Why do people buy new cars?

gerarda

I just wanted to hear people's reactions and opinions on buying new cars? Does it ever cross anyone's mind that as soon as it sold it depreciates before it leaves the dealership?

A new car is nice and the fact that no one else has driven it too is attractive but is it really worth the cost?

Captain Chaos

If no one bought new cars no one would be able to buy second hand cars. Let them at it. If you do buy a new car don't keep it any longer than a year though.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

Why do people fly first class, economy still gets you there. Why buy fillet steak, frozen burgers will fill you too.

There's loads of reasons. Some people upgrade each year so they can just pay a set amount each week and never have to worry about tyres, servicing or anything breaking down, as warranty would take care of that.

Then like you said, some people just wanna be the first one to own and drive it. You only live once and not everything should be measured by its cost.

pippip

Brother in law used to get a new car every two years or so. Used to claim once you make the initial jump the upgrade price each time after that doesn't really differ to upgrading used cars.

His main reasons were,
- never having to buy tyres (didnt do huge mileage),
- worry about servicing (always negotiated it into the deal),
- warranty for ANYTHING going wrong (not like you normal crap warranties on used cars)
- got a years tax from the dealer (again part of deal)
- never worrying about nct.
- also could choose exactly what he wanted down to the little details unlike buying used where you have to compromise on something.

endacl

Why do people like nice things?

Tea 1000

gerarda wrote: »

I just wanted to hear people's reactions and opinions on buying new cars? Does it ever cross anyone's mind that as soon as it sold it depreciates before it leaves the dealership?

A new car is nice and the fact that no one else has driven it too is attractive but is it really worth the cost?

You do realise that once you buy your new car, you don't actually turn around and sell it straight away again? Only a gobsh!te would do that, so therefore your point is moot.
Besides, if you buy any car worth more than maybe 5 grand, the minute you buy that it depreciates too!
You try buying a 15k used car from a dealer and then straight after taking ownership ask him what the trade in value is!
Someone has to buy new. Some folk do lots of mileage and need to keep a fresh car, others buy new and keep it for 15 years to get the value out of it.
Some people do waste money on constantly changing, but if that keeps them happy, so be it.

Sleepy

Because they can afford it.

If the lotto ticket in my pocket turns out to be a winner, I'd be down to the Alfa Dealer as soon as the cheque had cleared.

ardmacha

If you have a bit of money you can get a bit more; new car, business class air ticket, 5 star hotel and so on.
You can't take it with you.

As someone said, if you've done alright and don't buy the Merc/business class ticket etc. your son in law will be driving a Merc etc when you are gone.

What makes no sense is people buying new cars who can't afford and who are borrowing big whacks of money, that's what has the country the way it is.

5rtytry56

i. Because they don'nt want to buy used cars.
ii. Since it's new the car hasn't to be brought to any "mechanic" in an Irish garage. Who always sez "the timing belt is fooked mate" no matter what trouble the owner seems to have.

Mike Tobacco

Bought a new car this week! Had a 10+ year old car and needed to upgrade. Originally wanted to get maybe a 12, but ended up with a 152.

Why? The dealership offered me €4k (waaaay too much) for my old car if I bought a new model, as opposed to €1k if I was buying a 2nd hand. Also, the interest rate offered on the car finance was much lower for a new car than a 2nd hand.

As a result, when I sat down and looked at the numbers it was only going to cost me about €20 extra per month to get the brand new car. When I took the warranty etc into account it seemed like the right deal, for me anyway.

bazz26

Because it's their choice. Someone bought your car new at one stage OP.

Lucena

I bought a new car about four years ago, first time I ever bought a new car. Few different reasons.

Old car had numerous problems and it was a case of spend silly money repairing it or get another car.

I was looking for something with lots of room in the boot, like a Renault Kangoo. I looked at second-hand Kangoos, generally around €10 000 for one with 60 to 80 thousand kms on the clock and around four to five years old. I realized that for another four grand, I could get a brand new Dacia Logan MCV (ugly blighter, I know!).

Also at the time, I had a lot of other stuff going on, and didn’t have a lot of time to start ringing round different places to go looking at second-hand cars; it was easier to just buy new. The fact that I know next to nothing about cars was also a major factor in that decision; at least buying new, I know what I’m getting, whereas with second-hand, I would have had to do tonnes of research and even then there was always a risk of buying a dud.

So here I am four years later, happy out with my massive boot (perfect for beer runs to Germany, bringing my dog around with me, camping gear…)
The plan was, and still is, to get a new car and keep it until it dies in hopefully another seven or eight years, and then get another new car, so as to keep the hassle of buying cars to a minimum.

I'm not a car person!

marathonic

For some of the more desirable models the discounts offered by dealers can mean that there is very little difference between the price of a new car versus the price of a 1-year old version.

I imagine that there'll be some great deals to be had in buying the outgoing Audi A4 over the next 3-6 months.

With only a few thousand difference between a new car and a year old model, it's a no brainer - you will recover a lot of this when selling in 3-5 years.

Sure, you could buy a 3+ year old model - but that's a risk given the car is outside warranty. Some people prefer to have a good idea of their next 3 years motoring costs as opposed to facing bills amounting to €1,000's like many BMW owners have faced in the recent past.

colm_mcm

Sleepy wrote: »

Because they can afford it.

If the lotto ticket in my pocket turns out to be a winner, I'd be down to the Alfa Dealer as soon as the cheque had cleared.

You may be disappointed!

sk8board

OP, I'd normally agree with you and my car history agrees.

Then I was in the market to change my car a few months ago and came across the new 4-series gran coupe, which I loved, but for all intents and purposes isn't really available 2nd hand yet, nor in the spec I was after

So I looked at the maths of buying new for the 1st time and IMHO only one thing matters - the prospective re-sale value in 3 years time say - and can I afford that drop. the 3-year warranty and servicing pack is a BIG plus - worry free motoring

and I wanted a very specific spec, so I was either buying new or buying something else - being picky makes things expensive


buying new is all down to affordability and the % of your hard-earned that you spend on a car.
Some guy paying €200k for a Porsche 911 might be spending 5% of his savings, just like the guy spending €2k on a 2nd hand car down the road.

its all relative.

Deagol

gerarda wrote: »

I just wanted to hear people's reactions and opinions on buying new cars? Does it ever cross anyone's mind that as soon as it sold it depreciates before it leaves the dealership?

A new car is nice and the fact that no one else has driven it too is attractive but is it really worth the cost?

I always buy new cards because:
1) Warranty - I have 7 years piece of mind without worrying about a gearbox falling out etc.
2) I know the history - no gob****es have driven the hell out of it before me.
3) Service history - I know that no DIY mechanics have been at it, if the main dealer screws it up they cannot void the warranty.
4) Because I can afford it

Depreciation is a red herring IMO anyway, bandied about by people who spend too much time trying to justify why they don't want a new car rather than just admitting they can't afford one (or I guess they worry about depreciation too much )

Example: I bought my previous car new for 19k (Heavily discounted in 09 from 23k).

Traded it in for a new car priced at 31K. Dealer allowed me 13k on the trade in. So essentially it cost me 6k for 5 years of warranty covered driving.

Sleepy

colm_mcm wrote: »

You may be disappointed!

Not a fan of the 4C?

noelf

When i traded in my 141 Golf for a new one it needed a new headlight (cracked lens) €200 not including fitting and two front tyres say €200 . For a extra €20 per month I have a 152 Golf with a much higher spec .

Elmo

The Cunning Linguist wrote: »

Why buy fillet steak, frozen burgers will fill you too.

Always say Fillet steak V McDonalds! And think Fillet steak, now I wan't a McDs

Does it work out if you have the money to buy a new car and sell it the following year?

Also if you buy a car every 10 years rather than a ten year old car every 2 - 3 years? Will it work out cheaper in the long run?

jimmycrackcorm

A significant number of new cars are either business leases or bought using mileage allowances.

Also with the costs of repairs on some old cars, some of those PCP offers look very attractive.

DHFrame

Sleepy wrote: »

Because they can afford it.

If the lotto ticket in my pocket turns out to be a winner, I'd be down to the Alfa Dealer as soon as the cheque had cleared.

Alfa? You can do better than that!

25 years ago, I bought my first car, second hand, and spent three years paying off a loan at about IR£125 a month. That would be roughly €160, and that's not taking 25 years of inflation into account. When I traded that in and bought my second car, which was a Nissan Sunny, it was also used and my loan repayment was about the same.

I just signed up to buy myself a new car, an Octavia as it happens. My repayments will be €185 a month. No real worries, new tyres, no NCT, no being out of warranty. And I got to specify more or less exactly what I wanted (as long as I was prepared to pay for it).

I'm happy with that, just as I was happy with my last new car. But it's not for everyone, and each to their own. Someone I know loves tracking down real bargains in "luxobarges" - big cars with plenty of creature comforts and kept well, but at low prices because of their age and number plates. Over the years she has driven fantastic cars I wouldn't even dream of owning, and yet spent very little to buy them. On the other hand, I know someone who finally gave up on his 1991 BMW 3 series a couple of months ago - with great reluctance - and someone else who still drives and loves his VW Golf which he bought brand new in 1999 (Is that a mark 4? I think so) and which still looks in really good nick.

Like I said, each to their own.

punisher5112

DHFrame wrote: »

Alfa? You can do better than that!

Look up the latest 500hp+ Alfa that's probably what he would be investing in.

Freddiestar

Trick is to buy second hand with low mileage. I got an 07 BMW last year with 25k miles. Still only 34k on it now and it feels like a new car to me.
Some 08/09 Volvos out there have only 30/40k miles with less than €10,000 price tags, a no brainer.

Freddiestar

Freddiestar wrote: »

...a no brainer.

No it isn't, WADR.

It's a great idea if that's what you want to do, but some people want to do things differently - and good luck to them for that.

cowboyjoe

Some people like me, like new things. They obviously won't stay new for ever, but if like me again you always had a second hand car, and you came to a situation financially where you can afford one, then lots of people would buy a new car. I bought a new 132 Insignia and I still love the (almost) new feeling of it. No previous owners, no previous dogs, no previous children scribbling on the ceiling...etc etc. I will hopefully upgrade before the 5 year warranty expires. It's a nice feeling having no NCT or other breakdown issues to really worry about for a few years. I have been though all of that and more plenty of times.

Wanderer78

very little mass on cars. cant see myself ever buying new. certainly dont have the money at the moment but the second hand market can be hit or miss. keep buying new folks. i need to replace my car soon

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

A lady in the area where I live used to change every year. She recently changed after 6 months from a 142 to a 151 plate. VW Golf every time.

I always thought she was mad, but I doubt it costs any more to change every 6 months than every 3/5/10 years or whatever. The cost to change after 6 months is much less than the cost after say 3 years, it's just that you have to stump up some cash more often.

I'd love to buy a new Audi S3, but I don't have a pot to piss in so I can't.

DivingDuck

I think buying new is a better option because I'm risk averse, and I know so many horrific drivers who pull the backsides out of their cars that I feel like buying second-hand is only buying trouble.

It's easy enough for a garage to do a car up enough that it looks decent, but years of banging it around and rough driving have to take their toll on the engine and body all the same. When the inevitable happens, the repairs could be so costly and frequent as to eat up most of the savings made, but with a boatload of hassle and anxiety to boot.

If you buy new, you have assurances in scope and length that you will never get with a second-hand motor. You have the peace of mind of knowing that if something goes wrong, it won't cost the earth to fix it, and also that the chances of things going wrong in the short-term are far smaller. Depending on what you buy and how you do it, the price difference may not even be that big.

Different strokes for different folks, but I would pick new over second-hand every time when it comes to machines that have moving parts and workings beyond my ken.

Second-hand clothes, furniture, etc.? Sure, why not. Second-hand cars, computers, or other machines? For me, no.

sleepysniper

DivingDuck wrote:

Second-hand clothes, furniture, etc.? Sure, why not. Second-hand cars, computers, or other machines? For me, no.

Second hand clothes? Definitely not.

colm_mcm

Second hand house? Think our house had 3 previous owners

No mileage on it though.

DivingDuck

sleepysniper wrote: »

Second hand clothes? Definitely not.

If the backside falls out of my trousers as I walk down Grafton Street, the worst possible scenario is a fine for public indecency.

If the backside falls out of my car at 120kph on the M1, the worst possible scenario is far worse than that.

(Not that I've worn second-hand clothes since college, but that's beside the point.)

Mister Jingles

I don't really see the problem with buying brand new, it wouldn't be something i'd be quick to do but anyway what does strike me as foolish is those who buy brand new diesels for the purpose of cheap tax and thinking that they'll see much better results economy wise which is what my neighbor done, who has less then 15,000 km on his 2012 tdci Focus and who up until recently used it to travel less then 2.5 miles to work and back. If he had bought a petrol thought I wouldn't be writing this.

James Delaney

Captain Chaos wrote: »

If no one bought new cars no one would be able to buy second hand cars. Let them at it. If you do buy a new car don't keep it any longer than a year though.

Why should you only keep a new car for 1 yr ?

colm_mcm

colm_mcm wrote: »

Second hand house? Think our house had 3 previous owners

No mileage on it though.

I once knew a fella who lived in a bus. He wasn't short of money or anything, he just lived there while he was saving money to build a house.

The bus wasn't roadworthy. So maybe it's not relevant to this forum. :pac:

James Delaney

Mister Jingles wrote: »

I don't really see the problem with buying brand new, it wouldn't be something i'd be quick to do but anyway what does strike me as foolish is those who buy brand new diesels for the purpose of cheap tax and thinking that they'll see much better results economy wise which is what my neighbor done, who has less then 15,000 km on his 2012 tdci Focus and who up until recently used it to travel less then 2.5 miles to work and back. If he had bought a petrol thought I wouldn't be writing this.

I agree but Ford dealers are pushing diesels & have little in the Ford Focus Petrol line - at least thats what i found when I changed last year.
I hope when I change nxt, to recoup the diesel premium I paud last yr when changing back to petrol as like your neighbour, I only do 6K miles @yr.

James Delaney

AS A MATTER OF INTEREST:-
Most dealers are now giving a,5 yr warranty which is transferable.
For those who buy 2nd hand cars, is this a big attraction when buying 2nd hand - does it give you a certain sense of security when buying ? And are you willing to pay a premium for this ?

Mister Jingles

James Delaney wrote: »

Why should you only keep a new car for 1 yr ?

It's a novelty thing with people I suppose, particularly those over 60 who usually have no mortgage, children have moved out and are retired.

And if you change annually your losing very little when it comes to trading, assuming your buying the same model again or similar.

Saying that though and even from a second hand point of view, I personally wouldn't be the type who hangs onto a car for a year or less and moves on to another, especially if the one I had was in great condition mechanically for fear of replacing it with some **** heap.

Its actually one of the reasons I intend on hanging onto my guzzler of a Mondeo which is in very good condition engine wise ect

James Delaney

Mister Jingles wrote: »

It's a novelty thing with people I suppose, particularly those over 60 who usually have no mortgage, children have moved out and are retired.

And if you change annually your losing very little when it comes to trading, assuming your buying the same model again or similar.

Saying that though and even from a second hand point of view, I personally wouldn't be the type who hangs onto a car for a year or less and moves on to another, especially if the one I had was in great condition mechanically for fear of replacing it with some **** heap.

Its actually one of the reasons I intend on hanging onto my guzzler of a Mondeo which is in very good condition engine wise ect

I have to disagree with u der - U pay a huge price to change after 1 yr - better to change after 3,r 4 yrs, esp. where u ave a 5yr transferable warranty which gives the new owner comfort.

colm_mcm

Mister Jingles wrote: »

It's a novelty thing with people I suppose, particularly those over 60 who usually have no mortgage, children have moved out and are retired.

And if you change annually your losing very little when it comes to trading, assuming your buying the same model again or similar.

Saying that though and even from a second hand point of view, I personally wouldn't be the type who hangs onto a car for a year or less and moves on to another, especially if the one I had was in great condition mechanically for fear of replacing it with some **** heap.

Its actually one of the reasons I intend on hanging onto my guzzler of a Mondeo which is in very good condition engine wise ect

First years depreciation is the biggest. You're up against rental cars, demos, pre regs etc.

Oafley Jones

James Delaney wrote: »

I have to disagree with u der - U pay a huge price to change after 1 yr - better to change after 3,r 4 yrs, esp. where u ave a 5yr transferable warranty which gives the new owner comfort.

Are you typing this on an old nokia or what?

bazz26

The days of paying small money to trade up every 12 months are long gone. You will be looking at a minimum of €3k/4k these days to trade up 12 months like for like.

savagethegoat

because the average Irish driver doesn't maintain his car properly/at all
because a lot of the cars you see for sale are for sale because there is something wrong with them
because clocking is rife in the secondhand market
Because often "dealer" = "gangster"
because if you buy new you get the very best of the car, whereas with a used one , someone else already got it.
because money isn't everything....I'd rather buy a lower spec new car with my budget than a higher spec used one for the same price.

Truckermal

A guy asked me last night how can we afford good cars firstly I have a good job but he smokes 40 fags a day and drinks every night of the week which equates to a fairly decent motor. .

BrianD3

A few years ago car passive safety improved considerably from one generation of a car to the next so if someone bought a newly introduced model they could get a serious improvement over even a 6 month old previous model.

Nowadays there is something of a plateau in passive safety improvement although manufacturers are still responding to the IIHS small overlap test introduced in 2012. Here's what happened when the 2014 Toyota Rav4 and the modified (not a new model) 2015 Rav4 were subjected to this test.

2014


2015


Also, there are continuing improvements in active safety - collision avoidance systems etc.

noelf

bazz26 wrote: »

The days of paying small money to trade up every 12 months are long gone. You will be looking at a minimum of €3k/4k these days to trade up 12 months like for like.

I paid €2000 deposit to upgrade from a 141 to a 152 .. 141 Golf had 46600 km on it dealer is selling it at the trade in price he gave me ..

colm_mcm

Didn't you extend your finance another year on it though?

NIMAN

Thank God people continue to buy news cars, or there wouldn't be secondhand ones for us to buy.

mickdw

I bought my car new in 08. Still have it. The costs have well and truly evened out at this stage but depreciation in year one would have been severe if selling at that stage.
With regards to buying new or secondhand, I've had many secondhand cars and typically was time to pass them on again after about 2 years of owning them. With this car, silly add it sounds it still feels like a new car to me. I've kept it well, I know it's history, it's not been crashed, I know what had been done and what is coming up service wise. There has been great satisfaction in having bought new in that regard.

noelf

colm_mcm wrote: »

Didn't you extend your finance another year on it though?

Four Golfs in 5 years Colm !!

colm_mcm

noelf wrote: »

Four Golfs in 5 years Colm !!

Cost you €2000 plus extra 12* monthly payments to change so.

Fair play though!