Automotive Journal

We all have heard the old story about how driving a new car off the lot will cause the car to loose 2/3rds of its value instantly. Everyone knows this, but people still buy used cars constantly. Get this: depreciation of a new car actually costs you more than the gas ever will.

Let me tell you a story. I drive a 1990 Honda Accord with over 200,000 miles on it. I spent $1700 6 years ago, and its worked for me that entire time. It fuel efficient, is big enough for most of my needs, and as been generally reliable all things considered.

Of course, I've had to put in a few repairs here and there. I've needed to swap out an alternator, replace some brake pads, and change some hoses that were leaking. Total, I've spent about eight hundred dollars on repair parts over the time I've owned the car.

My insurance is cheap. Since the car is so old, I don’t need comprehensive and collision insurance, which save me a lot on my monthly premiums. On the whole, this car is amazingly cheap. Is it fancy? Heck no, but it does it job while letting me spend my money on more important things.

Let’s think about what a new car would cost to get us the same point A to point B functionality. Say you spend $20,000 or so on a new Accord. Already, you've spent over ten times the cost of my car. Add more to that if you didn’t pay in cash, and took out a loan.

You will have to have insurance. Since you just bought a shiny new car, you’ll need both comprehensive and collision insurance, which can be high, especially for younger drivers in newer cars.

A new car still needs to be maintained, which will cost money. All this time, the car will be loosing significant amounts of its value. Aren't there better ways to spend your cash?

Buying used will allow you to save a lot of money on the expense of owning a car. Think of how much better your monthly cashflow will be without car payments or overly high insurance rates. Buying a cheap used car buys you financial freedom.