Thinking of buying a vehicle? Gently used vehicles are a great choice because the first owner sustained the large first year depreciation. There are LOTS of late model vehicles available and the way to find them is on the internet. My most recent vehicle purchase was a low mileage one year old vehicle that had been “detailed” by the dealer so it looked brand new. After test driving the vehicle I pointed out to the salesman that the price on the internet was about $1,000 less than the price posted on the vehicle. So we started negotiating from the lower internet price. If we had walked in off the street we would have paid more! So it pays to use the internet.
However, if you are planning to get a loan and finance this depreciating asset, rates on new car loans are lower than for used car loans so it may make sense to buy new and finance at a lower APR. Keep in mind one of my favorite quotes (from bankruptcy researchers Sullivan, Warren and Westbrook): “Cars depreciate faster than they roll downhill.”
Check the April issue of Consumer Reports magazine for ratings on both new and used cars. In addition to extensive info on new car models, CR lists the “best of the best” used cars (including Honda Civic, CR-V, Odyssey and Accord), and the “Worst of the worst” (see p. 77 of the April 2010 issue for vehicles to avoid). Most libraries subscribe to Consumer Reports or go online (and pay a fee for site access).
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