If it’s time to trade in your old car, you may be wondering if it’s better to buy a new or used car. For a number of reasons, used cars are a popular choice. Since dealers now offer certified used cars and the Internet makes it easier to check a car’s history, buying a used car has become much easier.
Certified used cars: buy with confidence
A piece of folk wisdom has it that if you buy a pre owned car that is just a year or two old, you can be sure that it is bug-free. Any problems would have surfaced in that time. And given that car dealerships now offer certified pre owned vehicles, there are no longer any risks in buying used cars. A certified used car program is usually backed by the manufacturers, so you can go ahead and buy with confidence. Certified used cars are usually newer models, up to three years old or less.
The average age of cars on the road now is 11 years. So a used car can give you years of faithful service. And prices for used cars are likely to decline: the National Automobile Dealers Association forecasts that average used car prices will decrease by nearly 7%, from $16,025 in 2014 to just under $15,000.
Lease or buy: costs and mileage restrictions
The other choice you may have to make when buying a car is deciding whether to buy or to lease. You can generally browse used car inventory online and calculate the respective costs for the two options. The down payment for a car lease is usually negotiable and can vary from
$0 to several thousand dollars to be paid up front.
With a lease contract you are generally limited in the number of miles you can drive annually, typically to 9,000, 12,000 or 15,000 miles.
You local used car dealership can help you find answers to these and any other questions you might have. So call today to schedule your test drive.
