4 ms·

I looked into that when I was buying a car in 2020 and I found the price discount wasnt nearly as big as I thought it was going to be plus the car was out of wa

I looked into that when I was buying a car in 2020 and I found the price discount wasnt nearly as big as I thought it was going to be plus the car was out of warranty plus all the parts now had 10k miles of wear on them. A new set of tires is like $1200. I was able to spend a few grand more for a brand new car of the same model.

brandall10 1y ago
It might be a German car thing, as the value drops precipitously once it's close to out of warranty. There were barely any savings on cars that were within a year old, whereas I was able to get something for half sticker that was nearly the same vehicle.
jerlam 1y ago
Used car prices went through the roof in 2020-2022 for pandemic-related reasons, so trying to take any lesson from that era is unhelpful.
usefulcat 1y ago
It can also depend on the popularity of a given car in a particular area. In 2012 we wanted to buy a lightly used Honda Fit, which were quite popular in our city. But, possibly because of that popularity, the prices of used Fits weren't that much less than a new one, so we ended up getting a new one instead.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- brandall10 1y ago
  Following on my original comment - I saved about $4k over the next cheapest option (which would have still been a very good discount vs. new) simply by expanding my range from 150 miles to 500 miles and finding one in the middle of nowhere. Having the salesperson/owner drive the car over to a mechanic to do a CPO-like audit of its condition greatly reduces the risk of a more remote purchase. A one way ticket from San Diego to Vegas was $180, and a 2 hour shuttle from there to St. George (mistakenly said Odgen above) was only $20. The salesperson from the dealership picked me up from the bus station and after a brief test drive and some paperwork I got on the road for the 450 mile drive back. I left home on the train to the airport at 9am, and was back at home with my new to me car at 11pm that night. Considering we're on "Hacker" News, it's very much a worthwhile process to hack considering the cost savings vs. actual effort.

brandall10 1y ago

It might be a German car thing, as the value drops precipitously once it's close to out of warranty. There were barely any savings on cars that were within a year old, whereas I was able to get something for half sticker that was nearly the same vehicle.

jerlam 1y ago

Used car prices went through the roof in 2020-2022 for pandemic-related reasons, so trying to take any lesson from that era is unhelpful.

usefulcat 1y ago

It can also depend on the popularity of a given car in a particular area. In 2012 we wanted to buy a lightly used Honda Fit, which were quite popular in our city. But, possibly because of that popularity, the prices of used Fits weren't that much less than a new one, so we ended up getting a new one instead.

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
brandall10 1y ago
Following on my original comment - I saved about $4k over the next cheapest option (which would have still been a very good discount vs. new) simply by expanding my range from 150 miles to 500 miles and finding one in the middle of nowhere. Having the salesperson/owner drive the car over to a mechanic to do a CPO-like audit of its condition greatly reduces the risk of a more remote purchase. A one way ticket from San Diego to Vegas was $180, and a 2 hour shuttle from there to St. George (mistakenly said Odgen above) was only $20. The salesperson from the dealership picked me up from the bus station and after a brief test drive and some paperwork I got on the road for the 450 mile drive back. I left home on the train to the airport at 9am, and was back at home with my new to me car at 11pm that night. Considering we're on "Hacker" News, it's very much a worthwhile process to hack considering the cost savings vs. actual effort.