Hello everyone in the car talk community I was wondering when is it a good time to get a new car? My grandmother and mother both have fords, my grandmother having a 95 ford Taurus (now resting in the parking lot in the sky) with 240,996 miles on the car and my Mom 1999 Ford explorer with 238,896 miles on it. My mom and Grandmother took care of these cars from a minor fix to a major. It was hard seeing my grandmother in tears after her Taurus took it final ride.
Another question I wanted to ask is what memories do you guys have with cars. Your first car you received or the road trips you taken with your family etc. My fondest memory was getting to drive my grandma 95 Ford Taurus that I was in awe growing up and seeing my friends/peers facial expression when they saw the odometer went up to 85 mph. And in my mom 1999 Ford explorer the fondest memory I have was when my younger brother and I I was 4 and my brother was three we went with my grandmother to her ford dealer up north. While my grandmother was with her dealer looking for cars for my mom my younger brother and I decided to play hide and seek in the lot. I remember they were calling our names in the intercom. I remember finding my younger brother in the front seat of a 1999 ford explorer XLT Harvest gold color. We went to grab our grandmother and brought her to the car my brother was hiding in and we told her “This is the car we want for mommy”.
My apology I did not realize it posted in repair and maintenance ._.
THAT’s gonna elicit some discussion!
As for when to buy a new car, the clear answer is It depends! If the car has been well mainted and still runs good, and its reliable, no need for a new one. But a high mileage car loses reliability every extra mile driven. If granny’s 95 Taurus pops a transmission, the repair cost is greater, by far, than the value of the car and you might want to send it out for scrap.
As for car memories… many, many. Riding in dad’s 51 Chevy coupe or grandma’s 57 Chevy Belair with the Power Pack 283 with a 4 barrel carb and dual exhaust!. Cruising to a drive-in restaurant in a friend’s 56 Belair Convertible for Coney Dogs and Rootbeer! My first racecar/rebuilt engine/broken transmission, a 75 Oldsmobile Starfire with 3.8 liter V6 and 4 speed.
Are you asking what time of year to get the best price? Or when is it time to get rid of an older car?
The exterior of my Grandma Taurus was in great condition the problem was living up north with the salt eating away at the under body. When we moved to florida we went to a recycling plant to place some things away and the engine mounts finally gave in. We didn’t realize until we came back home and the fluid was leaking. We knew the Taurus was reaching it time but we were hoping not soon. 
@Mustangman good memory 
@texases In general yes when is it a good time to get a new car. I know some of my Friends in High school kept repeating “Oh after 100,000 miles is a good time to get rid of the car” which to me was nonsense. I just want to know after having two cars the Taurus which is now in the parking lot in the sky and my mom 99 explorer having 238,896 should we continue to maintain the car or look into getting a new car.
A good friend just bought a mint condition 9 year old Honda Accord with only 60,000 miles on it. The car was always garaged and maintained by the dealer. The owner, a senior just wanted to quit driving and put it up for sale. The car was loaded with every option available that year.
Another example is a colleague who bought a 2 1/2 year old 1997 Ford Taurus with 16,000 miles on it coming off lease. She paid $12,500 for it! The driver was an oil company engineer on temporary assignment from Europe. He hardly drove it.
The buyer still drives that car which has been good to her and now has 125,000 miles on it.
So, timing and condition is everything, but I would not buy a 9 year old Taurus unless I knew its entire history.
OK. I agree, 100,000 miles used to be a lot, but no more. Here’s some criteria I use:
When there is significant rust - no cure for that.
When the transmission or engine needs to be replaced and it’s over 10 years old.
When it can no longer be trusted (leaves me stranded).
When it no longer meets my needs.
When I’m just tired of it.
I keep cars 10+ years, but never got one over 200k miles.
ooh yeah, rust will shorten the life of any car. Many cars from the rust belt died well before their mechanical bits gave up. The cars can be unsafe even IF the shiny stuff on top still looks OK.
Whenever Triedaq is down in the dumps, he gets a new (?) car. If you’ve seen the cars he drives, you would know what I am talking about. Mrs. Triedaq
Yeah my mom truck is now showing his true age. With the maintenance now our mechanic kept telling my mom and Grandmother that this car needs to be replace soon. The truck still has most of the original parts but when we replaced some of the old parts problems kept on arising. I’m trying to convince my grandma and mom we need to start looking for a new car but they dont want to because of all the memories they have with the car.
Is this a new car or used car that is new to you? May was a bad month for new car sales, and now is a good tI me to look for a new vehicle. Also, the manufactures have stopped building 2016 models. They will want to clean out inventory and there should be sales on less popular models. Any time is good for a used car.
The first thing you need to do is decide what type of vehicle you want. It appears that this will be a family vehicle. Will Mom want another SUV? Do you need a vehicle that large, and can she afford it? After figuring out what you want and how much to spend, then start looking. For used vehicles, condition is more important than brand.
Well the truck we have we got it right off production in 99-2000. Were still looking for a SUV but we do not know what feature comes with it etc. Any new or used is fine with them we just want to know if the car going to be reliable like the old models with ford
I think the best time of the year to make an offer on a car is early spring. Start looking in February and March. That’s when folk’s credit card statements arrive showing their holiday spending spree. Most everyone being broke, there’s fewer car buyers then, so the dealership will dicker on the price a little more.
But if you need a car now, like to have a reliable ride to get to work, then now is a good time. It makes no sense to wait until February if you need a car now. It’s more important to put your effort in selecting the right car for what you need, rather than when to buy it.
I have some car memories I guess. But none are really vivid. Except one. I’ve never really been that interested in cars. My high school friends would say “George, when you gonna put some headers on your Galaxy?”. I had no idea what they were taking about. And even now, really don’t know why that would have been a good thing to do to a 6 banger early 60’s Ford Galaxy.
I grew up in the late 50’s, early 60’s, an era when my neighborhood elementary school chums thought it would be embarrassing to be seen on the road unless driving an Austin Healy or Jag XKE. 64 1/2 Mustang? Not good enough. I never got to drive any of those. I don’t think I even ever saw an Austin Healy.
My only vivid car memory is about the family’s other car at the time, a 1940’s Studebaker. It was the coolest car you can imagine, it was jet black and backfired like crazy, especially when going uphill. I’d watch from the driveway as my dad drove that car uphill on his way to work and it going bang bang bang bang all the way, and all the dogs in the neighborhood barking as the Studebaker passed 
Early spring??? I don’t think so. Jan and Feb is the second best time. The best time is late summer when the new model year comes out and buy the previous model year.
I gotta agree with Mike on this. Bought one car at a huge discount at the end of the model year. The dealer wanted it off the lot. Still have that one!
Bought one in February… the dealership was deserted. In Jan and Feb everyone is still recovering from the Christmas spending spree.
Agree; after the New Year everyone is paying off their bills, the weather is foul, and showrooms are virtually empty in mid winter. Good time to shop.
Shopping for a previous model year car is a good time in September or so when the new models are in. You get a substantial discount on these. This only works well if you do not trade too often, because after 3 years you car would be worth less because it is one model year older. If you keep the car a long time there is no real difference in residual value.
The best time to get a new cars is when you’re ready, and not a moment before.
I plan to get a new one as soon as I win the Powerball. A Bentley. Until then, I’m perfectly happy with what I have.
Never