5 Good Reasons to Buy a Used Car

1. Depreciation

From a purely financial perspective, buying new cars is a bad investment. Some vehicles lose 30% of their value just leaving the lot. Without a hefty down-payment, you could be “upside-down” in your loan for most of its life, meaning you owe more than the vehicle is worth. That negative equity can be a liability in the wrong circumstances. The warrantees, guarantees, packages, etc. that come with most new cars often elapse just as the car gets old enough to start experiencing part failures. A good rough rule of thumb for resale depreciation: Cars lose 20% of their value in the first year and 15% per year after that.

• If Driver A buys a new car at $30,000, that car is worth about $17,340 after three years of ownership, or 58% of its original sticker. Those three years saw about $12,660 of depreciation.
• If Driver B then buys that car at three years old, and owns it for the next three years, it would be worth about $10,650. Buy buying used, Driver B only assumed about $6,690 in depreciation.

Obviously, there can be other factors involved, but this is a basic illustration of the advantage in buying used cars, regarding depreciation.

2. Better Features

“Premium” packages… “Technology” packages… Every factory has its own name for the latest and greatest features available on a new model. Depending on the brand, these packages can cost $5,000 – $7,000 above sticker. Many of us can’t afford that price tag. Buying a used vehicle from Road Ready Used Cars gives you the opportunity to get the best without shelling out thousands of extra dollars. Options like heated seats and steering wheels, integrated infotainment systems, lane-keeping sensors, sun/moonroofs – even massaging seats – are available to everyone.

3. Lower Costs & Greater Convenience

The primary factor in your insurance payment is your car’s value, so buying used could save a significant amount of cash every month. Car taxes will also be lower. Plus, if the car has been around longer, parts are often more plentiful and available from third-party manufacturers. If that particular model-year featured any new or redesigned technology, the inevitable factory recalls for defects have likely already been executed — we can check for you quickly and conveniently with a CarFax report.

4. Reliability

Toyota and Honda raised the bar for everyone, and cars are lasting much longer than they used to. Buyers no longer have to subtract a car’s mileage from 100,000 to calculate the remaining life of the vehicle. A well-kept used car can give you years of reliability with only light maintenance. When you do need an oil change, tire rotation, or whatever, the Road Ready Service Center is here for you with highly-trained, professional technicians.

5. Variety

Not many lots can offer the selection available at a good used car lot, especially a lot like Road Ready Used Car’s which regularly has over 400 vehicles available at once. Looking for a sporty Crossover SUV? To shop-and-compare new, you’d have to drive from dealership to dealership all day. One visit to Road Ready Used Cars, and you can test drive several makes and models with our friendly, knowledgeable staff, to efficiently find the right fit for you.