One of the popular questions that car buyers ask is whether to purchase a brand new or fairly used car. Pre-owned vehicles (fairly used cars) tend to come with much lower price tags, but there’s more to consider when choosing whether to buy a new car or used cars in Nigeria. In this short guide, we’re going to cover the benefits of buying new cars and the downsides in buying a used car.
Advantages Of Buying New Cars
In practice, a new car – with the right incentives and warranty – can be a better deal than a used one. Here are a few benefits why buying a brand new car beats the fairly used cars:
1. You Enjoy The Full benefits
The first three to five years of a vehicle’s life are usually issue-free. (And if there is an issue, it’s likely covered by the warranty.) When you buy a car that’s four or five years old, however, you’re getting in just at the wrong time. The 60,000-mile threshold often requires some expensive routine maintenance, and many cars start to decline irreversibly after 100,000 miles, requiring more and more maintenance and repairs.
To me, the knowledge that I’ll enjoy a car’s very best years without any expensive surprises – and that I’m the one racking up those early miles responsibly, not a rotating piece of cast metals – is worth whatever premium I end up paying for a new vehicle. By year four or five, the car’s completely paid off, making later-year maintenance much easier to swallow.
2. There’s No History
When you purchase a brand new car, you don’t have to worry about its past. You don’t have to fret about whether the previous owners mistreated the vehicle, had accidents, or failed to do periodic maintenance, such as regular oil changes. A new car should have very few miles on the odometer, having come straight to the dealership from the factory.
You also don’t have to worry about any wear and tear, like you would in an old car. The brakes and tires will be factory-fresh, and the interior perfectly clean.
3. Buying A New Car Is Much Easier
Because you won’t have to spend time researching a car’s history and getting pre-purchase inspections, it’s easier to buy a new car than to buy a used car. You don’t have to spend time or extra money on auto check report, plus the cost of an independent mechanic’s time.
You’ll never have to worry about the stress of sorting out the vehicle’s ownership and documention, because most dealerships will complete all of the paperwork for you.
It’s also easier to get the specific car you want. If the dealership doesn’t have a vehicle on the lot in the color or trim level you are looking for, they can order it from the factory or swap with another dealer.
4. You Can Enjoy the Latest Technology
When you purchase a brand new car, you can get the freshest technology in the market. With today’s rapid evolution in safety, infotainment, and connectivity, even a two-or three-year-old car can be already outdated. We list some of the more important new technology features below:
Safety technology: In just the last few years, the safety technology available on cars has improved by leaps and bounds. Technology such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist come as standard equipment on many new vehicles, and as low-cost options on others.
Infotainment and Connectivity: In the era of the smartphone, consumers are demanding that their vehicles keep pace with evolving infotainment and connectivity. That means, for example, that a built-in navigation system is no longer good enough – it has to be connected to outside services so you can see real-time traffic and road conditions through apps such as Google Maps and Waze. If a car built today does not support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, it is behind the times.
A car built a few years ago might have a 5-inch infotainment display, but many of today’s cars come with screens that are 8 inches or larger. Interfaces are improving, too, enabling modern touch screens to respond like smartphone displays.
5. New Cars Are More Fuel Efficient
Automakers are striving to improve the efficiency of every vehicle in their lineups, from subcompacts to full-size pickup trucks. A compact sport utility today will likely meet or exceed the efficiency of a 10-year-old midsize sedan. You’ll find fewer V8 and V6 engines in today’s cars, as they’re quickly being replaced by high-tech turbocharged four- and six-cylinder motors. Automakers are employing advanced automatic transmissions to glean every bit of energy out of each gallon of gasoline. Lightweight, yet strong, materials allow cars to burn less fuel as they roll down the highway, without compromising safety.
6. You Get Full Warranty Coverage
An important benefit of buying a new car is warranty protection. Most cars come with bumper-to-bumper coverage that covers everything but the powertrain for at least three years or 36,000 miles. Powertrain warranties often eclipse the basic warranty, with coverage that can extend out as long as 10 years or 100,000 miles. A new car warranty is included in the car’s price, so you don’t have to pay extra to get the coverage.
7. That New car Small
For some, getting that new car smell might sound like a ridiculous reason to spend extra money. For others, however, the new car smell symbolizes that you’re the first owner of the car – no one else has been behind the wheel of your new ride. Your friends get in the car and immediately know that you didn’t go the cheap route and buy used.
Disadvantages Of Buying Fairly Used Cars
While the idea of buying used cars in Nigeria instead of new ones has a lot going for it, getting a pre-owned car isn’t for everyone. Shown below are the many downsides to buying used vehicles:
1. You’re Buying Someone Else’s Discard
If you ask people who always buy new cars why they do so, and many will say that they don’t want to buy someone else’s discarded vehicle – and buy all of the problems the former owner didn’t want to deal with. By thoroughly studying the vehicle history report and getting a pre-purchase inspection, the risk of buying a lemon can be reduced, but it will never be entirely eliminated.
You Never Truly Know Its History
Vehicle history reports have become pretty thorough, but they’re not perfect. Things that happened recently may not be reflected in the reports. Unless an accident occurred, you’ll never know how hard or easy the vehicle was driven.
Most Used Cars Are Sold ‘As Is’
The moment you drive a used car off a dealer’s lot or away from a private-owners sale point, all of its problems belong to you. You can’t return a used car, even if it falls apart on the second day you have it. The technical term is “as-is,” and it releases the seller from nearly any claim you can make against them for the vehicle’s failings.
There’s Usually No Warranty Coverage
New cars are covered by warranties from their automakers. On the other hand, the only warranty you’ll have with buying used cars in Nigeria is one you have purchased. Without a warranty, you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket for any repairs. Major components of modern cars can cost thousands to repair or replace. But, If you’re purchasing a new car at a dealership, they’ll always offer you an extended warranty.
You can’t Any Selective
Unless you’re willing to wait a long time or pay extra, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to find the precise vehicle you want when you’re purchasing used cars in Nigeria. You’ll generally have to compromise a bit on the trim level, color, mileage, or condition you’re willing to accept.
Putting It All Together
When it comes to the choice of buying a brand new car or used cars in Nigeria, Though the pricing might look enticing at first, in the long run, used cars generally require higher financial involvement, with unmetered risk, which will always offset their lower price.
So, If you’re still not convinced on the idea of buying a brand new car over used cars in Nigeria, you can book a FREE consulting session with our automobile experts, to discuss your concerns a bit clearer.
