When the time comes to buy your next vehicle, you will probably ask yourself whether you should buy new or used. There are valid pros and cons for each option, which is what can make the choice a tough one for many. However, buying new is an exciting opportunity for you to have things exactly the way you want them, and there are many other benefits besides. If you’re wondering what option to take, read on to discover just why buying a new car is the path you should go down if you can.
Reliability
A car is always going to be the most expensive thing you own unless you have bought a property. When you’re spending so many thousands of pounds of your hard-earned money on something, you want to know that it is the best it can be; you want to be buying quality.
There is nothing quite as reliable as a brand new car that has just undergone rigorous testing, and which conforms to all the latest safety guidelines and incorporates all the newest technology. Buying a used car might seem like a bargain, and you could be saving hundreds of pounds, if not more, but is it going to be as reliable as something that has just come off the assembly line? Are you going to be finding out that saving money when buying the car was a false economy since you have to spend so much when fixing the car up when it keeps breaking down?
If you want to be able to get into your car and drive it to your destination without worrying about anything going wrong, a brand new car is going to be the option that works best for you. It’s worth looking at the jobs this car might be used for. If you are a single person looking to do a short commute every day, you might go for a small electric SMART car, but if you live in the wild and intend of going off-road, towing a boat or use the car for some heavy lifting, the impressive Land Rover may be more suited to your needs.
Warranty
Although new cars are most definitely a lot more reliable than older ones, sometimes they do break down (although not as often as an older car might). That might sound as though it is going to be an expensive problem; after all, a new vehicle that utilises so much computer technology is going to have pricey parts, and the labour might be more specialised too, but you don’t need to worry because new cars come with excellent warranties to put your mind at rest.
It’s true that you can get Certified Pre-Owned warranties on used vehicles, but a warranty on a new car generally covers a lot more and will be thrown in for free by a dealership when they are organising your new car. Whereas a warranty on a used car might cover you for 12 months, or a set number of miles, new car warranties are more likely to be for 36 months, and a higher mileage. This also goes to show how confident manufacturers are in their cars.
Safety
The newer the car, the safer it will be. Not only will it include (often as standard, but you can add them if required too) safety features such as seatbelts, airbags, and cameras, but they will also be made to a higher standard, so that if they are involved in an accident, there is less chance of those inside being badly hurt. The car shouldn’t be too damaged either. New cars are made using strong yet lightweight materials, meaning that they can withstand a lot of damage and still keep those inside as safe as possible.
If you watch videos of some older cars that are involved in crashes, you will see that they crumble quickly, and the people inside can be very seriously injured.
If you want the safest car available, then you will want to buy new. You will have many more options and can retro-fit lots more.
Fuel Efficiency
The price of petrol and diesel is something that can go up and down quickly, with no warning, and this can make driving an expensive thing to do. The more fuel efficient your vehicle, the less it will cost you to drive it, so even if it cost you more upfront in the long term, it will save you money.
It’s not just the savings at the pump that could tempt you into buying a brand new car, though. The more fuel efficient your vehicle is, the better it is for the environment. Plus, with new cars, don’t forget you have the option of buying something a little different to the norm if you want to save even more money on fuel and be even more eco-friendly. You can buy hybrid cars (cars that partly use standard fuel and partly use electricity), or electric cars. The great thing about buying new is that the choice is entirely yours.
Better Tech
In the past, cars did not include any particularly exciting technology to make them more fun to drive. They might have had a stereo, but other than that, entertainment was not really a factor in design or your decision to buy. Times have changed, however, and now it is expected for a car to be able to at least connect to your smartphone to play music and to offer hands-free phone calls. Other options that you can get in a new car include heads-up displays, touchscreens, voice recognition, and more. It makes the vehicle more fun to drive, and more entertaining, and it also makes things easier. Plus, using your car’s entertainment system is less distracting, so you are going to be driving safer.
Incentives
The first thing you might think of when you consider buying a new car is the cost. It is clearly more expensive than buying a used car (unless you happen to be buying a classic car, of course). Yet the price you see doesn’t have to be the price you pay, and it is worth speaking to your dealership to see what offers they can give you. There are often discounts for those working in the military, for example, or for recent graduates. Different makes and models will have different discounts available; Hyundai offers some amazing deals, for example, and you can view here for more information about them.
Financing
Comparing the costs of a brand new car to a used one will show you a difference of potentially thousands of pounds. When you start to look into the ways that you can pay, however, you may find that you don’t have to pay all the cost up front if you want to purchase a brand new car. Instead, you can enter a finance agreement, paying the balance off month by month at a rate that works for you and your finances. You may even find that there are interest-free deals, making it an even cheaper way to pay.
With a used car, dealerships may not offer that kind of credit, or the interest rates could be higher, so although it looks at first glance as though you are paying a lot less, at the end of the payment term, you may have paid just the same as you would have if you’d bought new. It is always a good idea to do all the calculations before deciding what you are going to do with your cash when it comes to cars. What looks like a bargain may not be in the end.
Choice
Buying a used car may be less expensive (depending on the calculations you make as detailed above), but are you actually going to be getting what you want? When you buy used, the choices of what to include and what to leave out have already been made by the original owner, and you will just have to live with those choices or pay extra for additional features (or to have features you don’t want removed). Not only that, but your choice, in general, is going to be limited. The car is there and already exists, and you will have a finite number of vehicles to choose from that suit your budget and taste.
New cars are different. When you enter a showroom, you will see display models, and it is unlikely that you will be able to drive one away that very day. It will be worth the wait, however, because what you will be able to do is design your car in the way you want it. You can pick the color, both interior and exterior, for example, and any of the extras that you want. You can design it just the way you want it, and the car will be made to your specifications. So although you might be paying more (or not, depending on the finance deals), you will at least be getting precisely what you want.
Trust
Finally, buying a car can be a difficult thing to do when you’re not sure exactly what it is you’re looking for. Buying used from a private seller can be hard because not everyone is going to be entirely truthful about the condition of the car, or any mechanical faults. When you buy a used car from a private seller, you may have no comeback if there is a problem or you have any questions, especially if you paid cash.
Buying a new car from a dealership is different. There is an instant level of trust there, and if you do find there is a problem not only will you have your warranty, but you will have somewhere to go to talk about it.