Save a Ton of Money on an Almost New Car!

Nothing quite matches that feeling of getting a new car. Everything is perfect. There are no tears in the upholstery, the engine is brand new with no wear at all, and it even smells new. But those things don’t last very long, as we all know, and you still have to make the new car payments.

Startlingly (in my opinion) you can find an almost new car with low mileage for a lot less. Car dealerships have a huge selection of low mileage late model used cars. It baffles me where these barely used cars come from. I recently saw a 2008 Infiniti G35 with 17,000 miles for sale at a Infiniti dealer in Los Angels . There’s a 2009 Ford F-150 available for ,000 at a Huntington Beach used cars dealership.  And a 2009 Honda Civic for ,000 at a Georgia Honda Dealership. Who paid for a brand new car, only to get rid of it while it was still pretty new? Perhaps the cars were repossessed.Maybe they get a new car every year? Go figure?The fact is that you can buy it for much less than they paid – and it’s still almost new!

Pricing

You’d think that the price of a used car would be what it was worth when it was new, adjusted for use (mileage), any damage, and depreciation because it’s no longer the newest model. That depreciation is substantial. If you had bought that same car last year, you would still be happy with your purchase, even if the manufacturer has released a new model with the latest features. You’d probably still owe more on it than it’s worth. But most people want the latest and greatest available when they buy a car. Pretty soon they’ll have a used car.

Why not benefit from this bias which inexplicably decreases the market price of used cars, trucks and SUVs? Decide on a model you like. Most car dealerships certify cars that have low mileage and are in good condition. You can still finance a used car, just like you can finance a new car. Many of these cars are still under warranty by the factory, plus you can buy an extended warranty from the dealer.

What Has Been Learned Since the Car Was New

Defects are often undiscovered until a car model has been in wide use for a while. Consumer Reports and others review the new cars and publish their findings. But they can only test the cars for a short time. Some information, like how reliable a car is just isn’t available until thousands of them are on the road over an extended period of time. If you buy a used car, you’ll have some of this type of information available to help you decide which car to buy. Besides, even the best-built new cars have recalls over the first few years. With a preowned car, many of these issues have already been taken care of.

If you are trying to cut costs, like so many are, think about buying a late model used car. A car dealer who sells new cars is the best person to buy a good used car of the same make from. They have a good selection, sales people who are familiar with the car, and factory trained technicians who can service your car going forward.