Why It Is Smart to Buy A Used Car

Learn all the reasons why buying a used car often makes more sense financially. Turns out, better value for your money is only one of the reasons.

Many aspiring car buyers still don’t entertain the idea of buying a used car, despite the numerous benefits. These days, a decent used car dealership can help you get a fair deal on some amazing cars that will give new ones a run for their money.

What many people have failed to realize is that they can buy a high-quality used car that is still in good condition, which often makes more sense than buying a new car. Below are some reasons why it is a wiser investment than purchasing a new one.

Minimum Depreciation and Good Value for Money

What many people don’t know is that the value of a new car decreases up to 20% as soon as they drive it off the lot, and decreases in value by 10% across the first year of purchase. Think about that for a moment and you will come to understand some of the hard truths about buying a new brand-new car – you end up paying 30% more than necessary. Buying that very same vehicle, a year later, will therefore be at least 30% cheaper.

When you buy a used car, it means that you have let the first owner take that depreciation blow. If you are smart, or lucky enough, to find a two-year-old used car, you might be looking at paying less than half of the brand-new, dealership sticker price – all whiel still getting the maximum in terms of service years out of it.

Taking Advantage of Today’s Reliable Modern Vehicles

Although buying used cars was initially a bit of a risky investment, those days are long gone. Most mid-20th century cars were not built to last beyond 5-7 years, unlike today. Virtually every new generation car has an expectancy of a decade of service. For example, In the US, the average age of a vehicle in service is 11.6 years, which is up from just 6.7 years in 1995.

This is why a five-year-old used car that’s in excellent condition still has 10 or more years in its tank, with thorough maintenance, and above all it will not cost you as much as a brand-new vehicle.

High-Quality Used Vehicles Are Everywhere

These days, leasing is on the increase in both America and Canada. An estimation states that 30% of all recent car transactions are leased, rising up to 10 percent in the past 5 years.

Most of these dealers resell those previously leased cars. Meanwhile, they’re usually only about 3 years old, and still in top-notch shape. Furthermore, they’ve had their costs beat down because of their previous ownership, thereby making them incredible, and reliable, deals worth considering.

To top it off, they are often still covered by manufacturer powertrain warranties among other warranties, giving you an additional confidence in your purchase.

The Internet has A Car’s Accident History

Unlike in the past where you were expected to trust and go by the approval of your used car dealership’s considerations of a vehicles past record, incidents, and general health, thing shave changed. With a vehicle’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and internet-based tools like CarFax and Carproof, you can quickly, and effeciently, look up the history of the vehicle you’re interested in. There you can see what accidents or incidents the car has previously been a part of, if any.

Lesser In Insurance Costs and Payments

Apart from factors like age, prior accidents, and other individual factors, car insurance is primarily dependant on the value of the car. The lesser the value, the lesser the insurance cost.

Since vehicle values take a hit during the first few years after purchase, acquiring a used car and having it insured will cost you less in the long run than buying a new vehicle.

More suitable Financing Terms

Interest rates on used vehicles are still normally a bit costlier than when the vehicles are new. This is because used car dealerships don’t typically need to “sell” their cars as hard – they don’t have to compel you with a 0% APR 5 year financing scheme.

Nevertheless, the interest rates on used vehicles are highly competitive, so you can agree on low down payments and long repayment terms to get a fair deal on your used car financing.

Same Price – Better Car!

Going for a used car will see you getting your hands on a car that would have otherwise been beyond your reach financially. For example, a $40,000 Audi that was leased for 3 years, and is being resold now, has dropped 30-35% of its original value over those three years and is now being sold for $25,000, notwithstanding still being in great shape. That is where you come in – you will be getting an Audi in good condition for the price of a lesser car.

Making the Smarter Choice

Why stretch your finances to the limit in the pursuit of a brand new car when you can still get good value, for more, in buying a quality used one? The smarter choice is a simple one – save, and get more bang for your buck, with a used car.