… immediately after a complete redesign of that model.
New Cars Might Need More Repairs Than You’d Expect - Consumer Reports
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It works for me. I’ve bought 2 new vehicles in my lifetime. The last was in 1997.
Now I buy gently used preowned, recent, low mileage vehicles, with some factory warranty left.
I take a look at the vehicles’ reviews to see if owners are reporting common problems. The used ones have served me as well or better than the new ones at enormous savings. I’m fixing to do it again.
Hey VDC, did you get that COSTCO Samsung Galaxy phone? I ran over and bought one the day you said it was worth looking at in COSTCO.
CSA
Manufacturer’s have teething problems with a new generation, the complaint with the Sienna sounds like a similar one that our 2010 Prius had some work to correct, among other recalls and service campaigns but that car has never missed a beat otherwise. I know 2 people who’ve had buybacks on Kia Souls in the last year because of problems with the transmission, one bought another brand but the other is giving Kia another chance with a Niro EV, which seems to be a better fit.
In the computer/software arena the joke is that Alpha testing is “Does it compile?” and the Beta testing is “Does it bring your entire network to a crashing halt?”.
The point is that every new design has “unexpected bugs” that only surface with time and mileage.
Unavoidable and my Dad’s philosophy was was to wait for the second year when the bugs have been worked out and the price is cheaper.
I was taught to avoid cars that were first year production of new engineering design and the last year of production of a car model being retired.
First year production of new design often has bugs to be worked out. Last year production for a model often has parts made from stamping dies and such that are worn enough that the parts produced, while still being in spec, can be not as precisely in spec as normal.
That advice was based on the pre-computer days of design and production methods. So the accuracy of that advice today may need to be more nuanced than half a century ago. 
But I’ve still followed the advice the three times I’ve bought a car. 
This is an age old problem with a new model. I got stung years ago when I bought a used 1955 Pontiac. That was the first year of the V8 engine in the Pontiac (until 1955, the Pontiac engine choices were a flathead inline 8 or a flathead inline 6). The design problems with the rocker arms were worked out by the 1956 model year.
Some design problems don’t show up even under extensive testing. I don’t remember the make, but one automobile in the 1950s had an overheating problem in certain states but not in other states. The states could border each other and the cars would overheat in one state and not the other even though both states had the same terrain. It was finally discovered that the cars registered in states that had a front license plate had the overheating problem. The position the plate was mounted directed air flow away from.the core of the radiator. When the cars were being tested on the test track, nobody thought about a front license plate.
Back in 1958, Oldsmobile had a high incidence of camshaft failures. The interesting thing was that some dealers had no camshaft failures while other dealers had a significant number of camshaft failures. The problem was traced to the motor oil being used by the dealer. Certain brands of 10W-30 oils could not take the higher camshaft pressures. Oldsmobile released a service bulletin that single viscosity oil was to be used in these engines.
Before a car is put into production, there are some problems that don’t show up in the testing.
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this is all about the globalization process. this happens in all the industries. for example, a vw golf 5 was 20k euros 15 years ago. and why di you think that now it has the same price with all the new technology and new features on it? they need to reduce the quality on some thigs…
I remember the Flathead Pontiacs always overheating and yes NY had two plates.
My personal choice is to buy a car in the last year of a body style, if you can wait. At that point dealers are working hard to get rid of the inventory, because when the new model comes out the leftovers will lose lots of value. Often the technology changes we are seeing come along without regard to the body style changes, so you can decide what’s important to you and make your own decisions.
Are you sure about that ? I think the base price in 2005 for a VW golf was about 19000.00 USD now it appears to be 30000.00 USD .