Vehicle Pricing/analysis Question

[Northendzone]

So we are looking at two vehicles (note i have only seen pics on the net of both vehicles) at two different dealerships - both are same make/model of 2008 and seem to be similarly equipped.

vehicle a is $30,000 and has 19,000 kms on it
vehicle b is $24,000 and has 45,000 kms on it

so assuming that both vehicles would pass an independent inspection with no major issues i am trying to rationalize if it is worth spending the extra $6,000 on vehicle a - on a per km basis the price difference works out to $0.23 per km. i was wondering if this is similar to the typical mileage charge on a lease.

vehicle a is at the top end of our budget and presumably we could get both dealers to move a similar amount on the price - but at the end of the day the gap between the two would still presumably be similar.

anyone else have any thoughts on how to analyze this?

it is kind of nice to shop for a vehicle from home.....

[pylon]

Leasing companies calculate mileage at about .12/km. I would go with the higher mileage car for the $6000 in savings. Especially if you are a really low mileage driver, eventually all the lower mileage cars will catch up to your odometer.

However, factor in what you are getting on remaining warranty. That will play into the equation too. If you cannot see yourself mileing the warranty out and simply timing it out, it is definitely worth taking the higher mileage car.

[Northendzone]

the warranty is clearly the wild card as it is hard to know if it would ultimately be worth anything.......

[pylon]

To purchase 25,000 kms worth of comprehensive factory warranty it would cost you $1500-2000 if that helps you any.

Look at it this way:

Lets say the car has an a 4 year 80k warranty, and you only drive 10k/yr. Your warranty in reality, is 4 years, 40,000 kms.

So if the 45,000 km car has 2 years and 35k warranty left, you still have the same warranty left for your purposes as the car with 19,000 kms on it which has 61,000 kms or 2 years left, if you are only driving 10,000 kms a year. Either way once it hits 4 years from in service, you are done.

[Fobulous]

I would definitely go with the cheaper option of the 2. At 45K km's you should still be in the "honeymoon" phase of he vehicle. Might as well save the $6000...

[ken0042]

45000 kms is still in the "low mileage" range for a 3 year old vehicle. I'd take that one for $6000 less.

[Northendzone]

thanks for the input fellas - i think we'll look closer at vehicle b......

for whatever reason i always feel like i should enjoy shopping for a vehicle, but i always find it to be a PITA......