captainbob's Garage

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. Not only have I never bought a new vehicle, but I've never even had a car payment on a used vehicle. I buy old because I dig older cars and since I hold complete ownership I can do whatever I like to them (modifications, engine swaps, etc). Another plus is that they're cheaper to register and insure. Obviously, the down side is that they require more work and maintenence. Another downside, though, is that lack of "new car smell" - which I am particularly fond of.

@max
You can just buy that New Car Scent

A very timely post, but as much as I respect Max's opionion on buying used I've noticed how difficult it's become to find a "good" used car.

I bring this up because my sister-in-law asked us to sell her our 93SE (Accord) due to her own car suffering a catastrohic engine failure.

After offering us way over book value I offered instead to help find her a car online. She lives in Indianapolis and we're in Phoenix.

Surprisingly, after extensive online research I found several examples of what appeared to be above average late model cars.

One Acura forum had an exceptionally clean looking 2001 Acura TL located in Ohio (about 400 miles away).

She convinced the owner to bring it to a local Acura dealer for inspection for which she agreed to pay.

While he claimed the only body damage was to the rear bumper cover, which he replaced. The dealer said the rear quarter was also previously damaged and showed signs of bondo and waviness.

The owner disagreed and insisted the car was not involved in any other accidents. He mentioned the car was purchased from a friend who used it as a corporate fleet vehicle.

Additonally, the brakes squeeked from non-OEM pads, intake and cabin air filters were clogged, batery, hoses and belts needed replacing, etc. Overall about +$500, not too bad but additional expense.

After more discussion he offered to drop the price by a several hundred dollars. The question we were left with was if he didn't own up to the body work, what else might be undisclosed? Also, what quality was the existing body work? After spending over $100 for the inspection, she walked away.

An article I read recently stated approximately 1 in 10 used cars, including more on dealer lots have their odometers rolled back! In many cases the dealers are unaware of the tampering.

Between stories of flooded "Katrina" cars to odometer tampering, it's very difficult for the average person to find an honest value in a used car.

Compared with new, used car prices for late models (1-2 year old) Asian or European cars are not always significantly less.

Add in "laundered titles," unscrupulous sellers pretending to be orignial owners or selling for family or friends, less than honest dealers...

I grew up in car dealerships and it's amazing how cars with chips, dings, dents, worn-torn upholstery, damaged or broken components can be repaired (inexpensively) to appear as new.

There are countless mobile speciality repair services at dealerships for the specific purpose of making worn cars look new.

Most people would be blown away (and sickened) to know how few used cars ever looked anywhere near as good as they do before they're resold.

True used is cheaper and occasionally you might find someone honest who can supply verifiable documentation to prove mileage and service work - but it's rare.