Are you Safer Buying a Used Car versus a New Car?
Thursday, April 14, 2016, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
Everybody loves the smell of a new car, and the pleasure of being the first one at the help of a dreamed-about machine. Question is, is the expense worth the experience?
Research has shown that 28-50% of vehicles manufactured between 1980 and 2013 were recalled by their manufacturers.
Some vehicles have rates higher than 50 percent, meaning that more than half of vehicles sold per year were recalled because of some manufacturing defect.
In light of this, the merits of buying a used car are increased, because you sidestep the inconvenience and potential danger associated with recalled vehicle models.
So, if you’re trying to decide which the best car to buy is, which way should you go?
-
Innovation vs. compliance
As technology advances in the auto industry, manufacturers are faced with unique challenges, for starters, consumes are aware of safety features and innovative options today more than before. There has never been so much pressure for manufacturers to stand out from each other with newer and improved models of their classic brands.
This report from a Deloitte research indicates that the automotive industry is also more susceptible to enforcement actions whenever significant defects are found in their models e.g. safety defects, mileage certifications and stickers, tailpipe emissions, reporting investigations, corruption and international bribery.
This creates a tug of war between seeking after innovation and sticking to compliance requirements for manufacturers, something that can affect the quality of vehicles produced. Unfortunately, some defects only become apparent after a few years of use.
-
New versus used
As a result of the forces of developmental versus regulatory pressure, the consumer is ultimately affected. Certain vehicles are released from the assembly line, marketed aggressively and sold to excited consumers, only for them to turn into inconveniences rather than assets. And these are impossible to tell in the shiny from-the-showroom appeal.
Buying a used car in this case offers distinct risk reduction. Consider that most people who buy new vehicles do so after 2-3 years of ownership, meaning that such vehicles are still in good condition. Provided you carry out comprehensive pre-purchase vehicle inspection overseen by an experienced professional, you will enjoy the fruits of a cheaper, test-driven and proven vehicle out there that is unlikely to disappoint.
Technology provides additional benefits to used car buyers. They can go through dozens of car forums and review sites to look into the history of the model they are interested in. people are always sharing such experiences online, and you can use this information to discount or approve any models since they have been in use a couple of years before you buy them.
-
Conclusion: Avoiding and assessing risk
Some car defects can be life-threatening; by the time you discover they exist, you’re in a life or death situation, like happened in the Takata airbag incident. Many of the popular vehicles today have had five or more recalls in the last few years. Even when it isn’t dangerous, living with the inconvenience of taking the car the dealers multiple times is just annoying.
Naturally, there are risks associated with buying used cars as well. There’s no surefire way of telling how the previous owner used the vehicle. However, many of these risks can be reduced using professional and thorough vehicle inspection services, as well as getting a vehicle history report from the authorities.
Where rubber meets the road, what you prefer as a consumer goes. But in an environment where vehicles are being churned into the market faster than you can say new, it might be safer to go for an inspected pre-owned model whose usability has been certified.
