I was used to buying old cars and driving them until the cost of repair far exceeded the value of the car altogether.
- This worked fine for me when I had a nextdoor neighbor who was willing to do my mechanical work for a bargain compared to auto mechanic shops.
But when he moved to a neighboring city to open a body repair shop, I was left without my on-demand, discount car mechanic. At this point I did some math and realized it would cost the same amount of money to simply get a car loan on something new, at least I’d know that the car was in prime shape. I know some people who have cars for years before needing any work done, especially if they take care of them. Not only that, but think about it like this. Let’s say you buy a brand new car with a five-year loan on it. After those five years, you now have a car with under 100,000 miles on it that has only one single owner—you. You could always turn it in to the dealership and get another new vehicle with another car payment. If you don’t, you’ll have a car in much better shape than if you had started at year-zero with a car that already had more than 100,000 miles on it. You won’t always know the vehicle history either, leaving so many questions regarding unseen problems that could appear at a moment’s notice. It’s also nice having a newer vehicle with its amenities like the cabin air filter. This is the first time I have ever bought a car that actually came with a filter for the air conditioner and heating system. I didn’t know until the mechanic told me during a routine oil change.