When to change you car??

440Hz

Hey sorry if there are loads of threads about this already but my search aint working so well but.. here goes my question. Just looking for some advice:

I am trying to decide when the best time to change my car is. I drive a 04 Beetle 1.4 with about 26,000 miles on it, I bought it new and its in mint condition. Im totally happy with it and didnt really think about changing it until everyone started going on about it losing its value and how I should change in January. Any thoughts on this? SSIA time in January so I could change but I guess the question is how long is too long to hold on to a car? I mean its lost so much value already, is this thing about changing every 1-2 years with new cars really the way to go?

Sorry if that sounds totally stupid, I know its different for everyone but just wondering what people think?

Stephen

The first owner of a new car always takes the brunt of the depreciation hit, no matter what. I reckon if you're happy with the car and there's no problems with it, and its reliable etc, why not hang on to it?

ballooba

My car is for sale at the moment, but I'm in no particular rush to get rid of it. I was wondering the exact same as the above. So I would appreciate an answer to that question also.

I would have thought January would be the worst time however with SSIA fever. Maybe a good time to sell but not to buy?

stifz

The SSIA's will have a double edge sword. It'll flood the market with secondhand cars and increase new car sales making long waiting lists to buy new.... i don't think it will drop the value of cars just give more choice of the same product. the back street sellers will hold the prices because they'll still have to battle among the traders to buy from the large main dealers.

I'll personally be stocking up on high spec stock. 318 se auto for example. Hard to get in good condition and decent mileages.

I'd have to agree with other post.. don't sell it if it's not giving you any hassel. hold tight because not every person in Ireland have a SSIA due.. Theres lots of talk of them and whispers but again not everyone has one and even so they'll be released in stages deliberatly not to rock the general economy. It's a controlled and staged injection into the economy yet everyone has euro sign flashing in their minds eye?!

My advice is hold tight.

Anan1

I'd second that. Whatever car you buy is going to depreciate, so you might as well stick with a car which you know and like.

bazz26

Your not going to keep ahead of depreciation by changing every year or two, you will be back to square one next year. Cars loose more in depreciation over the first 3 years of their life and level off after that. Trying to soften depreciation by trading up every 2 years is futile imo.

I used to do the same but have held on to my car now as I would be in the same position next year again. That and the fact I am moving house in the next couple of months.

Unless the latest year on the number plate is of utmost importance to you or it giving you trouble, I would stick with what you have.

Car Mad

the best time to change a car is when u get sick of it.

Kashkai

Car Mad wrote:

the best time to change a car is when u get sick of it.

Agree totally.

If you like your car and its not causing you any bother, then hold onto it.

I traded in a perfectly good 14 year old car once (that had never given any bother) for a brand new car and this new car was back in the garage 12 times in 6 months.

Now i'm not saying keep the VW for 14 years but you'll be hammered for depreciation if you trade it in now. Wait for a couple more years and get your monies worth out of it.

Blazer

don't bother selling it..the depreciation in the first 2 years doesn't make it worth your while..I have a 05 primera and so far it's lost about €8500 in 17 months :mad: so it's not worth my while changing it...The salesman will tell you that the ideal change is every 3 years or so but if you're happy with your car and it's running fine why change it?

overdriver

440Hz wrote:

Hey sorry if there are loads of threads about this already but my search aint working so well but.. here goes my question. Just looking for some advice:

I am trying to decide when the best time to change my car is. I drive a 04 Beetle 1.4 with about 26,000 miles on it, I bought it new and its in mint condition. Im totally happy with it and didnt really think about changing it until everyone started going on about it losing its value and how I should change in January. Any thoughts on this? SSIA time in January so I could change but I guess the question is how long is too long to hold on to a car? I mean its lost so much value already, is this thing about changing every 1-2 years with new cars really the way to go?

Sorry if that sounds totally stupid, I know its different for everyone but just wondering what people think?

Hold on to it if it's doing the job. Otherwise you're just going to hand that SSIA money over for nothing, like all the muppets out there.


Why is your username the Hz measure for A ?
Like it!

ninty9er

bazz26 wrote:

Your not going to keep ahead of depreciation by changing every year or two, you will be back to square one next year. Cars loose more in depreciation over the first 3 years of their life and level off after that. Trying to soften depreciation by trading up every 2 years is futile imo.

My mother's just about to start this cycle with her first ever "nearly new" car.Every 2 years sees a good depreciation hit, but she's buying a Yaris which holds fairly well and wouldn't be able to afford the cost of change if she left it more than 2 years.

IF you are changing the bug, go for a 06 in Feb/March when they have the forecourts flooded with them and they have to meet s/h sales targets, that way you get the best price on your new car while changing the bug at the "magic 3 years", which doesn't really exist IMO, but it's a novelty car in some respects and someone will always want one. put it in the B&S in Jan and buy a new one whenever you sell IF you are sick of the bug.

If you like it-keep it

Anan1

ninty9er wrote:

and wouldn't be able to afford the cost of change if she left it more than 2 years.

How do you mean?

ninty9er

She has a lump sum now - not SSIA - that won't re-occur. If she changes in 2 years it should cost 3-3.5k which is affordable but at 3 years it'd be around 6 k which is double and not affordable

maidhc

ninty9er wrote:

She has a lump sum now - not SSIA - that won't re-occur. If she changes in 2 years it should cost 3-3.5k which is affordable but at 3 years it'd be around 6 k which is double and not affordable

Cars generally do not depreciate twice the amount in year 3 as they did in years 1 & 2.*

*Unless a new highly desirable model came out 12 months after purchase!

Supercell

So buying a car 3'ish years old and selling say two years later is the optimum to get a reasonably new car, and lowish depreciation? (not compaired to buying at 10 years and selling at 12 years of course).

I'd thought 4+2 would be better than 3+2 in depreciation hit ?