What’s the Best Age for a Car When Purchasing Second Hand?

Business Insights
08/06/2022

If you find the right second-hand car that is in good condition and that fits your budget, then it doesn't really matter how old it is. Buying anything – used cars included – comes down to so many personal preferences and requirements that there is no 'perfect' age for them when they're sold as pre-owned. However, cars are a bit different from antiques, jewellery and musical instruments as second-hand commodities because all vehicles eventually come to the end of their working lives.


Unless you are talking about buying a vintage car which will necessarily involve a great deal of maintenance, cars tend to come to the end of their working lives between 14 and 16 years of age. Consequently, buying a car of this sort of age would only mean being able to run it for a couple of years at most before it became uneconomical to keep on the road. That's fine so long as the asking price reflects this fact, of course.


Cars that are only six months or so old are at the other end of the scale. They have an expected lifespan that is comparable with brand new cars so long as they haven't been involved in a collision. However, such cars tend to be few and far between on the used car market since most first owners will drive their chosen car for about two or three years at least before they sell them on. As such, they are often not much cheaper to purchase than new models.


Consequently, a car that's between two and three years of age is often considered to be the best in terms of both longevity and price. Once used cars get to about four, five or six years of age, they're not much cheaper than three-year-old models – depending on the mileage on the clock, of course. Cars that are only just ready for MOT inspections will have depreciated sufficiently such that buying them and then selling them on in a few years won't mean making a substantial loss. Also on the plus side is that they tend to be in good condition with both the mechanical parts and the internal upholstery looking nearly new. Second hand cars for sale are available at KAP Motors on great prices. There are many two and three year old cars to choose from. If you want to sell your car and buy a newer model, then now could be the right time before your current one loses any more value.