I bought a new car when:
(a) old one was totaled (drove old one for ~10 years)
(b) old one was not very practical for new city I was living in (too big etc.). (drove old one for 4 years)
I work a demanding job and have no interest in spending my time taking it to and from the shop often.
Both times I got a new car I actually went several months between cars. First time was during COVID and I was WFH and didn't know what I wanted. The second time I Ubered around and took public transport a decent amount.
One other angle I suppose: I absolutely despise dealing with car dealerships. I see no reason for that profession to exist. The longer between having to deal with salespeople, the better.
The new vs. used calculus has changed since COVID, in my view it's better to buy new (unless you're on a tight budget and need to buy something 8+ years old, but then you have more frequent maintenance etc.). I would have saved maybe $1-2k by buying 1-3 years used with 20-40k miles, I'd rather just get new in that case.
My current lifestyle involves driving very little, so I doubt my current car will ever hit 100k miles (with me as an owner).
(a) old one was totaled (drove old one for ~10 years)
(b) old one was not very practical for new city I was living in (too big etc.). (drove old one for 4 years)
I work a demanding job and have no interest in spending my time taking it to and from the shop often.
Both times I got a new car I actually went several months between cars. First time was during COVID and I was WFH and didn't know what I wanted. The second time I Ubered around and took public transport a decent amount.
One other angle I suppose: I absolutely despise dealing with car dealerships. I see no reason for that profession to exist. The longer between having to deal with salespeople, the better.
The new vs. used calculus has changed since COVID, in my view it's better to buy new (unless you're on a tight budget and need to buy something 8+ years old, but then you have more frequent maintenance etc.). I would have saved maybe $1-2k by buying 1-3 years used with 20-40k miles, I'd rather just get new in that case.
My current lifestyle involves driving very little, so I doubt my current car will ever hit 100k miles (with me as an owner).
I noticed several places offering dealer discounts mid-summer. I am not sure if they were getting ready to bring in 2026 models or just trying to get rid of new 2025s that had been sitting on the lot for too long.To the "when"... It used to be said that end-of-month, end-of-quarter, end-of-year will get you the best deals. Don't know if those timings still apply.
Statistics: Posted by jovs — Sun Sep 14, 2025 12:16 pm — Replies 32 — Views 1158