New Car Or Second Hand....?

[LWA]

Hey all,
So my poor little car, 1.9 Diesel Skoda Fabia 125,000 miles, is wearing out and it needs replacing. You may have seen a thread or two from me asking about different cars.

Anyway, I've decided on getting a Mazda 3 1.6 Diesel but now the question remains as to whether to buy a new car or second hand ('06/'07 plate). Having only ever bought second hand I have no experience with new ones.

Can anyone offer some sound advice?

As always, thanks in advance.

Leon

[kalniel]

Do you like throwing thousands of pounds away the minute you drive off the forecourt?

IMHO buying new is good in a few situations: where you absolutely need a particular specification; where the warranty/free insurance/free whatever deal saves you thousands of pounds; where a car is going to keep its value just as well from new as from second hand.

If they apply to the mazda then by all means, buy it new. I very nearly bought a skoda new because there was an offer on that worked out really well for me and I couldn't find the spec I needed second hand. However no dealer ever got back to me about my questions so I didn't in the end and I simply bought a warranty with my second hand car instead.

[Bugbait]

I’m on my 5th car and only one of them has been brand new. Given rates of depreciation (ie. As soon as it’s registered) I would highly recommend used, unless of course you’re bursting with money and like new things. In London anyway, there are so many clowns and inconsiderate jerks on the road (and shopping centres!) any car will inevitably get a few dings.

Unless of course you find an amazing deal for a new car that prices it close to something used you’re interested in.

[LWA]

Awesome advice thanks both. I was pretty much sold on second hand anyway so thanks for the reinforcement.

I'm going to see whether I can pool my money and buy a second hand (around £5000 in a couple of months).

[Sputnik]

I have to agree with what has already been said. A good age to buy a used car is at 3 years old because at that age they are usually around 50% of the new cost and some will have been lease purchase so should have been serviced properly. Of course there will always be some 'heaps of junk' but, just look around for one that is not.