In my limited experience the new car feeling lasts no longer than the registration plate change or the first supermarket trolley ding. Thereafter it may be a nice car but no longer "new".

Depending on individual financial circumstances there is an ever growing feeling of superiority over other drivers whose new cars may depreciate by £2-5k compared to one 12 years old which can't depreciate any more. This assumes the 12 year old is reliable and still meets your needs.

Never bought a new car in my life, IMHO it's just not worth it (unless you're buying a budget car to run into the ground) I tend to buy two or three year old high spec models. If you want that "new car" feel - clean it and drive around with an open pot of PVA in the car. Now motorbikes - I usually buy new - can't be too careful on two wheels. A badly repaired car is unlikely to kill you - bikes on the other hand...

To quote Steve McQueen in The Hunter

"New things are no good"

If it was true in 1980, its likely truer now.

I tend to keep my cars for a long time .........

So do we....average age twenty three, the youngest (my A8) 13yrs

My question I guess is how long does the new (or newer) car feeling last you before buyer remorse hits?

I think the answer depends upon how much homework and consideration was given to the purchase in the first place. We change our cars as infrequently as possible and spend much time selecting a replacement. For the last few weeks we have been thinking about replacing our nearly 19yr old Focus (son needs it soon) and have narrowed it down to a Crossland, Pug 2008 or Seat Arona. Must be petrol, auto, central arm rest and no lip loading at the back. Have driven all three so far - Crossland seems to have best ride despite what the press says. Any other ideas welcome!

I tend to keep my cars for a long time, the current one for 6 years and it’s now 12 years old.I could afford to buy a modest 3 year old replacement from savings but feel reluctant to splash the cash. My question I guess is how long does the new (or newer) car feeling last you before buyer remorse hits?

If you mean how long does the excitement of a new car last, the answer is not long, as before me others have said.

I would reckon it’s different if you absolutely have to replace the car, but in my case it still works ok, but I’m board with it. I had a ride in a nearly new Merc C class recently, and although it was very swish, still gave me the feeling that I would have rather bought something different whatever my choice had been.

I think you buy a replacement car if the current one has failed catastrophically, or it is becoming or about to become expensive to maintain and/or unreliable, or it lacks some must have feature such as space for a new family member.

Being bored of a car is not the best reason to replace it unless you can easily absorb the financial hit. It's only a car. What does bored mean in that context? I sold my last car in part because I was bored of it. However I also wanted something quieter and more comfortable, with more room inside. The gains from the new car were significant and worthwhile IMO and the old one had done 130,000 miles and was in danger of becoming expensive to maintain going on past cars.

Perhaps a boring car is preferable to an 'interesting' (fault ridden) new car?