BippuLexus

Just starting a random debate here as I sit here bored at work waiting for a meeting.

Earlier today - during my long commute to work with my friend/co-worker. We got into a discussion about how long a car stays "new". My friend seems to believe a new pre-refresh car will be "new" until the refresh model comes out then the refresh model will be "new" until the new generation comes out. Then the cycle continues.

While I believe its shorter than that. I think cars tend to stay "new" only for about 1-2 (maybe 3) years depending on how often each car companies add on features. IE: 2015 C300 vs 2016 C300 - where the 2016 C300 has 360 camera, electric trunk opener and speed limit info while the 2015 don't. Meaning - by 2016 - the C300 from 2015 would be consider outdated already.

What does everyone here think? How often do you think a car stays "new" for? Just really curious what my fellow car enthusiasts think.

I hope y'all having a wonderful day.

Toys4RJill

I would say about 2 years.

Longevite1

It's old as soon as you signed and drive off the dealer parking lot.

BippuLexus

That's exactly what I was alluding to as well during my chat with my friend during rush hour traffic. We had a lot of time. Lol.

I seem to believe its 2 years too because within 2 years time - a specific car can be outdated by a newer model year of the same car with more features. Or the competition has just moved on to adding more features within 2 years.

Hahah. My uncle says that all the time.

riredale

I've always heard that from a financial perspective, a new car becomes a used car as soon as it's driven off the lot. I assume that means a depreciation hit of a few percent for the first few days or so.

I bought a 2010 RX450h from the one and only Lexus dealer here in Portland Oregon two years ago (2016). The car was already six years old, yet it was detailed to an unbelievable degree and looked and smelled absolutely new. I would have thought it sat in a garage for all those years except that there were 60K miles on the odometer. That, and a slight scuffing on the front bumper were the only giveaways.

The car does not have the latest gizmos. I would think it would be useful to have automatic folding mirrors and a 360-degree panoramic view. Otherwise, no big deal. Great car.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

it's new if someone gets in your car and says 'hmm, that new car smell'

Lexmex

When I got my 1999 RX300, it was in late January 2002. I still felt that vehicle kept its luster for a good 3 years more even though the RX330 had come out. It gives me a sense of pride to still see many RX300s on the road, but their design is far outdated by now.

arentz07

^^^

In that case my 2-year-old car is still new But I am super OCD when it comes to my interior...

If you're talking car model lines, I'd say it's new 2-3 years. After that, it will become more commonplace and more well-known on the road.

If it's an individual car, that gets tricky - is it new, or new to you? Idk... Funny question though, I think everyone has a different answer.

Therealtru

Second it leaves the lot it's a used car.

BippuLexus

Hahah. I love the new car smell. Like new shoe smell - call me crazy. ;D

Yeah. My friend and I were specifically talking about model lines - not individuals.

Here's an example of what both of us said: he believes the 2014 Lexus IS250 will stay "new" until the 2017 refresh model year comes out. And then, the 2017 refresh model year will stay new till the new generation Lexus IS.
However - I believe its more specific than that. I believe the 2014 Lexus IS stays new for maybe 1-2 years tops. Because, the 2014 Lexus IS250 will get outdated by the 2015 Lexus IS250 with Lexus Enform (also by 2015 - quite a bit of the competition also has smartphone app services) and 2016 Lexus IS200T with a more updated engine/transmission. My reasoning for thinking this way is usually the new model year has more features/tech that is better able to keep up with the competition.

Thanks for everyone's input so far though!

pbm317

Is Tesla changing some of those with their over the air updates? They're constantly pushing programming and feature updates to existing cars, as well as allowing some buyers the ability to add on features later even if they didn't buy them originally. Obviously their cars don't stay "new" forever, there are limitations to the hardware on the car, and then even Tesla succumbed to the midcycle refresh (at least on the S so far) of traditional automotive cadence.

arentz07

I'd treat Tesla the same way as other cars. Eventually Tesla is going to move on from their current operating system/architecture and be unable to support newer features in older cars. I think that's just the reality of running on hardware for any device - it has limitations which might seem quite high for the time in which it was released but become outdated after some years.

BippuLexus

Ooo. That's an excellent point! Tesla models are a little harder to describe how "new" they stay. Especially since Tesla is able to push out new features via OTA updates. If cars get to a point where features are just updated and added on to older model years, then it would definitely change the way we see how old/new something is.

But for now - how long do you think a new car stays "new" relative to its own model line and competition?

mjeds

Bingo...……..

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)