To want a brand new car?

[DontLikeMahoganyFurniture]

Everyone always seems to say never buy a brand new car but if I end up getting one (my car is being a continuous twat) I really want something brand new. I don't care if it loses value after I've driven it out of the showroom because it's not something I'm going to get bored of and sell so someone else gets a bargain. I will look after it and keep it for its whole life span. It's only a "little run around" because I'm single and child free - happily - but even then they are still £15k these days!

The car I'm looking at is a lovely little Toyota Aygo X because they look like colourful little fun fair rides and I love them! Toyota is a very good car brand and I had one years ago, always regretted selling it massively since I let it go for the one I have now. This must be what it's like to get rid of a boring, reliable boyfriend for a total bad boy arsehole!

Do most people on here buy cars that are a couple of years old to save a few grand? I have the money but doesn't mean I can afford it easily if you understand. It will take a huge chunk out of my nest egg. But I feel like if it's brand new and I'm looking after it then it won't give me any shit for a few years plus it's a more reliable brand than the one I've got now.

Does anyone have an Aygo X?

I don’t think an ex demo car is going to be driven like something from fast & furious because normally you get a salesman with you, or at least we did, maybe I look suspicious? I’m off to question my driving style now…..

If you are going new it usually works out best to lease with a warranty/service agreement built in. Ask around to find a lease place someone is happy with, because if you find a good one that doesn't fleece you when you return the car it's great. Much better than the unpredictability of repair costs IME.

Yeah but they're not full electric 😊

Would you consider PCP or leasing? If there are 0% offers and you have a reliable monthly income you can get brand new cars the size you're looking for for around £150 a month sometimes less and just swap it in every 3 years for another brand new one...

I know people say "oh but you'll never own it!" But sometimes having a reliable car that you never have unexpected bills on is better than the "amazingness" of owning a 10yr old scrap heap thing...

If you get new (or close to) buy GAP insurance.

Normally they are less than a couple thousand miles and it would be anyone that comes into the retailer and test drives a car.

I would look online as buying from another retailer can mean a good price and they can arrange for the car to be transported for you.

Also, they don’t make Aygo anymore just an Aygo X which is a little bigger so you may want to rethink your choice if you are buying brand new. Good luck.

I've never paid list price for a new car, but had a fair few new/ex demo cars. Ex demo's are fine, usually less than 5k miles on the clock, properly valeted so no signs of wear, and usually well below list price, i.e. already factoring in the "off the forecourt" depreciation in the asking price. As for brand new, I think we've had 5, and never paid list price for any. We've always just asked the garage what they had in their pound that they needed to move on, or we've gone to the garage just before the quarter end when they're desperate to sell new cars to move into the next band of retro registration bonuses. Latest was a car with list price of £18k that we got for £14k - not the colour/spec we'd have liked, but it's fine. Prior to that we got a list price car of £20k for £15k - again, not the exact model, but at least it was the colour we wanted. Both were cars in the garage pound, and both were bought in the last week or two of the bonus quarter! The one before was an ex-demo, six months old, 3k miles on the clock for £32k that had a list price of £39k. Don't be fooled when garages say it has to be list price and they don't "haggle" anymore - it's bullshit. Main dealerships have cars in their pounds that they're paying interest on once they've been there a while, so are eager to move them on, likewise, at bonus quarter ends, registering just one more car can give then thousands or tens of thousands more bonus, so they can almost sometimes literally give one away and they make more in extra bonus than the cost of the car (though only seen that a couple of times). I've been accountant to a few dealerships over the years, so I know how it works. My only further comment is that things really are changing with the tendency for leasing and direct sales of cars rather than using dealerships, so eventually, things will change, but at the moment, there are still good deals if you're flexible in terms of the model/colour of car and you're not in a rush to buy something.

What's the mileage please on these types? Presumably they've been test driven by who knows how many people? Potentially young people with little driving experience?
The mileage in the cars ive had rang from 5 miles to 102.
They probably haven't been tested by that many people to have that kind of mileage.
Why do you day young people with little driving experience? What a peculiar thing to say.
My current car is nearly 3 years old but I'll be looking for an ex demo at the end of September/ October.

If looked after, serviced and driven well, cars can typically last 15 years or so without breakdowns or major repair costs. We gave our son one of ours which is now 17 years old, has never broken down, and has only cost us for the annual service/mot and consumables like tyres, brake pads, one new battery and a couple of sets of spark plugs. Still going strong. The "cost per year" bearing in mind purchase price, all repairs/servicing, etc., is a lot less than £150 per month, in fact probably more like £50-£75 per month on average. Over it's life, we'd have paid tens of thousands more if we'd have leased and replaced every 3 years!

OP have you considered a nearly new Toyota. If you service it with them every year they extend the warranty until the car is 10 years old or has done 100k miles ( whichever goes first).

Buying a 1 or 2 year old car could reduce the depreciation but you still have 8/9 years peace of mind.

I know what you mean, but it can also be a bit of a gamble too... ive done both to be honest so dont have any skin in the game but depending on age and stage and the car I do appreciate that sometimes a regular monthly payment for peace of mind and reliability/no hassle fixes is worth it :)

@DontLikeMahoganyFurniture i have a new Aygo and I love it! It's fun to drive, and very economical on fuel and so easy to park. I was happy to buy new for the peace of mind of warranty, servicing etc. On finance which I've never done before.

I’ve had all my cars from new OP except one, a Nissan that was less than 12 months old. I hated that car. Currently I have a 3 year old Aygo automatic on PCP which is coming to an end soon, but it’s actually retained quite a good value and if I took it to we buy any car, I’d pocket maybe £3/4k on top of we buy any car paying off the balloon payment. So not such a stupid move.
In any case, I intend to pay the balloon payment off and give the car to one of my children. And then buy another brand new Toyota for myself, as I like their cars, they’re reliable for one and they hold their value. I say go for it OP.

Are you looking on Car wow OP? December is a good month to buy a new car, best time of the year to get a good deal.

I’ve never bought new. Always a low mileage (< 10k miles) and couple years old. Shaved off a good 25% of the price. As good as new!

Nah ….couple of years old and over 10k mileage is definitely not as good as new

I agree with the 'nearly new' car.
I bought one, it was 4k cheaper than what was classed as a 'new' car. It had 18 miles on the clock. It was basically new but because there was going to be a 'newer' reg plate in two months time, It was cheaper. Shop around and see if your local dealerships have any offers on. Toyota Aygos hold their value pretty well too.

Obviously!

@DontLikeMahoganyFurniture ex car dealer here.

Ex-Demo are cars that are used by both staff and customers of a dealership. General rules are that they cannot be sold unless they are held for 90 days but usually genuine ex demos are anything up to 6 -12 months old. The key words here are driven ‘by staff and customers’ so technically the car might be the General manager’s or director’s car, but equally can be a service loan car. A service loan car can be driven by multiple customers per week.

Pre -registered cars attract a similar level of discount and have to be held for 90 days and have not been used by anyone - they are effectively new cars in all but name except you will officially be the second owner and they will generally be the oldest cars in stock because it makes financial sense to the business to register them first. Cars which may fall foul of derogation rules will also be pre registered. Technically these cars are ‘new’ but in years gone by when supply was higher than demand they may also have been sitting in a field somewhere for some time too. Ask specifically what year of manufacture the car is if this bothers you. Warranties are valid from the date of registration not manufacture so this element is unaffected.

At any point in a calendar year there are point s where it is advantageous to be a buyer - end of a quarter is one, end of a calendar year is another but if the car or manufacturer you desire is in a low supply/high demand phase you can’t bank on getting a deal - Especially if the manufacturer hasn’t registered their EV quotas and has restricted the supply of non EV units to dealers. Taking a car in December, February or August may save you money upon purchase but the same will be lost in p/ex value when you come to sell.

The last few years in used cars have been exceptional - covid increased demand for vehicles full stop. Then supply issues meant that there was a lack of new cars which kept used car prices artificially high. This trend won’t continue so always consider the depreciation. Toyotas are great cars but have a 3 year warranty. Korean products such as Kia or Chinese products such as Jaecoo or Omoda have a 7 year manufacturer warranty which you may want to factor in. Manufacturer warranties are superior to any used car warranties.

Good luck with your purchase and remember, a good deal is something you alone are happy with. There’ll always be the bloke down the pub who claims he got 50% off a car, but dealers have a maximum margin these days of less than 8% with all bonuses factored in. And Quite often less than that. There will be the odd car that is the one that unlocked all of the bonuses so can attract more discount but it’ll be a unicorn and won’t be the best colour or trim package. If cost is a factor, factor that in. If you only want a specific model or colour then focus on that. Sometimes it isn’t all about the price!

Just buy a new one of you want ho waste your money.

Do you drive on motorways? Personally, and I appreciate it’s my view, not yours, I wouldn’t buy a car that small as I know I’d come off far worse if someone crashed into me. I’d want a fighting chance to survive.

I think it’s a waste of money and I would never buy a brand new car (or an aygo tbf) BUT I have ‘wasted’ money on other things just because I really wanted them and I could afford it so go for it if it will make you happy

Slightly off topic but what car is this? Sounds great!

Yes outright I'll sign the cheque. I'll still have a few grand left over but only a few. Japan will certainly be off the menu next year! Fuck loans or finance deals

I used to think I would never buy new because of the depreciation. We bought a brand new Toyota RAV4 (in Australia, I don’t know if you have them in the UK). That was almost 13 years ago and it’s still going strong, never missed a beat. That was definitely money well spent. Our second car was a BMW. This was an ex demo, with a lot of extras for a very good price. It was 12 months old with 9000kms on it, and was about 1/3 cheaper than if it was brand new, but still essentially brand new. We’ve had that one for 9 years now, and it also hasn’t missed a beat.

So, I think I’ve changed my mind on buying brand new, especially if you plan on looking after it and keeping it for the long run.

I bought brand new, I’m not planning on ever selling it so I don’t care about the depreciation. If you want one and can afford it, do it!