Re: Catering to used-car buyers?

[Fringe Ryder <fringe@fringeweb.com>]

At 03:53 PM 12/30/97  -0500, Paul_Royal@idx.com wrote:
>I buy used to achieve the following:
>I let people like you pay the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the new cost and then put
>on about 3/4 of the
>total mileage (granted, I get some parts expenses you don't and I expect
>it).
>Frankly, I gotta tell you, I don't think I sacrifice safety or performance
>either.  I think that 
>new cars are an absurd luxury for people that drive like me...wouldn't you
>agree?

Given that you wouldn't get a full year's warranty either way, sure.  I put
a standard amount - about 12-15k - on each year.  My overriding concern is
reliability.  Perhaps Audi wasn't the best brand for that, but the dealer
does take more responsibility than the Ford dealers did.

As for sacrifices buying used, that was relative to your comment about
technology.  Tell me where you can find a three-year old car with 172HP,
torsen center differential, ABS5, airbags, a torque-steering-eliminating
four-link front suspension, and (if you like automatics), Tiptronic
transmission.  You do make sacrifices, they just may not be worth much to you.

>>Of those three, the biggest profits per sale are the bottom two, and
>>neither of those pays much attention to resale value.  It's mostly
>>acquisition cost and other issues.
>You may be right...but the big picture still says that the market MUST play
>to this factor.
>It does play to this factor...your opinion or mine doesn't change this.

It may play in, but not as much as the other factors.  And here's evidence:
 Watch a hundred television commercials for autos in the U.S., playing this
month.  I'd guess they're close to evenly split between touting performance
(speed, offroading, etc.), touting reliability or safety, and focusing on
the looks of the car.  I'd bet that you can't find even two that so much as
mention resale value.