The next time you are going to be buying a vehicle, you might want to consider going to a used car dealership. While some people will tell you that buying a used car is just taking on someone else's problems, this is not true. Of course, if you are worried about getting a lemon, you should take a mechanic or someone knowledgeable about cars with you and get a warranty. Lemon laws and a warranty are what makes going to a dealership better than buying a car from a private person. Here are the advantages of buying used over buying new.

Price

It is a sad fact that once a new vehicle leaves the car lot, the value drops significantly. If you are like many people and trade out your cars roughly every six years, it is quite possible to buy two cars for the price of one. For example, if you buy a used car for $8,000 when a new one would have cost $16,000, you can buy your next car for another $8,000 and have spent the same amount for 12 years of ownership instead of only 6 years.  In addition,  your monthly car payments will be lower.

Insurance

The insurance on a new vehicle is going to be much more expensive than insurance on a used one. Even if you have a car loan for the car so you need to keep full coverage on it, the monthly premiums will be less. You would have to wait until it is time for another car again before the insurance rate of a new car is the same as a used one.

Warranty

When you buy a used car from a dealership, parts of it may still be under the original manufacturer's warranty. In addition, the dealer will generally offer you a short-term warranty, perhaps 90 to 180 days to drive the car and make sure there are no major problems with it. Finally, you can often purchase an extended warranty that will cover most of the vehicle for up to 100,000 miles. While this will cost you some money, it will still not be nearly as much as what you saved because you went with a used car.

Most vehicles manufactured within the last decade will easily last at least 12 years before they have any major problems unless you drive much more than average. Since the average new-car buyer trades it in every six years, the car has at least another good six years in it. Take advantage of the savings and buy the type of car you want instead of having to settle for a lesser vehicle because you can't afford to buy it new.