Contributed post
Buying a car is almost always a pretty big financial obligation and not one that should be taken lightly. When you’re dropping the kind of money that any kind of car normally costs, you need to be pretty sure about the kind of thing that you’re after.
Obviously, there are a lot of choices that you need to make, and they often come down to your specific needs. However, if there’s one question that’s more important than just about any other, it’s this: new or used?
There are a lot of posts all over the internet offering wildly different opinions on this very topic. There are some who swear by used cars and others who can’t stand the idea of getting anything that isn’t fresh off the assembly line. It’s important to think carefully about what it is that you really want from a vehicle before you ask yourself that all important question.
Price
Now, at first glance, this is a pretty obvious choice, right? After all, a new car is always going to be more expensive than a used one. If you’re looking to save money then surely used has to be the way to go! Well, it turns out that things are a little more complicated than that.
For one thing, there are a fair amount of discounts that often come with new cars. Many new cars offer discounted or free servicing for the first year of its life at least, and you even get discounts on things like MOT and taxes. Of course, you’ll certainly find yourself dropping less money at once when you’re buying used, but it’s important to look at things like interest rates if you end up getting the car on finance.
The next time you walk into a Mercedes dealership, try and find out what the best possible finance deals are on their new cars. Many new cars have specific deals when it comes to interest, making them much cheaper overall than a used car with higher interest rates would be over time.
Upgrades
For a lot of people, the standard factory model of a car is everything they need. However, for others, a car simply isn’t fit for purpose unless every inch of it has been improved and upgraded.
A new car can be made to pretty specific personal specifications right out of the gate. However, this can be pretty expensive. A lot of the time it will depend on how “official” you want any form of upgrade to be.
There is certainly something to be said for upgrades that are both made and installed by the manufacturer if you’re willing to deal with the high price.
Reliability
It’s the hope of just about every car owner that their vehicle will be as reliable as possible. However, there’s pretty much no denying that you will get a lot more initial mileage out of a brand new car than a used one.
Unless there’s some kind of major issue that involves a serious factory recall, you can pretty much guarantee that a new car is going to run properly. A used car, on the other hand, will often require a great deal more work to get up to scratch. Of course, this isn’t always the case. It usually depends on the history of the car and how previous owners have treated it.
The truth is that there will always be arguments for either option. All you can do is to try and figure out which is right for you. Take your time and don’t make any decision lightly.