Should I buy a new car?

I currently drive a mid 2000s Subaru wagon, and im nearing 150000 miles with some pricey maintenance on the horizon (rear struts, timing belt, and steering/throttle sensors).

I need my car for to get to my remote shift work job, and I'm tired of needing quick fixes done when components suddenly fail.

I have access to a cheap cash mechanic, and admittedly I've only sunk 2k in repairs over the 2 years I've had it.

I would buy a 2024 outback wilderness likely.

With the looming/current recession, am I better of waiting, or not buying new at all?
Used cars versus new cars: which is cheaper to drive? Here's a financial reality that may surprise you: it's actually far cheaper to drive a well-built new car than to drive an old car that requires ongoing maintenance.Mike Adams of naturalnews.com
 

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I'm thinking about buying a car. I'm in doubt between an Audi A4 2020 or a Camry 2022.

I don't drive much. The Camry might have lower long-term maintenance and it has better fuel efficiency. But inside looks cheap, specially the (fake) leather seats. I wonder if the Audi will turn to a headache in the future. Oil change, tires, brakes, suspension, etc is normal for every car. I'm concerned about engine, transmission, electrical problems...

I drive around 3k miles per year.

The audi will be an absolute disaster for you and believe it or not even worse if you only drive 3k miles a year, I've never owned a reliable Audi which sucks because they are pretty and get cheap with a few years on them but there is a reason for that, you can't compare an audi to a camry if you're talking reliability. But of course the camry is a boring grocery getter, but that's what it's meant to be.....boring and reliable it's not really a good comparison for those two cars one is a full size family sedan the other one is a small sports sedan/coupe.

If you want a balance between the two get a Lexus IS. I would actually say get a GS350 they stopped making them and they are amazing vehicles inside and out, best car I've ever owned and I've bought and sold cars for much of my life and owned everything from classic trucks to high end exotics. Sleek looks but subtle not overdone, really overbuilt quality fit and finish especially the interior and comes in AWD drives like butter but still sporty when you want it to be plus since they stopped making them you'll always have the newest model. But because they stopped making them they are highly sought after and command a premium on the market for any 2016 and up which was the last facelift on it, if you like the older looks a 2013-15 can be had pretty cheap it's the same car just a different front end and they do make conversion kits if you're a bit mechanically inclined I've seen them done well even in someones garage, it's only the front bumper. I had a 2013 back when it was new, such a great car I always look back on it and still check the market for them every now and then. I really wanted to get another one last I went car shopping but I didn't want 3 cars and you have to have an SUV in Michigan pretty much especially for my business.
 
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Used cars versus new cars: which is cheaper to drive? Here's a financial reality that may surprise you: it's actually far cheaper to drive a well-built new car than to drive an old car that requires ongoing maintenance.Mike Adams of naturalnews.com

So many variables in that, I'm shocked someone would even attempt to make that blanket statement. Probably just looking for a reaction....the news being the news.
 
I haven't read the whole thread, but I'm surprised people on this forum are even thinking about of purchasing a new vehicle, at least in the Anglosphere. New cars have globalhomo tech for telemetry and recently a killswitch for the USA's 2026 anti-drunk driving measures. Since modern cars have OTA updates, who knows what kind of bullocks will come next?


So many variables in that, I'm shocked someone would even attempt to make that blanket statement. Probably just looking for a reaction....the news being the news.

It's propaganda to encourage people to dispose their old non-globalhomo vehicles....

 
So many variables in that, I'm shocked someone would even attempt to make that blanket statement. Probably just looking for a reaction....the news being the news.
This article was written by Mike Adams in 2005 .Web link is broken now .
He said that only poor people make bad decisions, like buying an old car.
 

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I'm driving a Honda...and from what I've heard, their speakers are awful. So I think what you said about just upgrading the speakers makes sense.

I'd really like to get into a luxury vehicle in the next year or two if the economy hasn't crumbled to bits. I'm just not sure when it's wise to lease a vehicle vs owning one.

The practical part of me is saying to just be happy with the reliable Honda and upgrade the speakers even though it will be close to 5% of what the car is still worth.
Hondas do not have the best sound systems this is true but they are easy to remove the door panels usually having 2-3 screws holding the door panel in place and are easy to remove by tugging on the bottom seam towards the vehicle. After that part is off just disconnect the connectors and your speaker is in your face with 4 screws holding the speakers in place.
 
Used cars versus new cars: which is cheaper to drive? Here's a financial reality that may surprise you: it's actually far cheaper to drive a well-built new car than to drive an old car that requires ongoing maintenance.Mike Adams of naturalnews.com
Can you elaborate more on what a new built vehicle is? When you say this I think of many well built vehicles out today that are a decade old now that don't require "ongoing" maintenance.

Alot of manufacters are having many issues due to poor quality control and craftsmanship. When I look at new vehicles amd their rear wiper or power seat are not working right of factory line what can be said about the quality build of the motor or transmission.

Overall is best to see which vehicles are still holding good value after 5-10 years on market. This allows for vehicle that have issues to be cycled and then the quality of the vehicle is really shown by its used price.

Buying a new car is a gamble I as a mechanic would not take ever.
 
This article was written by Mike Adams in 2005 .Web link is broken now .
He said that only poor people make bad decisions, like buying an old car.

What cars specifically are being compared obviously not all cars are of the same quality. What is considered "old" and what is considered "new"? What are the costs that are being used to come to this conclusion? Is depreciation and car value along with purchase price a factor in it? Warranties? I could go on and on...

Again unlimited variables in this and no context whatsoever, you shouldn't buy in so hard to internet words. I don't even say that to advocate one way or another just the blanket statement itself isn't quantifiable unless it's a very specific set of circumstances which would not apply to any situation but that one....making it worthless.
 
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@Laner wow, man let me say that was a grand memory you shared thank you. To live in an area where the company shows some genuine love is unheard of now. I spent alot of youth wanting to touge over in Japan and i have watched about all I can find of folks doing it there and just watching the videos of it still gives me a genuine warmth in my heart. Have you visited the Honda museum before? I have done the virtual tour and it's an amazing collection of some fine Honda engineering and championship vehicles and motorbikes.

Too round off, for me that photo is iconic and could be mistaken for a drift magazine cover from the 80s/90s.
I'll be visiting Japan soon and wondering if a tour of a Honda or Toyota museum would be a good idea. Any suggestions?
 
I'll be visiting Japan soon and wondering if a tour of a Honda or Toyota museum would be a good idea. Any suggestions?
I couldn't tell you about Toyota. I've never been to the Honda Museum but you can go online and do it virtually. Alot of amazing vehicles and bikes Honda have produced over the years.

And like I said before I would love to Togue some of those mountain roads there. Or be at one of those meets in the 90s.

That period seems to be timeless. Today's car meets are clownshows with mostly hunks of literal oil burning junk, or daddy's Porsche.
Let me not even mention the low IQ of some of these kids about cars on boy I'm thankful most don't put diesel fuel in their car for it to sound louder at this point.
 
I recently relocated to Switzerland and am considering getting a car to properly explore it. It should be safe, reliable and be able to go up mountain roads. It shouldn't be small, because I'm 6'4''. 2 adults and 1 kid should fit comfortably even on longer drives within Europe.

What would you recommend? I never personally owned a car in my life and have zero clue.
 

As an automobilist I find this video to be on par with an autopsy on a human being. This is wrong. Morally wrong. And it's extremely offensive. All these cars are clean, rust free, with no visible wear. Nothing prevent them from being repaired. They could stay on the road for years and thousands upon thousands of miles more. If the first world truly wanted to be environmentally friendly it would support these vehicles the longest time possible. Instead we have this extreme wastefulness. I sincerely object to that.

I recently relocated to Switzerland and am considering getting a car to properly explore it. It should be safe, reliable and be able to go up mountain roads. It shouldn't be small, because I'm 6'4''. 2 adults and 1 kid should fit comfortably even on longer drives within Europe.

What would you recommend? I never personally owned a car in my life and have zero clue.
On one hand I would recommend you to get something from the noughties, preferably and Audi because their built quality was still very high and they are extremely satisfying to use. On the other hand every teenaged car will require a ground up service to get it back to spec (every consumable element containing rubber, dampers, clutch, alternator refurb, starter refurb, new brakes etc.) if it hasn't been done. At best you will find a car half worn in terms of parts lifecycle.

But still it's better than getting a newer car which was built from shitter and less material. The solution? Avoid everything Euro 5 onwards and avoid diesels. Get a petrol estate. Find an example that was really cared for, ask around, maybe a friend of a friend knows an older man who kept his car immaculate. It shouldn't be too hard in a country like Helvetia. Buy that, even if you don't like the color. Service what you have to and drive it till it disintegrates.
 
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As an automobilist I find this video to be on par with an autopsy on a human being. This is wrong. Morally wrong. And it's extremely offensive. All these cars are clean, rust free, with no visible wear. Nothing prevent them from being repaired. They could stay on the road for years and thousands upon thousands of miles more. If the first world truly wanted to be environmentally friendly it would support these vehicles the longest time possible. Instead we have this extreme wastefulness. I sincerely object to that.
I had to look this up. These are preproduction cars. I've heard about this kind of thing before. They haven't been produced under final manufacturing standards, and could have unknown flaws with possibly high liabilities.

I could imagine marking them as totaled, and then selling them at a discount, but if it turned out that they had an unknown problem, the manufacturer could still get sued like crazy.

You could have engineers go over the whole thing to double check the pre-production design and determine if any problems are likely, but that kind of engineering effort is crazy expensive, more than the car is worth.

Sadly, from a business standpoint, destroying them makes the most sense.
 
I had to look this up. These are preproduction cars. I've heard about this kind of thing before. They haven't been produced under final manufacturing standards, and could have unknown flaws with possibly high liabilities.

I could imagine marking them as totaled, and then selling them at a discount, but if it turned out that they had an unknown problem, the manufacturer could still get sued like crazy.

You could have engineers go over the whole thing to double check the pre-production design and determine if any problems are likely, but that kind of engineering effort is crazy expensive, more than the car is worth.

Sadly, from a business standpoint, destroying them makes the most sense.
That is justified, if they are test mules I have no problem with that but then again I wasn't talking about test mules.
 
I recently relocated to Switzerland and am considering getting a car to properly explore it. It should be safe, reliable and be able to go up mountain roads. It shouldn't be small, because I'm 6'4''. 2 adults and 1 kid should fit comfortably even on longer drives within Europe.

What would you recommend? I never personally owned a car in my life and have zero clue.
Toyota Land Cruiser if you can find them. Suzuki Jimny is small but it still seats 4, so two adults up front and one child in the back shouldn't be a problem. I wish we could buy the Jimny here in the states.

I spend a lot of time exploring and camping in the mountains and my old Jeep does me just fine but I've always wanted one of these:

1000074924.jpg

Mitsubishi Delica. Some have diesel engines. They were never sold stateside, but you can buy ones that have been imported, once they're 20 years old. They might be more available in your country.
 
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Toyota Land Cruiser if you can find them. Suzuki Jimny is small but it still seats 4, so two adults up front and one child in the back shouldn't be a problem. I wish we could buy the Jimny here in the states.

I spend a lot of time exploring and camping in the mountains and my old Jeep does me just fine but I've always wanted one of these:

View attachment 20683

Mitsubishi Delica. Some have diesel engines. They were never sold stateside, but you can buy ones that have been imported, once they're 20 years old. They might be more available in your country.
The older generation delicate like you posted are death traps apparently though. The cabover layout has zero crumple zones.

Awesome machines though, I considered getting one myself. Right hand drive on our roads seems a little goofy but lots of people with JDM Subarus make it work.
 
I recently relocated to Switzerland and am considering getting a car to properly explore it. It should be safe, reliable and be able to go up mountain roads. It shouldn't be small, because I'm 6'4''. 2 adults and 1 kid should fit comfortably even on longer drives within Europe.

What would you recommend? I never personally owned a car in my life and have zero clue.
There is lots of choice here in Switzerland. Just buy something you like. Some words of advice:

1. Make sure whatever you buy is sold with a recent Expertise or MFK. Then you won't need it check again by the canton for another 3 or 4 years.

2. Buy used cars in the German speaking part of Switzerland. They look after their stuff better there.

3. Don't buy a car from Valais. We drive like maniacs here and we are up and down mountain roads all rhe time so the suspension gets trashed and harder wear of brakes and gearbox etc.

4. Places to look for a car are autoscout24 and Anibis.

Good luck.
 
I recently relocated to Switzerland and am considering getting a car to properly explore it. It should be safe, reliable and be able to go up mountain roads. It shouldn't be small, because I'm 6'4''. 2 adults and 1 kid should fit comfortably even on longer drives within Europe.

What would you recommend? I never personally owned a car in my life and have zero clue.
Buy a Toyota. They are the most reliable cars in the world by a country mile. No contest.
 
Thanks for the input. I'll look around then and see what I can find. One thing I noticed is that used Teslas are pretty cheap, comparatively. 15k for a 3 year old car. Is this because the world hates Elon or are they just bad cars?
 
User interface on a Tesla sucks. To do anything you need to press a million buttons on the touch screen as there are no physical buttons to control most things and the UX is very poorly designed. Aside from that they are decent enough cars assuming you are not doing super long range road trips.
 
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