It may not seem like a big deal to purchase your next car directly from its owner, especially if it means you don’t have to drive to the dealership. However, it’s worth going to the dealership to get a used car you’re satisfied with. With Hometown Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram at your service, you’ll quickly see the benefits of buying your next used car from your dealership.
Why Buy Used?
Choosing a pre-owned car or truck might not be a driver’s first option; after all, buying a new car means you get the latest features. Despite that, used cars come with their advantages. A bit of investigation makes it clear how a used car can be more valuable than one just hitting the market.
Better Price
It’s no surprise that buying a used vehicle is cheaper than buying a new one. Cars depreciate over time, so a car that’s only a year old will have a much lower base price than its newer counterpart. However, it’s more than just the initial sales price: used cars often have fewer fees and additional charges hidden under the hood.
In many states, car registration fees are also lower for used cars than new ones, although this is not the case everywhere.
More Available Information
You’ll have a much easier time finding a vehicle’s safety or design flaws if it’s already been on the road for a while. New vehicles have not had time to be accessed appropriately. Any problems with older models are likely to have already been found and reported.
Vehicle safety ratings are published online by organizations like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the latter of which also reports on past vehicle recalls.
Since used cars tend to be older, these websites almost always have more comprehensive information on specific car models. It’s also far easier to find reviews of the car you’re looking at or talk to people who have driven the car to get their honest feedback.
On the other hand, new vehicles have often only received basic safety testing. For example, they may have undergone a crash test, but the results just determine whether the vehicle offers its occupants some protection against collisions. They’ll often lack specific information on the car’s weak spots, which would be found in the IIHS’ crash test.
They may also lack genuine reviews, and finding people who have driven the car is typically challenging. A test drive of the vehicle doesn’t always show how it handles under certain conditions or common problems that pop up over the long term.
Better Depreciation Rates
Everyone has heard that the value begins depreciating as soon as you drive a new car away from the dealership parking lot. Once the vehicle is a year old, the rate at which the value depreciates drops sharply. If you buy a pre-owned vehicle and then sell it a few years later, you’ll get more value for it than if the car had been brand new.
Lower Insurance Rates
You might be thrilled about a brand new car’s features, but those features come at a literal cost: higher insurance rates. Since new cars often have the latest technology, they’re more expensive to fix or replace in the event of a car accident, theft, or break-in. Auto insurance companies price accordingly, which can send your rates skyrocketing.
Insurance companies tend to charge lower rates for a used car. While a used car may have slightly older technology and lack the fancy gadgets of a car straight off the factory line, repairs and replacements are less expensive. Getting a used car lowers your monthly car payment and your monthly insurance payment.
Reliability
Nowadays, a car’s age and mileage are smaller concerns than they used to be. Cars are engineered to be far more sturdy and long-lasting than in the past. While older and higher-mileage cars still need more maintenance than their newer counterparts, they won’t break down as easily as a car from several decades ago, nor will you spend more time in the shop than on the road.
New cars are often reliable, too. However, since a new car model has been on the road comparatively less than an older model, they can sometimes have undiscovered manufacturing problems. Many new vehicles have been recalled for issues like faulty airbags or malfunctioning seat belts, leaving their owners unexpectedly without a car.
