anyone on here only buy used cars?

[VISITOR]

what are your thoughts on buying a used car as opposed to buying a new one?

what do you look for when buying one?

any specific criteria you look for?

[CarolinasFinestDetailing]

Why not let the original owner take the depreciation hit?

Big thing for me is service records and is it certified pre-owned?

[af90]

Depends on the price.

There is an intangible about getting a new car, but I've owned used and new. No real difference unless you want something special out of it such as European Delivery or factory deliver and the like.

[EVOlved]

I only bought used cars up until this last one, reason why I switched I wanted a car that was not abused which with EVO's and other like cars is extremely rare so I made the dive.

I look for maintenance records, any signs of abuse (modifications, crumple zones that are damaged, repainted areas, and the list goes on..), and obviously can't have any clear failure. Obviously a test drive is always in order for a used ride as well to make sure the steering, braking, transmission, etc. all go smooth.

[longdx]

I have only purchased one brand new car. The rest of my car purchases have been cars usually 1-2 years old.

[dsg03gt]

I lease my wife's cars but I buy mine used.

I look for a clean car with maintenance records and low miles. My car I have now was three years old when I bought it and under 30K miles. Dealer serviced leases vehicle. I look over the whole car top to bottom. I look for VIN tags on all body panels, and check for resprays. and just make sure everything looks right. Then I do an extensive test drive with as many different conditions as I can. It takes me awhile to find cars. This one took me a month but when I bought my old Mustang it took me six months to find the right one.

[David Hayward]

I prefer a good used car pending the interest rates aren't through the roof. Dont lose as much as it rolls off the lot compared to a brand new car.

[KneeDragr]

Depending on the brand, it often makes more sense to buy new. I usually buy Honda's and Toyota models with low options, and they usually only cost a few k more than a 2-3 year old used one. For instance my CR-V, I got the leather package and no options for 23k ( about 10% off ). I saw plenty of used ones for 20-25k with 10-30k miles with more options, cars that originally cost 30k new, but I didn't see the value in them. Honda's and Toyotas hold their value so well. For instance I bought a 2004 Tacoma for 21.5k and sold it 3 years later for 18k.
Now for cars that depreciate a lot, it definitely makes more sense to buy used. I know a friend who bought a Jaguar for 48k and sold it 2 years later for 24k, ouch.

[Desertnate]

I used to buy only used cars. However, after a couple of bad experiences despite my best efforts to ensure I had a solid vehicle, I've gone new for my last couple of cars.

I typically keep cars for a long time. I like knowing the truth about the maintenance history for the entire lifespan, not to mention the safety blanket of a warranty.

If I go used again, it will be a CPO or one new enough to still have the benefit of the remaining factory warranty.

[HUMP DIESEL]

We buy used, but we buy used luxury cars. I am mostly into Lexus vehicles right now. Our last purchase was a 2009 RX350, not ultra luxury, but for us it is the nicest car we have had so far. We bought from a one owner and I actually detailed it prior to him selling. There were some cosmetic items, but nothing major and the price was right. He still had the original window sticker showing new that the vehicle was over $40,000. We got it for 16,500, and we will drive it for a long time. I have an IS300 that I bought used, and it has over 215,000 miles on it. The initial loan has been paid off for some time now and I have had no trouble out of it as long as I maintain it.
I feel like if you target the right vehicle and look for those that have been taken care of, then you can really do much better than buying new.

HUMP