Here at The Autopian, we pride ourselves on embracing enthusiasts of every kind of motor vehicle, from donks to lifted off-roaders and Italian exotics. Hell, we’ll even accept people who buy or lease new cars! Are you one of them?
Much of the Autopian staff never darkens the door of a new car dealership, and apparently we aren’t alone. According to a recent Guardian article, only ten percent of brand-new vehicles are purchased by people under the age of 35. That initially shocking figure quickly becomes understandable when you understand the facts.
“Used cars” do not have the stigma of fifty years ago; today, 100,000-mile Toyotas and Hondas are just getting started. The average new car costs $50,000, and most car makers have quietly given up on the “affordable” car category. Unless you absolutely must have the latest safety and tech paraphernalia, there’s little incentive for many to choose a $25,000 entry-level model over a great $10,000 used example of a car they’d actually want. Admittedly, some people might actually be interested in a base-spec Chevy Trax or Hyundai Venue, and that’s fine, but many Autopians demand more.
I’ve never actually been the first owner of any car, but I can see the appeal of a longer warranty and often better financing options. Our own Matt Hardigree purchased a new Honda CR-V not long ago, and it’s a decision that made perfect sense. Like me, he keeps cars until they fall to bits, and Hondas of late don’t depreciate enough initially to make used ones as attractive as you’d think. Besides, many of our “life partners” don’t see the appeal of potentially “buying someone else’s problems.” Or “you can buy a Craigslist piece of crap for yourself, but not me.”
Sadly for my better half, I can’t resist such deals. An around-town EV for the kids to drive has been determined to be our next purchase, and I can’t help but look at once-pricey, now pennies-on-the-dollar electric cars. Twenty grand for a low-mileage Audi E-Tron that was once an $85,000 machine seems too good to pass up, regardless of the mechanical headaches I know I’m in for.
Wait, older E-Tron GTs (the twin of the electric Porsche Taycan) are $35,000? A used Taycan station wagon is how much? That might be a no-brainer for some, but be advised that if you’re at a stage in life where a $5,000 repair bill – much less a $10,000 bill – would mean financial ruin, it might not be recommended.
How about you? Will you never experience pulling the window sticker from a new car, or is the glory of giant screens, the latest lane-change beepers, and no repair bills too strong for you?
Top graphic image: DepostiPhotos.com
Never have had a new car. And as new cars interest me less and less, I don’t see that changing.
I once got a brand new Nissan Pickup for a work truck. I got to pick it out from the dealer, and do everything but actually pay for it.
That will be the only new car experience I’ll ever have (unless I win the lotto). Used for me.
Funny you should ask this today. I’m 58 and for my whole life I’ve only purchased pre-owned cars, largely out of a fundamental dislike for the huge hit of initial depreciation. However, later this morning I’m going to be picking up my first NEW-new car (paid for in cash), a Rivian R2, because I’m at the point in life where I can semi-justify a splurge that doesn’t make 100% financial sense, and because if I didn’t, I’d just end up pouring all that money into my 15-year-old Audi.
I’ve had one brand new car, a leased Giulia Ti. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again.