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Financial Focus

Should I Buy a New or Used Car?

Choosing between new and pre-owned cars can be a complicated decision. To make your job a little easier, we’ve outlined the pros and cons of each purchase type below.

Pros of new cars

  • Status symbol. The allure of owning a new vehicle is obviously its attractiveness.
  • Fewer repairs. You can assume you won’t be dealing with major repairs or maintenance issues for a while.
  • Easier shopping. There’s no need to drag your prospective new car to the mechanic to check it out.
  • More financing options. You’ll be offered attractive incentives, like cash rebates from the carmaker and better interest rates from the lender.
  • Improved technology. Recent models have incredible technology, such as programmable settings, autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.
  • Automaker’s guarantee. New cars come with warranty coverage for their first three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Cons of new cars

  • Price. A new car will cost more. You may be able to get a comparable vehicle for much less.
  • Depreciation. New cars go down in value as soon as they leave the lot, often by 20%. At the end of the first year of ownership, your new car can drop another 10%.
  • Higher premiums. Insurance companies charge more for newer vehicles.

Pros of used cars

  • Price tag. It’s not unusual to find a used car in decent condition with a price tag that’s 30% lower than a similar brand-new model.
  • Less depreciation. With the previous owner absorbing the initial depreciation on the car, your vehicle will only experience a minimal drop in price.
  • Lower insurance. With your car weighing in at a lower value, your monthly insurance premiums will be lower.
  • Lower interest. If you finance a used car, you’ll likely have a higher interest rate. However, since the loan amount is lower, you’ll save in total interest payments over the life of the loan.
  • Predictability. When buying a model that’s been around for a few years, you’ll have a wealth of research available on your car and can know what to expect.

Cons of used cars

  • Complicated purchase. With a used vehicle, you’ll want to get a vehicle history report and bring it to a mechanic for an inspection.
  • Fewer choices. When buying pre-owned, you don’t get to be picky about things like colors and features.
  • Risk. Even if you do your homework well, you run a certain amount of risk of walking out with a lemon when you buy a pre-owned car.

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