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New old car or old new one? - Ed V

Here's a debate for a cold winter's day. Let's take a Mondeo as an example. The new one is now scheduled for a 2014 launch, the current one came out in 2007.

If looking to buy a new Mondeo, would it be better to buy one of the last 2007 new models in December 2013, or wait a month and buy the new, new 2014 version?

I assume the 2007 version would have all the goodies at the basic model's prices, as against the new one which would no doubt have seats as an extra on the L or LX.

A ghia might get you air con.

Would the 2007 version depreciate even faster after 2014, or would the 2014 version be hit by goodies being added every two years to each version as it ages?

New old car or old new one? - bathtub tom

I much prefer older model cars, all the teething problems have been sorted. The manufacturers can do all the testing they like, but it's not until the great unwashed hordes get their hands on them that some things start showing up.

New old car or old new one? - countryroads

Exactly, I dont want to be a guinea pig for new technologies or fads that dont work properly, the last of a previous generation has traditionally always been the one to have, combined with the fact that buying them at a discounted price is nice too!

Also cars seem to have been getting worse and worse for reliability over the past few years, if the trend continues heaven help us in 10 years time!

New old car or old new one? - madf

Also cars seem to have been getting worse and worse for reliability over the past few years, if the trend continues heaven help us in 10 years time!

Based on my experience the opposite is true...

If buyinh a model near the end of its life, take 26% off the list price.. or teh depreciation when the new model come sin will kill you.

New old car or old new one? - RT

If you want value, buy the last of the old model when it's been discounted to clear stocks - if you want the latest model buy the "facelift" version as soon as that comes out about halfway through a models production cycle.

Let someone else face the uncertainty in the first 3 years of a car's cycle.

New old car or old new one? - Avant

Generally I'd go along with RT - just to add that it depends to some extent on whether you want or need the features that the new model has and the old one doesn't.