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Advances In Vehicle Technology
Experienced car owners become attached to vehicle makes and models that have worked in the past. These consumers assume that they can find used versions of their favorite vehicles while still capturing the same feelings they had years earlier. Used cars, trucks, and SUVs not only carry thousands of miles in wear and tear, but years of maintenance and care from owners with different priorities. The dream of owning a perfect used version of your favorite car is unlikely to come true.
Automakers like Ford©, Toyota©, and Volkswagen© do not stand pat with popular models. These companies have added improvements like anti-lock brakes, side curtain airbags, rear view cameras, and other elements based on advancements in research and development. By opting for new cars instead of used cars, you benefit from improved safety and passenger comfort technology. The slightly higher price of a new model over a similar used model accounts for advancements in vehicle technology from year to year.
New Vehicle Warranties
The cost of a used car decreases drastically as the mileage increases for good reason. A slightly used Toyota© sedan is likely to remain under manufacturer warranty coverage for a few more months. Once this vehicle leaves warranty coverage, the next owner will have to bear all the costs for future repairs and maintenance. The value of the used car in question plummets once it leaves warranty coverage, though buyers may not know to ask about remaining warranty mileage.
Buyers looking at new cars do not need to worry about the ticking clock of manufacturer warranties. Most cars, trucks, and SUVs new off the lot have less than 20 miles toward the standard 30,000-mile general warranty. Dealers are willing to upgrade standard warranties for comprehensive warranties as part of their financing deals, making these costs more bearable over the long haul. As soon as you pull out of the lot with a new car, you need not worry about the costs of manufacturer errors and defects thanks to these warranties.
Vehicle Maintenance Packages, Extras, And Financing
An excellent reason to choose new cars over used models is the availability of dealership financing. Car dealers create financial flexibility for their customers through in-house loans that would not be available with straight cash purchases. Your dealer earns interest on a loan worth thousands of dollars, while you get to leave the lot with a new car in a matter of hours. This flexibility allows you to pay for car care packages through your dealership for only a few dollars a month. Your new car can be outfitted with a sound system, new hubcaps, and other features within your vehicle loan. Auto dealers are willing to put extra costs like license, shipping, and handling fees as part of these loans to ease the burden for consumers. Individual owners and used car dealers are unable to offer financing because they lack the business volume to assume the financial risk.
Creating A Relationship With A Dealership
Consumers looking at used cars, trucks, and SUVs are attracted largely by prices rather than long-term considerations. A private seller is unlikely to provide anything but the vehicle and original documentation for used car prices. Used car dealers may have basic maintenance packages, but most keep their overhead costs low by offering minimal services to buyers. New car dealers are dedicated not only to selling new models, but also maintenance packages, emergency repairs, and extras to their customers. Your calculation of a new car dealer price should factor for service provided by a dealer to determine a vehicle’s long-term value.
Eliminating Vehicle History Concerns
Your search for a used car is complicated by uncertainty about where your prospective car has been. Private and used car dealers might not lie about problems with their vehicles, but will obfuscate these problems to sell units. Even with the advent of websites like CARFAX® (http://www.carfax.com) that maintain vehicle histories, consumers can never be sure about the true values of used cars. A new car is always more expensive than its used counterpart, but you know exactly where the vehicle has been its entire life. New cars spend time in a warehouse, on a delivery truck, and parked in a dealer lot before going home with their owners. New cars, trucks, and SUVs are covered by manufacturer warranties, eliminating concerns about defects that befall used car owners.
Intangible Advantages Of Driving New Cars
The aforementioned reasons to buy new cars instead of used cars play to the reasonable sides of consumers. The reasonable side of a car buyer is only half the equation, as cars serve as hobbies, entertainment venues, and sources of independence for drivers. As soon as a driver opens the door to a new car, he notes the “new car” smell mixing with untouched plastic, fabric, and leather to create an intoxicating aroma. The feel of an untouched driver seat and steering wheel is something that can sell a car to a consumer. Once a consumer settles on a new car, he knows that he is the first driver to bring the car away from the lot into the real world.
Online Resources For Finding New Cars
Consumers searching for new car dealer prices in their neighborhoods should first consult local dealers. Most dealers have developed websites in the last decade to provide pricing information on new and used vehicles to consumers. Local dealer websites such as Reed Nissan© (http://www.reednissan.com/) in Orlando and Bill Pierre Ford© (http://www.pierreford.com/) in Seattle are integral to finding the best deals possible on new cars. Shoppers should check dealer websites weekly to keep track of changing inventories and new car deals to find the best prices possible.
If you have no allegiance to an auto brand, you can use third party websites to find new car dealer prices. AutoTrader.com© (http://www.autotrader.com/) touts itself as the ultimate automotive marketplace by connecting new and used car dealers to consumers nationwide. The website also features articles and research tools to show the virtues of new car purchases over used vehicles. Competing websites like Cars.com™ (http://www.autotrader.com/) and Edmunds.com© (http://www.edmunds.com/) allow consumers to find new car prices, reviews, tests, and vehicle news from all angles. |