I’m in the market for a car. Everybody is telling me to get a new car, not a used one. “You can drive it for a very long time.” But who knows what life has in store a few years down the line?
Hence, how easy is it to sell a car after a few years? Will a dealer take it? How much can one reasonably expect to get back?
A while back, I bought a new Toyota Yaris, drove it for around 4 years, sold it back to the Toyota dealer and got around 50% back. My two previous cars were second hand, both bought for around 100,000NT and basically had no resale value. The second one was a bad buy as I only drove it for 1.5 years.
If you can afford it, I’d go with a new car unless you can buy a decent second hand car off someone you know.
I always prefer to buy “semi-new”, one or two years old car. Depending on the model you like, you can find low milage ones and they are still covered by warranty. When you buy a new one, it already loses 20~30% just by taking it out of the dealership.
Also, if you have time on your hands, try to look for those used for test driver. They are well maintained, low milage and frequently include all the optionals already. 
I should look into this, thanks! Yaris looks like a good option. I want a subcompact and that model seems to be the cheapest. Apparently it also has a 55% market share in that class.
This is very good advice. My problem is that I know nothing about cars, so buying anything but a new car is very intimidating. 
Buy used or lease. Buying something new that loses so much value just driving it off the lot never made sense. Especially if it’s a luxury car, ask any mechanic and they will tell you luxury cars like BMW are not built to last for a reason. The only reason to buy is if it’s a company car that you write off for depreciation.
How does leasing work if I may ask?
If you are concerned that you may end up buying a lemon, you can try using services like Autocheckers: www.actaiwan.org
They can help you with inspection of 200 items before you buy or even source one car for you.
Try talking to @sulavaca, he’s the guy from Autocheckers and he comes to this forum from time to time.
Think of it like renting an apartment for cars, you pay monthly for an agreed amount of time but do not own the car like financing. You don’t have to worry about maintenance as it’s not your car so dealerships have a vested interest in maintaining it. You can also avoid paying property tax on it since it’s not your car. Also, a huge plus is you don’t have to sell it hoping you get good market value and wait months before a sale happens.
One huge plus is no huge down payment like with financing, you can use the money you don’t use to invest instead of into something that loses value like crazy.
@daoxiaomian i highly recommend you do this or other services like it.
Also, you have some leverage as a buyer on the used car market. People want to sell used cars quickly. You also have the benefit of checking the market value of other similar cars. And don’t forget to test drive it!
I also have direct sales available from time to time.
Bro cop a used one. Buying new is the worst possible investment. Essentially ur burning money
I see. Anything at the moment or in the near future?
Buying a new car is not a bad idea if you are planning to.be here five plus years cos they usually have a warranty for five years I believe . Sometimes you can look out for deals.
I’ve a Toyota Camry and Toyota Wish, a 1973/4 Beetle presently.
Feel free to add me on Line for further details.
Line ID: jamiealton
I can only speak for be buying a car in America, I’m sure it’s not far off from here.
Your credit or how much cash you have determines your best course of action.
Generally leasing is best for luxury cars or cars that hold their value. Leasing is good for people that know they want the newer model when the lease is up. Generally you don’t lease if you plan on keep the vehicle. Sometimes the manufacturer offers crazy lease specials that are work taking advantage of.
Most people are mostly concerned about their payment amount. On Toyotas it is very possible to buy a new one and have less of a payment than on the same car used.
Interest rates are lower on new cars and the manufacturer generally offers monthly specials.
Figure out what kind of car you want, email every dealer that has one (new and used) and let them fight it out for the price. Keep in mind your credit will determine how close they can get to the deal you negotiate
Also one you go through finance they offer you extra products that will increase your loan amount and payment. Which will make it more difficult to get rid of the car if you still owe more than what is worth.
That being said any Toyota will generally last 300k miles with zero major issues. Specially any 4 cylinder compact.
Don’t buy a Yaris. Anything but.
That’s the worst piece of bland plastic ever.
Especially the new ones
Thanks, very informative!
I have an 2012 ford focus for sale now, my own car.
I need to upgrade to 7 seater soon
Let me know if you are interest
Family is growing?
