New car buying guide: the algorithm (2021)

Post by reducesuffering » Mon, Feb 26, 2024, 2:42 PM UTC

throwawaaarrgh wrote: post #128

reducesuffering wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> nearly new car used and save 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost This is pretty old advice, inaccurate for any car worth it's salt that you're buying. Good luck buying a slightly used Toyota for 1/2 cost, it's more like 6% off each year.

Almost all cars lose 20% of their value within first year of ownership. https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/how-to-beat-car-depreciation/ Go do a search for 2019 and 2020 Ford F150s or Toyota Tundras. They almost all list at half MSRP.

Post by joenot443 » Mon, Feb 26, 2024, 2:48 PM UTC

valval wrote: post #42

Keep in mind that going through this strategy will take you hours and hours, and with Software Engineering salaries it's quite probable that you should instead rather be working on stuff that you're actually good at with this time. Or then you outsource this whole process to someone else and pay them a slight premium, which is what I would do. My time isn't worth an email battle and spreadsheet acrobatics to save $3k…

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Feb 26, 2024, 3:02 PM UTC

interactivecode wrote: post #109

G3rn0ti wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The UK is heading this way too, and I hate it. > If you show up with cash to buy a car, you're looked at like you're crazy. They > push, and push to get you to take out a loan. With used car dealers in Germany it's a common thing to pay in cash. At least the down payment is usually in cash. However, having payed for my used car in cash, it still makes me nervous thinking of me taking a bus to the dealership with €1…

you can just use your debit card, the only thing you need to do is raise your limit in advance. no need to carry that much cash around.

Post by pavel_lishin » Mon, Feb 26, 2024, 3:17 PM UTC

globular-toast wrote: post #82

jolmg wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Concerns over reliability? Some car issues can be erratic and you may not find out about them until some time later. If you buy used, there's a level of risk regarding what the car's been through with previous owners. If you have a family and/or work with a tight schedule and/or park in areas where you wouldn't like to be left stranded, you may really value reliability.

You've never heard of a brand new car going wrong? A used car that's been on the road for 10 years with a full maintenance history gives me more hope for reliability than a brand new car that hasn't had time to reveal its problems. You can always pay someone to insure you against unlikely events and they don't care at all whether the car is new or not. It's up to you to decide how much risk you want to take.

Post by herbst » Mon, Feb 26, 2024, 3:34 PM UTC

Spivak wrote: post #129

somerandomqaguy wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of the tech in newer cars is just downright impressive. * Toyota's hybrids can achieve close to 40 miles per gallon on an SUV while achieving 200+ horse power and completely eliminates all timing belts and chains. No more digging into the engine bay to replace those. Just fluid replacements and inspections of the electrical connectors. * Anti lock brakes are way better today then systems from the late 90's. A 19…

> Is it really that surprising that there's people that don't want to put the kind of effort needed to dig into and repair an older car? This is weird to read having grown up in a family that has never once bought a car new. My parents don't know a damn thing about cars and it's never been a noticeable issue. Buy the car with 40-60k and drive it to 200k, repeat. They're usually not American cars but there were some F…