How used of a used car?

lifeonthehill · January 2015

I know this has been a hot topic for me lately so sorry to bring it up again. The 2015 model of Ford Focus isn't out yet so I expect these prices to drop a bit before August when we plan to start car shopping. We put less than 10k miles on it a year and we share the car so mileage isn't crazy important to us. Of course none of this includes tax/title, the value of our trade in, or haggling down the price. They are all the same look which is why I stopped at 2012. The 2011 is a pretty ugly car compared to the newer ones IMO.

Right now the dealerships average prices look like this...

A 2014 with 15,000 miles for $14,000

A 2013 with 21,000 miles for $13,000

A 2012 with miles 45,000 for $10,900

My mind obviously goes to the 2012 for MM reasons but I feel like the 2013 would be the best deal. H likes the idea of a 2014 so it is as gently used as possible. Thoughts?

Xstatic3333 · January 2015

I think that they all sound like pretty good deals, and that with you guys in as good shape as you are, there's nothing wrong with going for the 2014. If it were me, personally, I'm really not a huge car person in general so I'd probably go for the 2012.

vlagrl29 · January 2015

I'm more like your DH and would go for the 2014 - I plan on getting a car no more than 2 years old when the time comes. Just curious what is a new ford focus going for these days - from the dealership?

lifeonthehill · January 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

I think that they all sound like pretty good deals, and that with you guys in as good shape as you are, there's nothing wrong with going for the 2014. If it were me, personally, I'm really not a huge car person in general so I'd probably go for the 2012.

Me either. My 2007 has lasted me 8 years so far and I think if I had been better about taking care of it when I was 17 it would be in better shape now. I feel like we are in a position financially to take care of a car and hopefully that will help this one last even longer.

I think we could get another 2 years out of the car but we want to have a new car future baby and have time to bargain and go to a few dealerships if need be.

cbee817 · January 2015

DH and I have never bought a brand new car- we always get certified pre-owned with a dealership.We bought my 2003 honda civic in 2006 with 1 owner. It went through a 100 point inspection and had brand new tires on it with 30,000 miles. DH's is a 2006 subaru outback, bought in 2009. It also went through an inspection, 1 owner, had 35,000 miles.

They're both good cars- I will say DH's repairs are more frequent and much more expensive. It's all-wheel drive and it is our primary family car, but going forward, we're going to stick with brand new for DH. His repairs are at least $2,000/year (between brakes, sway bars, new tires, oil line leaks, etc, etc) and having a brand new car for him will allow us to just pay it off and not have to worry about repairs too. We'll probably be getting him a new one in September when DD#1 is out of day care and his car still has a decent KBB value for trade in. I'll drive my civic into the ground- the body will go before the car since we live in the NE with snow/salt.

How used of a used car?

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