Quote:
Originally Posted by clyde
The getting stranded thing happens to new and old cars alike, but the reasons are usually different. With new cars, it's much more likely to be from something sudden that you have no warning on. For old cars, it usually comes from something that you knew about (or should have known about) before it gave up and left you stranded.
Old cars have gone through their teething problems and by the time they get "old," there's a pretty good book on them about how long their component parts last. Buying an older, high-mileage car with service records from someone that you believe has kind of taken care of it and hopefully a PPI from a trusted mechanic should be of limited risk...especially if you're willing to spend a couple more dollars to address any system that's close to or past its expected lifespan in the absence of any evidence it's already been addressed.
New cars just go belly up because something wasn't done quite right at assembly, a bad batch of sensors or other parts (and this has been a bigger deal industry-wide for post-COVID shutdown builds than those built before, but seemed to be improving as of October)...
On a long, cross country trip, I might be a little more confident in the new car, but I wouldn't avoid a well maintained old car. Regular use in a metro area with occasional trips into the country where cell service might have some gaps? I'd probably be more concerned about being left stranded in the new car.  |
Valid points for sure. One of the current difficulties now, as Sarafil mentioned, is the delta between decent used car and new discounted car is not so huge. Used cars have really gotten pricey in the last year.
Part of the new car equation is having predictable expenses.
That said, I would buy a vouched-for car from one of you folks in a heartbeat.