Buying new cars?

[briers]

How does everyone feel about buying new?

I've been looking at a new Leon TDI and i'm thinking of buying a brand new one. Never owned a brand new car before. I will be buying myself with cash, managed to get enough so don't need finance.

Of course the dreaded depreciation always comes into it but should that put me off??? I can get it rather cheap, nearly cost i think as someone in my family works for SEAT. I like the idea of 3 years of warranty cover, knowing i've ran the engine in nicely and the feeling of owning it brand new. If i wait a year i may get 3-4k off the price but a trade in that soon is likely to be ex-fleet or ex-hire car so not exactly looked after. Anything 2-3 years old, why both swapping my car.

Still the thought of loosing so much cash over 5 years wont escape my thoughts.

 

[RobM]

If you can get a good discount through Seat employees, then most of your first years depreciation will have been covered by that discount. The most painful depreciation period is the first year so if your discount covers that, then from then on you'll be depreciating as fast as a second hand 'nearly new' car.

The warranty, the no MOT's, the low mileage and the fact it's yours from new all outweigh the fact it will depreciate.

Plus, if you're going to keep the car for 5 years the depreciation will be less of an issue as at the end of that time you'll have had a lot of use out of it. Keep the car well maintained, don't do any stupid modifications to it and keep it looking nice and in 5 years you'll still have some value left in the car. And also, the fact you're not taking out finance on it means you don't have to worry about it not being worth as much as you owe on it.

Buy it, drive it, enjoy it and worry about the value when you come to sell it

 

[briers]

I know it seems a bit of a no brainer - i've come around on the depreciation aspect. Its like a treat to myself a bit of a toy.

However i've come into a problem. I drove the toyota T180 diesel and its f-in quick, quicker than the 170 FR despite the paper figures. I'm torn now, i can get either for roughly the same price, toyota a bit more but its easily as good drive. Cars look different but the pull in the T180 is insane.


I've just added another dimension of complexity.