First car pruchase: buying new or used?

[rsquared]

Hi everyone,

I\'m a total newbie, I am hoping to purchase my first car in the new year. I do own an old Nissan Sentra, but that was a hand-me-down. :D

Anyway, I\'m looking to purchase a Mazda 3 sedan or a Honda Civic. This car will be for myself and my wife. We plan on keeping car for the next 5-10 years. We want something stylish, that we can depend on, with reasonable maitenance costs and good fuel economy. We will eventually test drive both vehicles and see which suits us best.

One dilemma is do we buy new or used? Although I have a rough idea, I\'m wondering what all the pros and cons are.

New:
-higher priced
-piece of mind that you\'re the first owner and there\'s nothing wrong with the car
-you have control over keeping the car in tip top shape
-loses value as soon as you drive it our of the lot

Used:
-better priced
-save on PDE/frieght fees
-no guarantee you\'re informed of previous problems/repairs

[vanpatrick81]

welcome to the forum. wait for majoogle to answer a couple of your questions there :D.

as for new or used, i\'d go with new. it does pain one to know that it would cost more but at least that \"more\" would also mean headache free for 3 years or more if you go with extended warranty.

plus, nothing beats the feeling of driving a brand new car especially a brand new Mazda 3 ;)

[Caz]

If you are planning on owning it for 5-10 years I would go with new and take care of it from day one. You are in control that way and you get everything you want like options and colour etc.

If you talk to TheBiz (Jeff @ Avante Mazda) you will save more than you think.:D

And Brand new has that nice smell:)

[SABIO]

I agree.. Brand new civic

[majic]

Originally posted by SABIO


I agree.. Brand new civic

too bad it\'s fugly.. but i bet it has nice seats :p

as for the original poster.. as others said.. get\'er new with extended warranty for the peace of mind.. you can break it in properly and you\'ll know what\'s been done to it from day one and can provide receipts and all when it comes to selling it.. also if you\'re thinking closer to 10 years, rust proof it.. other than that.. go to MoT or Avante and get a kickass deal for it.. happy driving :)

[Caz]

Originally posted by SABIO


I agree.. Brand new civic

Sounds like sabio is selling his 3 maybe he could give you a TM3 club discount.:D

[Kevin@nextmod]

Well I think if you\'re going for new car i would suggest civic since you\'re keeping it for that long of a time and I think the parts for civic is cheaper then parts for a mazda 3. And depending on what model you\'re looking for really. But I think either model of the civic is cheaper then the mazda 3 (correct me if I\'m wrong)

[Caz]

Originally posted by Pearl_Hatch


Well I think if you\'re going for new car i would suggest civic since you\'re keeping it for that long of a time and I think the parts for civic is cheaper then parts for a mazda 3. And depending on what model you\'re looking for really. But I think either model of the civic is cheaper then the mazda 3 (correct me if I\'m wrong)

And you could always use the civic for a giant door stop.

[rsquared]

First off, thanks for everyone\'s input!


Originally posted by Pearl_Hatch
I think the parts for civic is cheaper then parts for a mazda 3.

That\'s what I\'ve been hearing as well, that the Civic, since it\'s made in Canada, would cost less to maintain than the Mazda3. I wonder how siginificant the difference is between the two.

[SABIO]

Originally posted by rsquared


Originally posted by Pearl_Hatch
I think the parts for civic is cheaper then parts for a mazda 3.

That\'s what I\'ve been hearing as well, that the Civic, since it\'s made in Canada, would cost less to maintain than the Mazda3. I wonder how siginificant the difference is between the two.

The Civic is brand new. So parts might be more. Just like the $700 Mazda3 windsheild that now costs $350. The Mazda is in it\'s 3rd model year, so part prices are coming down.

Make a list of 3-5 common items... brakes pads / rotors / shocks / air filter ....etc
and price them out at a Honda dealer and at a Mazda dealer.
See which parts cost more....

[Whos ur dadd]

I am a big fan of buying used (one or two years old). Let someone take a hit on the depreciation.

As long as there is some warranty left, I think any major problems should surface by the end of the warranty.

I sold my 6 month old Mazda3 with 6500km on the odo and took a $5K hit. Beautiful car; absolutely nothing wrong with it. You can take advantage of situations like this and take people like me to the cleaners!

Ben Dover

[Simkins]

I have a 2005 Winning Blue GT GFX Sedan that I want to sell... I\'m looking at a 2006 Civic (waiting to be bullied....but its the truth) Not that I don\'t like the car, but it has some problems that my dealership does not want to address. Overall, I really like the car and it has real potential, its fun to drive, beautiful looking, but it has some problems that should be looked at when the car is \"refreshed\" in 2008/09.

[DY]

Originally posted by Simkins


I have a 2005 Winning Blue GT GFX Sedan that I want to sell... I\'m looking at a 2006 Civic (waiting to be bullied....but its the truth) Not that I don\'t like the car, but it has some problems that my dealership does not want to address. Overall, I really like the car and it has real potential, its fun to drive, beautiful looking, but it has some problems that should be looked at when the car is \"refreshed\" in 2008/09.

Hey Simkins,

Can u elaborate on what issues they are so that I can keep a lookout for them. Thanks.