Buying a brand-new car, with zero kilometres driven, can be a very rewarding and elevating experience. Many German car makers have perfected the vehicle handover to an artform. While such an experience is surely unique, there is another side to that coin, where a used car may not come with the glamour, but with other advantages.
One of the main issues with brand new cars is the drastic depreciation in the first year of ownership. Driving off the dealerships parking space, a vehicle can lose as much as 25 percent of its value. Thereafter, the loss in value is less, thus buying a one-year-old car means that one gets a nice “discount” on the car as the first owner would have to bear the brunt of the depreciation. This is also reflected in lower insurance premiums as they are based on the residual value.
There is also a matter of convenience. A new vehicle will have to be serviced for the first time fairly soon after it has been handed over. Having to deal with this may not be a major obstacle, but it is still time that will need to be allocated. With a used car, when serviced as per the manufacturers schedule, this is also out of the way.
Thanks to modern manufacturing technology and the demand for more durable cars, components do not fail until a significant milage has been reached. However, there are still some parts and components that, statistically, fail very soon after the vehicle has been purchased. German Motors has seen the occasional failure occurring in a brand new car, which is not only inconvenient, but also dampens the joy of having forked out a significant amount of money for a shining, new vehicle. With a used car, the probability of early parts failure is hedged or already fixed.
In case your German car is a new model, there may be glitches. Software updates or parts replacements may have to be carried out. Recalls may occur in the first months of a new model put on the road. A pre-loved vehicle is likely to have already had the updates done and any issue settled.
On the lighter side of things, one may argue that a new car is bound to get dented or scratched, which is always a major upset. A one-year-old car might already have been nicked someplace, and the new owner does not have to worry about that anymore. Also, the previous owner may leave accessories in the car one would have to buy anyway, like a dash cam or a phone holder.
