It is about the eternal discussion and the answer is very Galician: it depends. In principle, the worst alternative is to buy a new car, but this is not always the case. Sometimes the price difference between the new and the 0 km is ridiculous or even cheaper. Everything is a matter of needs and numbers.
When buying a car there are several ways of thinking. There is the one who believes that a used car is the best option because it has been others who have “eaten” the enormous depreciation suffered by a car. At the opposite extreme are those who believe that buying a used is buying someone else’s problems and, finally, those who believe that it is best to look for bargains among the so-called 0 km. The truth is that all three are right and all three can be wrong, it all depends on how the accounts turn out in each case.
We are going to see the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative so that you can decide, but it should be made clear that buying a car is a decision that, although it should be given a lot of thought due to the economic amount involved, in most cases is more passionate than rational.
What is clear is that you must make sure of the market prices before deciding, especially between a km 0 and a new one, let me explain: many times we see posters on a car already registered in which they offer a price that is a lot lower than that of that new model. However, sometimes cars brands do discount campaigns on new cars that can make the price difference ridiculous or even that there are 0 km cars that are more expensive than a new one ordered exactly as we would like. Check the final prices carefully before deciding and do not think that a “km 0” sign means “bargain” in all cases.
Advantages and disadvantages of buying a new car
The reality is that, in most cases, this is the worst alternative due to the brutal depreciation suffered by cars, especially in the first four or five years. However, it has its advantages and can pay off under certain conditions. Let’s see its advantages and disadvantages.
- + We can choose exactly the one we like the most: color, equipment, version, etc.
- + It has an official manufacturer’s warranty for a minimum of 2 years.
- + The offer is unlimited.
- + As it has not been used before, it cannot have hidden defects (a serious accident, masked mechanical problems, etc.).
- – It is the one that depreciates the most, therefore, it is the one with which we lose the most money initially.
- – On many occasions, we cannot test exactly the version we want to buy before deciding.
- – Although it cannot have hidden defects, there are “glassy” units, with manufacturing defects that are impossible to detect before the problems appear and, although they are covered by the guarantee, they tend to carry them throughout the life of the vehicle.
In principle, a new car is only interesting when there are campaigns and special offers that make its final sale price assume part of the huge devaluation that it will suffer the first year. Also, those people who are going to make intensive use of the car have the enormous advantage of a greater coverage of their guarantee that increases their peace of mind.
Advantages and disadvantages of buying a km 0
A kilometer zero is a vehicle halfway between a new one and a used one. The first thing we must check is that the advertised vehicle is really a km 0, that is, a car that has never been used but is registered. Most of the cars that are advertised as km 0 are actually pre-owned.
The second thing to check is that the price is really a good offer, comparing it with new car offers, not on the recommended price on the official websites. Sometimes the km 0 are announced to us very greedily with a price compared to the official brand or in which the equipment extras add them one by one when in reality they come in packs that are cheaper.
The best thing when we see a km 0 advertised is that we go to a dealership with its configuration and ask for an offer on a unit with those characteristics. Km 0 is often not much cheaper than the new one or is even more expensive.
- + If the price is good, part of the depreciation suffered by a new car is amortized.
- + The warranty is usually the same as that of a new car or even better in certain offers.
- + If it really is a km 0 without kilometers, it cannot have hidden defects.
- + We can (and should) try it before deciding.
- – High depreciation.
- – Limited offer.
- – We cannot choose the color, options, etc.
If the offer is good enough, the 0 km is an excellent option because it “absorbs” much of the depreciation of the first year of the new car, which is the largest.
Advantages and disadvantages of buying a used car
t’s called a second-hand market and it’s for a reason. It is not easy to arrive and kiss the saint, but in him we can find exactly the car that we like, at a very interesting price and with few kilometers, that is the occasion. However, the ideal is not always fulfilled and, although there are real bargains and opportunities, it is becoming a more uniform market.
Everyone who sells a used car has access to thousands of offers and knows how to position it in price and a vast majority of the offers are for cars with a lot of use on top. However, Spain is a country where we do fewer kilometers per year than most of Europe, so we can find very interesting things around 4 years old (so that they already have the sharpest depreciation assumed) and with few kilometers that can be true master purchases.
- + It is the one that depreciates the least because it has already done so.
- + We can try it before we decide.
- + The current online tools allow you to compare many prices and alternatives.
- – They may have hidden defects.
- – Your warranty is less than that of the new and 0 km.
- – The offer is limited, although extensive.
- – We cannot choose exactly the options that we would like.
Being patient in the search, with some knowledge or advice by someone who has it, maybe the best alternative for certain needs. Of course, its main advantage is the price and the lower depreciation.