[throwawaaarrgh]

Not sure who needs to hear this, but you can buy a nearly new car used and save 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost. One big benefit is you let somebody else find out if new models are lemons. Another benefit is you don't need to haggle, as there will be many different options at different prices and you can quickly find out if the price is reasonable by checking KBB.

[dragontamer]

You grossly increase the chance of a lemon with your strategy.

Why would anyone sell a near-new car for 30%+ off *unless* they knew the vehicle is crap?

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Buying lightly used (~3 year or ~5 year) cars is likely the superior strategy. There's a set of rich buyers who want to keep up with the latest trends. This leads them to leasing vehicles for 2, 3, or so years. Other times, they have enough income that they can just buy new entirely but sell within 5 years when nicer technology comes out.

There's likely nothing wrong with a 3-year-old car. Its just that the lease is up so they're moving on.

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In contrast, think of the kind of person who buys new at like $40,000 and then turns around and immediately tries to sell the vehicle 6 months later for $25,000. There's probably something very wrong with that car.

Anyone selling just a few months after buying is someone who actively regrets their decision to buy.

[kortilla]

>Why would anyone sell a near-new car for 30%+ off unless they knew the vehicle is crap?

Change of life. New kids, divorce, relocation to a city, got a UTV that needs something to tow it, lost a job and need the cash, died, started carpooling, etc.

If you don’t need a car anymore and are very certain you won’t, there is no point in dragging out the ownership. Taking a big loss immediately is better than waiting 2 years and also paying insurance and registration the entire time.

Many states have lemon laws and actual garbage has to be taken back by the dealers after X number of repairs. The people selling at a steep loss don’t have a lemon in those states.

You’re a lot less likely to get a lemon buying near new than you imply.

[kylehotchkiss]

To me this seems to reflect a lifestyle where certain people always want a shiny BMW or Mercedes and have to trade up every 2-3 years to maintain it. Seems like leasing would be a better approach though.

[hef19898]

I love leasing! Well, not to lease myself, but the cars returned from a 2-4 year leasing contract are usually great value to buy used directly from a brand dealership, come with guarantees from the manufacturer comparable to new cars and are usually, at least, acceptable milage-wise.

I talk about Germany specifically so.

Once, I bought a car new. Will never do it again, used (somehwere between one and four years) is the way to go.

[fransje26]

Somehow, I have a bad (unfounded?) association with lease drivers and car-friendliness, and I can't help but wonder how they've mistreated or abused the car mechanically in those 2-4 years. Things like full acceleration with a cold engine/turbo, and violent gear shifting and clutch abuse..

On a side-note, do you have any company or website you would recommend for ex-lease vehicles buying in Germany? Or do you simply go to your local car dealers and ask for their second-hand offerings?

[hef19898]

In Germany I'd go directly for the manufacturers websites. They have a dedicated offer for "approved" used cars that come with warranties and such, and went through QA after being returned.

Jaguar Land Rover is pretty decent, they offer two year warranty. Prices are OK, if you have time to shop around or wait, since the value loss is, for whatever reason, higher than comparative German Premium brands. Service costs are reasonable as well (compared to Ford, Peugeot and free garages). You basically get a lot of car for your buck, plus you don't see those a dozen time between ypurbplace and the supermarket every day.

One heads-up so: Jaguar Land Rover dealerships are independent (some kind of frnachise system would be my guess), so experience can, and does, vary a lot between dealerships.

Another source would be exihibition cars and those registered for a single day (done to drive numbers, so propably not a thing at the moment, I haven't checked in a while).

Asking for a leasing return cars at ypur local brand dealership for sure is an option as well.

[dragontamer]

In America at least, most cars are automatic transmission now, and a lease requires 6-month maintenance to stay in good standing.

So you know over the 3 years of leasing, there were ~6 maintenance visits, and without manual transmission there's no worries that someone else burned out the clutch.

I've never leased before, and IIRC leasing agreements differ from dealership to dealership. But the overall expectation is "free maintenance", but "required maintenance". You have to come in if you want to keep the lease in good standing, otherwise you have to pay a penalty later.

[klausa]

I think you and OP are saying the same thing; you just have different ideas of what "nearly new" means.

[aksss]

From experience, my philosophy is don’t buy/own a German luxury car that is more than three years old, unless you hate money.

[reducesuffering]

> nearly new car used and save 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost

This is pretty old advice, inaccurate for any car worth it's salt that you're buying.

Good luck buying a slightly used Toyota for 1/2 cost, it's more like 6% off each year.

[throwawaaarrgh]

Almost all cars lose 20% of their value within first year of ownership. https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/how-to-beat-car-depreciation/

Go do a search for 2019 and 2020 Ford F150s or Toyota Tundras. They almost all list at half MSRP.

[reducesuffering]

Ok sure.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/cta?max_auto_year=2020&m...

Not seeing any $17k Tundras. ($33k msrp)

We have: $39k, $40k, $39k, $42k, $38k, $39k, $45k…

[bagels]

Is that still true today? I know in years past it was, but used car prices are so high right now. I've seen many 2 year old cars selling for nearly as much as new lately.

[ailun]

Yeah. It probably depends on the brand, but I was just looking to buy my first car in quite a while and had to update my thoughts on this. Previously I'd be all for buying used. But I was looking at the prices for 2 to 5-year old Toyotas vs. new and the difference was shockingly tiny unless there was something wrong with the car or it had ridiculously high mileage.

[earthnail]

Depends on wait times. I know someone who buys a new fancy sports car every year (Porsche etc.). The wait time is usually around a year between ordering and getting the car. A year later he can sell his previous car that he drove that year for the full price, because buyers are willing to pay for not having to wait.

He’s done this for ~ten years now.

[avereveard]

Also you put yourself after the first leg of the defect curve. Buying used is a stressful experience with no guaranteed outcomes, but I'd never buy new