On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:42:05 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:


"Doug Miller" wrote in message

Buying a new car is *never* a financially sound decision, rebate or no.
The
only thing that makes financial sense is to buy used, at least three or
four
years old. Let someone else pay the depreciation.

Last time I was looking at cars I was going to take the advice you offer
above. Then I decided against it and bought new.

Sure, you want a fair deal, but sometimes I'm willing to pay more to get
what I want. One financial mistake I make is buying the top of the line.
My Buick is the Limited, by Sonata is also the Limited. They cost more than
the base model and you have more goodies in it. For every dollar the top
model costs over the base models, I'm probably getting a 50¢ value.

I looked at one of the "program" cars the local Buick dealer had. It was
OK, but the first thing I noticed was the burn hole in the seat. My car
never had a lit cigarette in it., never will. Looked at some used cars, but
the price seemed high considering the miles already used up.

I also keep cars for a long time (there have been exceptions) but if I'm
going to drive a car for 15 years, I want and I'm willing to pay for
certain features. I want the color I want, the options I want and I'm
willing to pay for them. I also pay $10 a month for XM radio in one car.
That works out to about 25¢ an hour to listen to non-commercial radio. Yes,
I thought it would be silly to pay for radio that can be had for free, but I
was hooked after a week of the free trial. I spend enough time in the car
that I am willing to pay for it. At least in my primary vehicle, not the
secondary.

If all you want is transportation, buy used, by cheap. If you want some
comfort along the way, you have to be willing to pay a bit more. Repair
costs are also a consideration. In the past five years, aside from normal
maintenance, my total repair costs was $300. Buying cars with 40k miles
already on them, that number would probably be higher.

You pays your money, you make your choice.

I buy with 60,000 miles on them - 5 or six years old - for $5000 to
$6000. Generally, other than tires, brakes and oil changes I spend
less than $500 a year - closer to 300. And I drive them up to 12 years
before getting rid of them. The last couple years the price goes up