Lots of life experience on this board so hopefully someone knows.

I am debating purchasing a new car. I know the 2019s are out and the dealers still have a lot of 2018s. Do they get deeply discounted the closer we get to the end of 2018 or do they just send them to auction somewhere. Do they offer significant discounts?

My preference would be to buy a used car with under 10,000 miles but if the new ones get reduced significantly, I'd go that route.

Buying a new car is worth the investment, if you intend to keep it for many years, as new cars depreciate fast.

I buy my cars, and keep them till my neighbors tell me to trade them...(just kidding).

Buying a 2018 model now will save you some money, but inventories go down as we approach the end of the year.

Best time to buy? between Christmas and new year, when dealers are edgy to meet quotas and car makers flood the market with rebates.

First: know which model and what equipment package.

Then shop.

I buy only gently used late model vehicles. Most cars lose almost 40% of their value after the first 3 years, but unless you drive like a maniac or are putting 20K+ miles per year on it your used car should run another 4-5 years with few to no major repairs, at which point you can sell it for around 50-60% of what you paid for it and repeat the process.

There's that sweet spot between 7-8 years of age where a car still looks good and is attractive to buyers looking for an affordable yet reliable used car. You win when you only pay a discounted price and then sell for a still very decent price.

What dictates price -- when you see the new models coming off the truck. Know your dealers inventory. What I mean is walk his storage lot-- make notes of what you like that's there. Meet the NICE salesperson. Now in 30 days go back and see that NICE sales person and walk that lot again. Your now ready to talk YOUR price. This is my line-- after they give their BESTEST PRICE-- remind nice guy-- you know this car has been here since last time i was here and if I come back in 30 days it will still be here. Rather then coming back-- and you accepting my offer than--- here's my offer- tell your boss. Follow up with you may not eat steak this weekend but maybe a good family outing and hamburgers.

Has worked for me every last time.

I traded in my ten year old Explorer that only had 27K original miles on it for a 2018 Subaru Outback with six cylinder. It was a special order for some local business guy and he decided he didn't like it so I got it with 91 miles on it and a big discount. I only got 5 K for my Explorer so I feel that they stole it. It was huge. Big people need big cars and I should have asked for more. It was not a good idea to buy a 2018 early in 2018 but this one had a lot of features like the back hatch opening and closing itself, all kinds of warning lights for backing and staying in lanes and for cars coming up on the side of me. It stops itself before it backs into something including little branches sticking into the driveway. I mentioned in another post that the radio doesn't shut off. It's a software issue.

I've bought new, taken exceptional care, and then driven the car until the wheels fall off. You can get a lot of miles out of a car if you take good care of it.

In my area, they are starting to offer 0% financing for 2018 models. That's pretty good. My last car I bought was new. I know how well it is being maintained, and will keep it until I use the "lifetime engine warranty" - or longer : )

Nicole,

Life’s too short to drive a boring car. Get a Porsche.

When the economy is hurting, people hold onto their cars longer, the used inventory is picked over, and the prices on the low-mileage vehicles are close enough to the cost of new that it doesn't make sense to buy used, because you don't get the traditional gains.

When the economy is clicking along, people are quicker to take on debt from a new car, switch out their gently-used cars more freely, and are more likely to buy new stuff. So there's a good selection on the lot, and there's not as much incentive to buy new--- because there's good deals to be had.

A deer took out our 9-year-old vehicle earlier this year. We really liked going to the place where the car rental companies would get rid of their fleet cars. They were only 1-2-3 years old, had about 10-20-30k miles on them, and had a number of options-- we were looking for a hybrid, ourselves. In the process, however, we also discovered that many new cars are not being sold with any spare tire at all-- they come with a can of fix-a-flat and roadside assistance. Which doesn't really help you much if you're in the habit of driving in the middle of nowhere on a frequent basis. So we ended up taking into account things like "is there a spare tire at all?" when we were shopping, just as much as price/mpg/year/odometer reading. If you do 99% of your driving in an urban area, it will be less of an issue.

You might see what's available now, just to get a baseline, and then check out the Labor Day sales-- or the Black Friday sales. Visiting the dealership towards the end of the month or the end of the quarter is also more likely to result in a better deal-- someone wanting one more sale for his month's bonus (which isn't necessarily a thing if it's a salaried salesman, like at Carmax or Enterprise), or the dealership itself wanting one more sale for the month's stats.

Contact dealers in your area 25 to 50 mile radius; make, model and list of wanted options. See what the prices are on the vehicle. Lets hope that once you get to the dealership that gives you the best price that they honor that price.

Also check autotrader.com, cars.com and other websites to see what newer low mileage vehicles asking price.

Best of success finding your new 2018 car!!!

Will the color be PURPLE???

GKARL of PA, The two cars that I would not own are the BMW and the Mercedes Benz due to cost issues to repair and repair issues.

When buying a used vehicle I refer to the consumer report repair ratings on vehicles. I THINK there are 10 categories that are reviewed for a vehicle. Some vehicles have numerous problems for a particular year. There are some vehicles that the repair records are horrible. HOWEVER they are still bought and sold.

I am sure there are good BMW's and Mercedes but I have no desire to take the chance to buy one and check it out.

I think the old days of used being much cheaper than new are gone. Of course it depends on what you consider as "much cheaper." When we bought the work van, we found the used vehicles to be beat up and abused (work vans, after all) and still priced quite high. Ended up with new vehicle, paid a few thousand more but with all the bells and whistles we wanted, instead of settling for less. We keep vehicles until they die in a cloud of smoke so the few thousand spread over many years was well worth it to us. We are still driving a 1997 Nissan pickup and my car is a 2008 Prius.

IDK where you guys are finding deals on slightly used cars. Around here unless its a car that depreciates a lot like a BMW, Mercedes, or Audi a 3 year old car is not much off new.

Pickup trucks are even worse, I just saw the same truck as mine with 80k miles on it for about 9k off new. That's nuts, 80k probably thrashed miles to save only 9k?

Subaru, Toyota, and Honda all sell within a few grand of new at under 3 years old.

Nicole, what I have to say doesn't pertain to you ,but perhaps getting in touch with John in Ohio might be beneficial to your interest.I usually buy used,and from someone I know.the last car I bought is now over twenty years old Lincoln Cavalier the only thing I had to replace was the brakes and the tyres. Tom in Florida.You could do worse than buy a Mercedes or the BMW,they are both well made cars to start with,and if you buy used any defects are already taken care of by the previous owner,so what's to fix..................charlie...............I don't buy from the dealer,but from people like Miss Ally,before she made it to the dealer........................................usually give her a little more than the dealer

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thanks JB/Ohio. I actually want a Maxima so I'll be in touch by the end of September.

I agree with Chris about checking out a minivan.

We have an Odyssey. There is no step up, you could still “plop down.”

When my parents were helping my grandparents, I think they liked using the Towncar for getting them to and from places. There was also another vehicle they really liked for a while, but I can't remember what it was... it was red. :P

But looking at Consumer Reports, they recommended considering small SUV's for elder care, because the height allows them to slide in, rather than ducking in (like with sedans) or climbing up (as with middle/large SUV's).

They recommended the Acura MDX, the Toyota RAV4, the Toyota Prius V, and the Kia Soul.