Christmas Shopping for a Car?

 

HALIFAX (Autorevu) - By now you've been blasted by annoying Christmas commercials from thousands of retailers. Maybe you've seen the annoying car commercials too. You know - those Lexus and Mercedes-Benz commercials that show ridiculous bows roped around cars costing almost eighty thousand dollars a piece.

My advice to anyone thinking about buying a new car during November/December is to not. Wait until January when dealers are anxiously trying to unload their over stocked car inventory. Do not, under any circumstance, buy a car from GM, Ford, or Chrysler until 2010. That way you are protected from buying a vehicle from a manufacturer that may go bankrupt in the next year. 

When car brands and manufacturers go bust, the resale value of those cars plummet at an astonishing rate. Unless you plan on keeping the vehicle for a long time ( > 6 years), then maybe you can buy a car AFTER the manufacturer goes bankrupt. You'll get great deals but it would be doubtful if anyone would be around to honor the manufacturers warranty. It's the risk you take when you buy a brand that is dead.

The smart money is on buying a used car, usually a Japanese brand. Although domestic cars are climbing in quality, they haven't reached the height yet of the Japanese competitors. Personally, if I am still gainfully employed in a few years (knock on wood!), I plan on purchasing a Honda vehicle. My own personal experience in owning and driving domestic vehicles which were crap, has poisoned my viewpoint on them.

I am still pissed that Ford can sell the Mondeo in Europe but all we get in North America is a piece of crap Focus. Save your money and put it in the bank during the next few months.