
Give me a car that is fun to drive.

I buy used as well. No reason to buy new. Even so, I don't plan on buying another kind of car, new or not, for another three years or so. The one I have is still perfectly good.

new cars have no souls, availability of manual transmissions is too limited, i already have 3 used cars and 2 motorcycles, all of which are running fine-ish, and I refuse to submit to a warranty that requires me to let a dealer tech touch my brand new car. also, it's a waste of money (as if owning / registering / inspecting 5 vehicles isn't...)

I just paid my (used) car off, a year early. I quite like not having to make car payments, ya know? Anyways, it runs just fine.

I bought used two years ago and financed, so I'm a little upside down on the loan, but it was a smokin' deal. Same with the wife's car.

That being said, I buy cars for really practical reasons, not to satisfy some ego drive. It's funny but when your annual budget for a car is $1000 or less, you can surprise yourself with some cool cars.

A friend once said he drove $500 cars because if they needed new tires, he could just get a new car.

I'm driving mine into the ground.

love the consumer reports articles

My 1995 Plymouth Neon still runs. There are some slight body pain peeling, a little rust on the lower door) but it runs ok. It's taking about $2000 a year in repairs to keep it running but that's a lot cheaper than a car payment. I'm thinking next year I'll consider a new one, when my credit card is completely paid off.

Mileage: 94,000.

4) Because buying an off-lease, low-mileage car used that someone else has eaten the depreciation on is a good idea.

just bought a new car felt it was time and the deals could not be better. Actually got $6000 dollars off a toyota camry se. this would have never happened a year ago. now is the time to buy why only get a couple grand off a car when they are taking huge amounts off presently

I waited for the past three years for a manufacturer to make a car comparable to my old car that could half as much for a decent price. Nothing.

When the Roadmaster Estate finally hit 220,000 miles, I started looking more carefully as "preventive maintenance."

Bought an '04 Audi A6 Avant in August with 36,000 miles for less than a third of its original sticker price -- AND made them throw in an additional 4 year/48,000 miles of Audi warranty for free.

Score!

I've always found it hard to believe that there are that many people buying new cars every year that it's worth it for companies to place car ads very frequently in every kind of medium. It boggled my mind to imagine that there were that many people out shopping for new cars all the time.... turns out that they were just doing it for fun and there wasn't a huge market for people who need new cars. There's some market, I'm sure, but not what the proliferation of advertisements seemed to project.

Something I've never understood - why do there need to be new models of cars every year, or every 2-3 years? Making brand new cars I understand, and some adjustments for engine & function imrovements are probably something that should be done annually - but tweaking the aesthetics constantly so that the 2008 model doesn't quite look like the 2007... doesn't that just cost money to adjust factory processes? Does it add value?

@lalaland13: I think Consumer Reports means new as in fresh off the assembly line...because there's no general assigned value for what a used car should cost as compared to similar used vehicles of the same year. It all has to depend on mileage, condition of the car, different amenities offered, and sometimes even color (teal green won't sell as well as black, for instance).

Generally, I doubt anyone shopping for a used car would say they're all too expensive because one could simply by a slightly older vehicle, or get a car with slightly higher mileage to offset the cost of the used vehicle.

I don't buy a car because my car still runs. The beauty of having an older car is 1) the insurance is low 2) Who cares if there is a little bump or scratch on it? I'll soon be selling my car since SF has great public transportation and Zipcar, but I won't even consider buying a new car until the new hybrids come out in 2010.

The auto makers can still make dollars on old vehicles in terms of parts sales, etc. However, the business model doesn't currently support that kind of setup. The fact that car dealers and the "factory" repair shops can't be owned by the car manufacturers might make it a moot point, though.

Some wise person said that the recession is good because everything that is bad or broken is dying off. The car makers can still make it, but a massive restructuring will have to take place for them to succeed. Business models that worked 30 years ago just won't cut it now.

We have 2 cars. 1996 Honda Accord, 2006 Toyota Van. I keep both cars tuned/oil changes ever 5k miles. Both run fine; we do have a car payment on the Toyota (Bank of Mom/Dad @ 0% interest) the Honda is long paid for. Insurance is low on the 2 cars. I expect my 10 yr old to learn to drive on the Honda.

I would like a new car...but not spending the money. Mine work.

Besides...I can't afford a Ferrari.

At least the past two purchases, it's come down to inspection, i.e. can the old battlewagon pass as is (No) and is it worth the cost/trouble to make it inspection-worthy (No).

Our '07 Pilot was our first brand new car in 16 years; the financing was right, the timing was right, the price was right, and we'll drive it into the ground a long time from now, barring untimely accidents. I long ago lost my fear of high-mileage cars, having driven two to 173K, one to 193K, and my current 626 to 161K and counting. Finances permitting, I'll give it to my daughter in a year or so and get something else, probably used.

I'm seriously considering a new car. The incentives have new ones down to the price of year (or two) old off lease models. there are some great deals to be had in new cars right now, if you shop around.

I'm not concerned about getting financing. That shouldn't be a problem. I'm not concerned about losing my job. I'm a little concerned about not finding a new job if I lose my current job.

Rationally, I won't buy a new car any time soon, just because it'll continue to cost me less to keep repairing my current vehicle(s).

@Alessar: holy crap, that's a lot to spend on maintenance for a car with only 94k on it. i spread my miles out quite a bit over several vehicles, and don't drive all that many miles per year total, but my average car age is 16.3 years and average mileage is 156k, and I probably spend under 1k a year on maintenance and repairs...

I have a 2004 Oldsmobile Alero that will be paid off in about a year. I want to get it paid off and get rid of one of my two car payments so me and my wife can actually afford to buy a house!

Getting another car/car payment would be the worst thing that could happen to us financially, especially since my wife was recently laid off and had to take a slight pay cut to get a new job.

@oneandone: The general cycle is every 4 years, which has been the industry standard for a few decades. Back in the golden age ('50s), I believe it was every year. These days, you have to run at least a couple years to make a tidy profit. And 4 years is also the typical length of a longer warranty or lease, so it keeps things fresh.

Some cars run 2 or even 3 cycles with just facelifts (Ford Focus is on refresh #3 of the same car). YMMV.

Can't afford one here.

@eurodriver: I bought a car in August of 2008. It was an '07 with 5k miles on the clock.

I did similar - bought an 07 in June 08, it had 8,000 miles. Paid about 30% less than new and it doesn't drive me crazy if it gets scratched up because it was used (mental trickery on myself, but it works). Best car purchase I've ever made I think.

I fall into the category of "There's nothing wrong with the old ones." I drive a 1996 Toyota camry with 268,000 miles. Frankly, if I could buy a "NEW" 1996 Toyota camry with zero miles for the same price I bought the original one at... I'd to it in a heart beat. It has proven reliability, I am comfortable with the ammeneties in the car and frankly have the stuff they put in the new cars is a distraction anyway.

1 motion to bring back trust worthy old model vehicles!

@oneandone: Model year changes were introduced in order to make cars a fashion item and sell more of them. The Model T, for example, didn't have significant changes from year to year during its production run. But eventually the market started to get saturated, and to sell more cars the automakers had to give people a reason to replace an old one that still ran.

Buying new is the best way to turn $30K+ instantly into $15K, whats wrong with that Sheeples?

I'm waiting until 40MPG is a minimum standard. Until then, my car works just fine. I'd rather drop $1K a year in repair costs than have to deal with car payments and higher insurance rates.

@jaydez: I'm o@Mary Marsala with Fries:

I've made a commitment to myself to buy only cars $5000 or less, preferably in the $2000. Right now I've got a 1991 Acura Integra with 245,000 miles on it, runs like new. Ain't the prettiest but I paid $2300 for it and have barely topped over $1000 in maintenance bills for the year and a half I've had it. $3300 divided by 18 months is cheaper than leasing most cars much less owning. I've also got a $500 Yamaha Vision XZ550 which I've spent nil in maintenance for (it's my backup vehicle.) My next car is going to be another Ford Taurus wagon, used, 96-99 series. I love the way those ride for some reason, and aside from the transmission they are very reliable :) Screw new cars!

@downwithmonstercable: The reason to buy new is to get exactly what you want, know the history, and because it's what you want, you know you're gonna grow old together with it. Or at least you're gonna drive it untill all that's left is a few body panels and the stereo.

I'm the type of guy who likes to run his cars into the ground before I get another one. The engine seized on my first car (plenty of oil when I set off on a trip and 20 min into the trip it seized). My second car caught on fire (random snapping of the serpentine belt, which was in perfect condition, on a cold day cause car to overheat melting fuel tube, starting fire, luckily in my driveway with no one in the car). My third car was totaled by a stupid teenage driver trying to do 80 on a crowded highway when everyone else was doing 45.

My last car was fine. I got married, we bought a house, and are living in a city. We just recently traded in both our cars and bought one newer car (though still used, it was a dealer program car, last year's model, with only 10k). With the 2 trade-ins (we realize we could've gotten a lot more selling them ourselves, but didn't feel like spending the time doing that), we now have a car payment that's only $20 more than my last car payment and our insurance and total car taxes will be more than $20 less than they were on the other cars. All this without even mentioning the maintenance and random problems. We were able to get a bigger and newer car because of that (bigger in case we decide to have a kid and better for road trips, which we enjoy taking).

With a 5 year loan, I expect to have the car until it dies.

Well how many friggin' cars does the world need?

I'll never buy a new car because the Volvo 140, 200, 700 and 900 series are no longer in production and I don't care to drive anything else -- with the exception of a 164 or P1800, of course.

@Ash78: It depends on the type of vehicle, too. Cars generally get facelifts every year or two and a total refresh every four, as you point out. But it's common for trucks or vans to go for more than a decade without significant changes.