Crystal Ball: Buy New or Wait for Used

Joined
Aug 11, 2017
Messages
2,688
Location
Florida
We have to get my wife another vehicle by Feb. Her lease is up, luckily should have some residual value for a trade in. We will be looking at new, as of right now, I just don’t see the value in going used. Crystal ball wise, who knows. A lot of money lost trying to predict and time markets.
 

croben

WKR
Joined
Aug 21, 2022
Messages
332
Your reported values seem significantly better than the specs for that vehicle. Fuelly reports for that vehicle echo what I’ve seen and are significantly worse than advertised specs.
Are you calculating actual mileage, or just looking at a number on a trip computer?
We track our miles and fuel usage and calculate what the vehicle is getting. It’s almost exactly the same as what the computer system reports, but has never been more than two miles per gallon lower. As we’re driving, it updates real-time how the vehicle is doing for that trip since the vehicle was turned on as well as the total miles per gallon over the life of the vehicle. I’ve had trips where the vehicle ran mostly on battery and showed almost 60mpg according to the computer. I obviously don’t have the ability to accurately track each individual trip’s mpg, but I’m guessing it’s pretty accurate with how it calculates out each time we fill up.
 
Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Messages
986
We track our miles and fuel usage and calculate what the vehicle is getting. It’s almost exactly the same as what the computer system reports, but has never been more than two miles per gallon lower. As we’re driving, it updates real-time how the vehicle is doing for that trip since the vehicle was turned on as well as the total miles per gallon over the life of the vehicle. I’ve had trips where the vehicle ran mostly on battery and showed almost 60mpg according to the computer. I obviously don’t have the ability to accurately track each individual trip’s mpg, but I’m guessing it’s pretty accurate with how it calculates out each time we fill up.
So your saying your consistently getting over 40mpg hand calculated on each tank of gas? That’s impressive.
 

croben

WKR
Joined
Aug 21, 2022
Messages
332
So your saying your consistently getting over 40mpg hand calculated on each tank of gas? That’s impressive.
Yep. Just filled up two days ago and it was 40.2mpg. We live just outside the city and the highway is 50mph and mostly flat. My wife commutes very early in the morning and is off early afternoon when traffic is still a little lighter. The car shows when it’s running on battery, engine, or a mix of the two. I can keep it mostly on battery at 50mph and if not driving like an a-hole in town, it does really well.
 

Yoder

WKR
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
1,674
I like new... My experience with used vehicles has always ended bad, regardless of how 'recent' it has been.
I've had the opposite experience. Last two cars I bought used. Bought 2008 Civic with 30k miles. Had it 8 years and my step son finally totaled it at 265k miles. Only problems were the AC compressor died after a few years and it needed brakes and rotors. Now I'm driving a 2013 Mazda 3. Bought it with 54k miles about 5 yrs ago. I'm at 198k now. So far I've replaced brakes, rotors and a radiator I punched a hole in driving some logging roads. I could see buying new if the used vehicle was close to the same price. Otherwise the new car smell isn't worth a couple grand to me.
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
16,169
Location
Colorado Springs
Plus you miss out on new technology with used vehicle.
I'll gladly accept old technology. I wish I could get a new Tundra with a manual transmission, manual transfer, roll-up windows, no TV console on the dash, no cameras, no electronic climate control, etc, etc. All that new technology is more of a hindrance to me buying anything these days. Not a fan of it all.
 
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
Messages
343
I like new... My experience with used vehicles has always ended bad, regardless of how 'recent' it has been.
Im with you 100%. I purchased A truck with 8000 miles one time. Thought I’d save in The drive off price. that truck was towed 11 times before 35,000 miles. I finally stopped the bleeding around 75,000 miles and traded it in. If I would have bought it new I feel confident knowing what I know now I could have got lemon law and my money back.
I bought a brand new 2018 Chevy that I got purchased back.
but as for buying used I get burned more then I don’t. Now I buy a few trucks a Year typically for my business. If we think The growth is short term I buy used and pray I don’t get burned. If we know we can support the truck long term we buy new.
 

Marble

WKR
Joined
May 29, 2019
Messages
3,579
I'll gladly accept old technology. I wish I could get a new Tundra with a manual transmission, manual transfer, roll-up windows, no TV console on the dash, no cameras, no electronic climate control, etc, etc. All that new technology is more of a hindrance to me buying anything these days. Not a fan of it all.
I do like my heated seats but I'll live...

The one technology feature I like is a really good stereo. I like rocking out on road trips heading to hunting camp.

But i can do without all the other BS. Keep it simple.

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