Do you prefer to buy new cars or used cars and why? (rental, vehicles)

[Drago45]

Due for another car and debating which to get.

3-4 year old used car
1-2 year old used car
or new car

I plan to drive it into the ground. Difficult to justify the extra cost of the new car although the warranty is appealing. OTOH many of the used cars being sold at reasonable prices are former rental cars.

[mikeyyc]

Get a lightly used car. Lower miles, maybe with a CPO warranty, along with remainder of new car warranty. You'll save up to 1/3 of the price of new, and have an essentially new car.

[rbohm]

i prefer to buy much older cars, less intrusive technology, easier to maintain since i dont need a degree in computer science, and easier to trouble shoot since i dont have to have a code scanner, and except for the mustang and challenger, and possibly the corvette, no one makes anything i want.

[Pennychaser11]

Prefer really old cars that depreciated to the bottom that still have all of the essentials like backup camera, working a/c, bluetooth. Two of my cars are 93's which I retrofitted new techs and one prius for the wife. Of course I work on these cars so maintenance is cheap.

[Checkered24]

My personal preference is to either buy new, or older. I am not a fan of late model used due to a few headaches I picked up, undoubtedly traded in by the original owner due to those headaches, and because the more desirable models are not much of a value as late model used anyway in more recent years.

I do not mind older (out of warranty) either, as I can do a lot of my own work and have. That said, it has been a few vehicles now since I picked up an older vehicle.

[wankel7]

I wanted a diesel , wagon, manual transmission (and newer than 2000). That meant VW Jettas built between 1999 and 2005. Last year I got a 2003 and paid cash when I found one with only 70k. I don't mind older cars because I don't want a car payment and I can fix it myself.

[wpme]

I prefer to buy newer broken cars dirt cheap that are an easy fix (if you know what you are doing), then drive them until they are too far gone to justify fixing anymore

[Hemlock140]

There have been times when I went used due to financial reasons, but as long as I can afford it I prefer new. I have always enjoyed the challenge of new car negotiation, and will walk out when unable to get the deal I want. The last 3 new ones I have bought (2002, 2007, 2014) have all been at least $5,000 off of the sticker price. That more than offsets the depreciation when I drive off the lot, and I get the full warranty, plus that new car smell.

[ncole1]

Originally Posted by Drago45

Due for another car and debating which to get.

3-4 year old used car
1-2 year old used car
or new car

I plan to drive it into the ground. Difficult to justify the extra cost of the new car although the warranty is appealing. OTOH many of the used cars being sold at reasonable prices are former rental cars.

Former rental cars are not necessarily lemons, especially from Enterprise or Hertz. They have mechanics inspect them thoroughly over and over, and also offer a warranty.

[bande1102]

I prefer lightly used. I cannot justify/afford spending the amount of money on the new car that I really want. That being said, I always check the owner's manual to cross-reference miles and maintenance.

Re rental cars: that doesn't stop me from buying a car, but the perception that it's a bad thing is still out there so I use it to negotiate. Also, you can buy directly from the rental companies.