My last vehicle purchased new was a company vehicle, bought in 2007 just before everything started to come apart due to the real estate crash and associated financial crisis. It was a fairly loaded 2008 GMC Acadia SLT1, leather, panoramic sunroof, 19” polished alloy rims with low profile tired, upgraded stereo plus all the options that came with the SLT1 package. Good-looking vehicle, I was quite pleased with it. Pretty upscale at the time, and the most I’d ever spent on a vehicle. It was a little over $33,000.00 out the door. That’s how badly the price of a new car has inflated in ten years, now that fairly expensive $33,000.00 is the average cost of a new car.
In 2015 I bought a certified pre-owned 2014 Jeep Rubicon with just over 14K miles. Some poor schlub paid a lot of money for the privilege of breaking in the engine for me :)
My last new “vehicle” was in 2015 (motorcycle). My last new car purchase was in ‘94. Bought a used ‘98 pickup in 2000.
In 2004 I bought my last new car an 03 Mazada MPV, top of the line loaded, sticker was $31,000 at the time and I about died. Wife wanted it and it was well into 2004 and the dealership wanted rid of the 03 so they dropped it to $23,000, still was not happy but bought it. We drove it into the ground, got right at 200,000 and started noticing little issues that were adding up and traded it for a used Murano.
My daughter was driving an 03 Ranger and is about to have a baby and the Ranger is not conducive to hauling a baby around so last week I went to the used car market and found her a nice 08 Highlander with 122,000 miles on it. For a little over $10K she should be set for several years.
Pass on the new cars, the unions can take two running leaps and jump straight into hell. I seriously doubt I will ever buy a new car ever again, they are way over priced and why take the depreciation hit.
“Bell said. “Car costs are not rising all that quickly over time...”
You couldn’t prove it by me! My first new car was a ‘67 Mustang, it was $3000. That was six months income for me then. How many 22 year olds do you know now who can buy a new Mustang on six months income? How about on even twelve months?