When To Buy A Used Car Older Than Five Years

If you are a smart buyer you would buy a car at least 2-3 years old due to the money you will save in depreciation cost. 5 year old car is nothing nowadays, with modern manufacturing plants and robotic controls cars are made to last and are over engineered compared to cars in the 80’s. You hardly hear about cars popping fuses, alternators failing etc. Electrical systems and power-plant engineering has improved quite a bit. Allot of that has to do with major manufacturers outsourcing all the R&D to companies like Visteon, Delphi etc. the auto makers can concentrate on making their cars fit and finish better as well as power train issues. When you spend time developing a new radio for a new car and more time developing the engine and other major components you will have a better product. Competition between major Manufactures is also on the up, Acura is trying to out do Lexus and Lincoln trying to out do Cadillac etc.. the demand for better cars and nice features is up and auto makers are racing to make a better product to outsell their competition. Look at the warranties now Hyundai which use to be a joke 10-15 years ago is now a big dawg in the auto industry, look at the new sonata compared to what they sonata was in 1995 100% improvement. And GM is offering a 100k mile warranty as well as Hyundai and other auto makers. The product must be good for them to do so otherwise they will fold because of warranty repairs. any car make after 1996 I feel is very solid and reliable. You can get some great deals for under $5k for cars from 96-99 which are great cars for the most part, maintiace is the key. Ask for repairs, oil changes, tune ups etc.. if a car is well maintained it will run for ever as long as you don’t abuse it. I just picked up an 1998 Cadillac DeVille fully loaded with 145k miles for $3500 this was a $40k car new. It was well maintained and had receipts for all work done to it. It has lost almost all its value and will not further depreciate any further, for years how much lower than $3500 can you go? If you can turn a wrench and fix some issues I would say go for cars older than 5 years heck even 10 years or more for that matter. Old cars have personality and charm unlike many cookie cutter cars from nowadays. another great thing is that if you don’t like the car you can sell it very easily and jump into another one, which you will not be able to do if you buy new or somewhat new car i.e. less than 3-4 years old. Most cars depreciate the most in the 1st 5 years than the depreciate is gradual over time. Category:Home › Autos • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 2 • You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car • Should a new car be rust-proofed? • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 1 • Five safest cars in North America • How to ensure your teen drives safely after getting a license • Pros and cons of using an hydrogen generator for your car • DIY automotive maintenance: How to change the oil