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I think this rule is more about buying a new car. But if I am going to buy a car with 60K+ miles on it, I would think that even if it had some issues related to being the first year model - they had already been fixed.
Or should I still avoid first year model cars when buying used?
What about the following piece of wisdom I stumbled across:
'.. the parts that fail are sent to the workshop and “fixed”. Then when they run the model out, all those parts are brought out from storage and fitted to new vehicles to clear the stores for the new model.'
Is it so or just an urban myth?
2012 Focus had defective Dual Clutch transmissions that were replaced numerous times by the 1st and second owner.
Nissan's CVT's that were failing in the Pathfinder/J35/Qx60 went on for a few years until they found the source of the failures.
Look at the amount of timing chain problems on the GM 3.6L DI from 2007-2011 and some folks sold the car only for te problem to pop right back up with a $3000 repair bill quote
Some cars just had a bad design and it wasnt until the next model year o further the issue was addressed, so while the initial owner MIGHT be the ones stuck with the repairs in warranty, the next owner could be the one that gets stuck with them, all when the powertrain warranty expired at 60K-100K.
It's generally good advice. There are exceptions. Many of the smaller cars that we're getting here are years old and fully developed for other markets, just being introduced here like the new Ford mini crossover. It's been sold around the world for a while, so first year, but not really first year.
The first model year is the year that the engineers find all the design and production mistakes. As a rule avoid them even if they are cheap. They never get better.
I think the spirit of the rule is that the manufacturer's first production run might have been rushed, quality control may be compromised, and there's virtually no long-term testing. This can clearly be demonstrated by the issues the Tesla Model 3 has been exhibiting. Manufacturers tend to make minor tweaks before the mid-production refresh (usually 2-3 years in). The practical side to the rule is that buying a model later in the production run gives the manufacturer time to work out the kinks and revise potentially troubled components. It also allows time for the early production units to rack up some miles to see how reliable the car will be.
There are a few instances where the first production models were better than the subsequent ones, and there are a few instances (mostly with sport/super cars) where the subsequent models ran up in price. The 2007 Nissan GT-R MSRP was less than $72K; the 2013 GT-R ran up to $97K.
As for your average car, I'd buy a first production year if the price is right and the mileage is reasonable. In the age of the internet, you can find car specific forums to gauge the reliability and probable issues a car will have.
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For years and years, I was almost obsessed with The Volvo 1800 series and thus had one for many years.
Then they make the engine with fuel injection and of course, I bought one, European delivery and my car was the 6th one of the production line! (Unbelievable today, for 6500 dollars!!!)
That thing had nothing but problems, so I sold it after 8 months and found another used one a couple years old. Never had any problems before and never had any problem with the latest used one.
I have never bought a new car since ... always about 2-3 years old.
Some of the first Chevys to utilize the I-5 engines had valve issues on them..
GM extended the warranties to 5 years/100k.. But, if it happened after that, and it generally would, because it was excessive wear in the guides, if I'm not mistaken.. You were on the hook.. Basically a new head. I had heard 5 to 7 thousand.
Just because the vehicle is used, doesn't make that problem go away.
Doesn't really apply to used. With used you have the luxury of studying real world reliability rates of a specific year/model. So you can see whether that advice applies or not.
The thing about a used first year model is that whatever problems that design has, if any, are known. For example, I am not aware of any problems with the "64 1/2" Mustangs. One could argue that they were essentially Falcons with different body tin.
The 68 Corvette is prone to body cracking, worse than the 69 model. This is not something that is really "fixable" as far as I know.
Some of the more recent cars noted above, if say a defective transmission is replaced with a different model, there should be nothing wrong with the car after that has been changed out. Could be a good deal because low-information buyers will shy away from it.
I think this rule is more about buying a new car. But if I am going to buy a car with 60K+ miles on it, I would think that even if it had some issues related to being the first year model - they had already been fixed.
Or should I still avoid first year model cars when buying used?
What about the following piece of wisdom I stumbled across:
'.. the parts that fail are sent to the workshop and “fixed”. Then when they run the model out, all those parts are brought out from storage and fitted to new vehicles to clear the stores for the new model.'
Is it so or just an urban myth?
I was in the car manufacturing business for almost 30 years. It is true that there was a time when first year models had a large number of concerns. Thanks to computer technology that is no longer the case. Of course, there are duds that come along with any new model, but the overwhelming % of new models are as reliable as anything out there. You have to remember that cars are assembled to very close tolerances today. What used to be acceptable 5 years ago just won’t get it today, never mind the way it used to be 25 years ago.
Engine manufacturing tolerances are now measured in tiny microns, thus ensuring better fit and longer lasting components. Even assembly of the actual car body is light years ahead of how it used to be because computers can simulate assembly and snuff out problems before the vehicle ever gets to the production floor. All of this, plus a lot of auto manufacturers no longer shut down to retool for a new model. This used to take three months during which time any number of things would be missed, engineers incorrectly, or whatever all leasing to a poorly produced new model vehicle. Manufacturers have learned Honda’s secret new model change, which means as the last car of the preceding model year rolls down the line, the first car of the new model is right behind it.
As to your comment about parts that fail being fixed to be used at a later date, no way is that true. Every auto manufacturer is scared to death of incurring the cost of a recall for defective parts and they will scrap defective parts rather than fix them. Unless of course the fix brings the part back to the original level of safety, which rarely happens. Think about it, is it cheaper to pay for the labor to fix a part and risk failure, or use a new part that meets the specifications?
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