Two things in my opinion: Cars are now much more complex than 10-15 years ago. And the secondary market is more expensive. Itβd make sense if the discount is big enough but if it is not, you are gambling.
New cars require less maintenance and usually come with 1-3 years of warranty.
> New cars require less maintenance and usually come with 1-3 years of warranty.
The more people who purchase because of Assertion #2, the less true Assertion #1 is going to be.
So, yeah, as someone who has only twice purchased new (and regretted the financial hit both times), I actually am in favour of convincing more and more people to strain their finances to buy new, knowing that a lower demand in the secondary market means lower prices for me for the same used car.
If more people purchased within their means and bought secondary, I'd be paying a lot more each time I bought a car.
Yes, this is very much the case here in Sweden. When people started thinking about environment and second hand became fashion, all the second hand stores suddenly became as expensive as buying new. I have always been buying second hand so I'm a bit miffed.
You can get used cars with a warranty too, since a lot of manufacturers have certified pre-owned programs.
For example a 2025 Mercedes-Benz C300 is $48,450 but a certified pre-owned 2022 Mercedes-Benz C300 is $32,820, and you get whatever is remaining of the original warranty + 12 months. I'd say that's a pretty decent saving, especially considering that it's still the same model (current generation is 2022 and onwards).
New cars require less maintenance and usually come with 1-3 years of warranty.