When to buy a used car?

[Justkoko]

Looking for a 3 year old family car to replace my 9 year old one. With prices being so insane at the moment I feel like I'd be paying brand new prices for a not brand new car!

When's the best time to buy, right before a new plate cones out or right after? Or just hang on and wait to see what used prices will do, I have no idea if they will drop this year.

It was on the radio yesterday (You and Yours radio 4 I think) that second hand car prices are starting to level off, so if you can hang on a while you may get a better deal.

I think you are best to wait until prices come down. But not sure when that will be. I suspect it will be sometime before this happens though. As demand for new cars needs to increase first, and that probably won't happen until the cost of living stabilises and people's finances improve.

Depends on budget and where you are. E.g London ulez area demand will be high for the next year for ulez compliant vehicles so prices will be high. (But if you don't live near a ulez zone then there are bargains to be had of older non compliant diesels.)

Are you selling or part exchanging the 9 year old car? Factor in the fact that you’ll get more for that while used car values are high.

Unless you get a good 'price to change' like @SmileyClare suggests, you might be best waiting, unless you see something decently priced, and just keep on driving your existing car for now, after all 9 years isn't much of an age for a car, it should have loads of life left in it. Prices on 3 YO cars are just insane now, as you have seen.

For example, a friend of mine is at the end of a 3 year PCP deal, and the car she's looking to change is worth at least 5k more than the balloon payment.

I bought a 2 YO small car about 18 months ago, and the same place is selling the same registration cars for £2k more than I paid, despite them being nearly 2 years older.

Its crazy. I think I have to hang on and see what happens. There's no true urgency, mine is getting a bit older and I start getting twitchy about whether things will go wrong. I'd love a nicer car, I generally only change my car after about 10 years.
More time to spend researching the right choice I suppose.
I wouldn't go for anything flashy, just a nice looking family car that's reliable and will last 10 years without costing me a fortune in work in that time! I'm thinking qashqai, kadjar, arona, captur, puma that sort of thing, with decent width across the back seat and a good size boot.

Any suggestions welcome!

I am in the same situation my 16yr old car just parked up and now I need a car. Looking at a 2020 qashqai for 19k, it is so expensive 😫

You're looking for similar to me, it's like brand new prices!
I'm feeling like hanging on a bit til next month with new plates out. But I see it could be tricky if yours has packed up @Tobore

I'd buy a Dacia jogger.

Hell no. Cheap for a reason!

Perfect family car though. 20k brand new, no mot for 3 years, ulez compliant. It's not a BMW / Audi SUV but for a family car, especially in London where scrapes are more likely, it makes a lot of sense.

My last car was 11k brand new 10 years ago. Depreciation is much more comfortable than expensive cars.

I usually buy at auction. Car auctions are chocka with three year old company cars; as that when companies trade them in. Many come with a comprehensive AA check/MOT. You can see what is coming up for sale online, and go the day before to have a look round. Most buyers auctions are dealers, who will look to resell at a considerable mark-up. If you do buy at auction, you know that someone was prepared to pay almost as much as you for the car.