Why do people trade in brand new cars?
Posted by EvilDarkCow@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 376 comments
I tend to scroll Carmax sometimes, mostly just to look at stuff. And something I've been seeing a lot of lately, are brand new 2026 cars with under 1000 miles - sometimes only a few hundred - have already been traded and are now being sold used.
What drives someone to buy a brand new car, then turn around and trade it after seemingly only driving it for a month? Especially at a place like Carmax that only sells used cars? Spouse said "no"? Realized after signing the papers they can't actually afford the payments? Just a shitbox?
FreeButtPatts@reddit
I currently work at CarMax buying in cars! The biggest reason I see people sell a brand new car is just because they're leaving the country honestly. Other reasons though are something like a death in the family, can't afford it, or didn't like it and they missed the return window.
yes_ipsa_loquitur@reddit
Any red flags to know about buying from Carmax?
Justin119@reddit
Overpriced cars, lowball trade in offers and cars near major repair timelines
inferno686868@reddit
This is definitely true for most cars but they just offered me the same amount for my car that I paid for it last year, after I drove 10k miles on it. Now I’m in the market for a new car lol
__slamallama__@reddit
Absolutely cannot confirm. I have NO IDEA how they make money but both times I've sold to them they paid 30-70% more than a dealer trade in offer and did so with zero hassle. They basically matched the fair market private sale number.
I have not and would not buy a car from them (maybe with a very long and comprehensive warranty...) but for selling cars they have treated me VERY WELL
alansdaman@reddit
Dealers brag about “beating your carmax offer” But they can only do it by like 50$ because carmax actually offers an aggressive amount and they know what it brings at auction and exactly what to pay to still make some money. There isn’t much room to “beat” them.
A-Giant-Blue-Moose@reddit
Same for me. My car started falling apart and I decided to daily my weekend warrior instead. I was honest and they gave me more than I expected.
HottDoggers@reddit
I heard CarMax gives out the best offers for trade-ins
Jealous-Ad8777@reddit
All of that is untrue lol, and CarMax warranties their vehicles through them AND the dealer
NotPromKing@reddit
My trade-in offer from Carmax was 15% higher than the next best offer.
Are they overpriced when buying? Maybe, maybe not. But I know I'm never buying from a traditional dealership again, they're just awful to work with, so I'm OK paying a premium for a better experience.
ajd198204@reddit
I was flipping cars from auctions for a bit. Carmax was the best no bullshit stick by their offer to buy your car compared to any other dealership. As long us you're upfront with the cars ACTUAL condition they stick by their offer and cut you a check right there when you bring the car in. Actually had one they under offered me because I had told them the wrong trim level. When they got it ans saw it was an actual higher trim level, they paid me more than original offer. I wouldn't have known had they not brought it to my attention.
GoBlueBeatOSU21@reddit
The biggest red flag is you're going to overpay significantly.
peppermintpattymills@reddit
I mean basically you pay a premium to not have to deal with shady dealerships or dumbass fb marketplace randos.
sharkieshadooontt@reddit
Last 2 cars were bought at Carmax, and i dont think ill ever buy anywhere else. I literally have ZERO interest haggling and spending 3 days all so a guy doing what i can do on an app in 30 seconds can make a commission.
If im paying a little more ($1-2K) not to deal with that experience then ill 100% do so. Also, they beat my best offwr trade in by $3K and $6K the last times
FreeButtPatts@reddit
Any vehicle priced under $15k is usually a pile of junk even with the warranty. The warranty is like the most comprehensive around and usually at a really great price (aside from any German car). Also, the call center can be so very unhelpful most of the time so try to get in touch with the actual store you're shopping at.
Sketch2029@reddit
Their warranty used to be absurdly good, but apparently Doug DeMuro taught them a lesson with his Land Rover and they're not nearly as good as they used to be. I have a friend who bought a car through CarMax and has had a lot of problems with getting warranty service done.
PurdueGuvna@reddit
Carmax offered me $5k for a car I sold an hour later for $10k. Do your research and be prepared to walk.
_Elduder@reddit
I bought once from them and I have no complaints. My trade in had to be towed in and they have me more than scrap and the van I bought was great
OUEngineer17@reddit
The "didn't like it" people are the most interesting to me. I think there must be a decent number of people out there with good salaries that are susceptible to being talked into cars that aren't the right fit by salesmen.
Jon66238@reddit
I never believed people who trade in cars so soon, but I’ve seen an uptick in people bouncing between the newest iPhones all year (iphone 17 pro, to air, to pro max, etc) and it makes all too much sense now. Some people just have f-u money.
JSTootell@reddit
There are a lot of people out there with a lot of money.
Expert_Decision5459@reddit
I bought a new car and thought I liked it until I drove it a few months. I don't find it comfortable on my long drives (live an hour outside the city) and overtime it felt too dark inside. I paid less than it is worth so I have driven it for free (including TTL). I bought something I loved previously bevqud3
ThunderNinja69@reddit
Honest question for you: why is Carmax paying people so much more for their cars than dealers?
FreeButtPatts@reddit
My honest answer is that I really don't know. My more educated guess answer that I tell customers is that CarMax has such a large inventory across the nation that it's easy to keep eye on what similar cars are selling for, whether that be at auction or a "front lot" car. If you're coming in to sell your 2020 Ford Edge and 50 of them were sold last month across the company, they know it will sell quickly and is worth the investment. They also have one of the largest used car auctions in the nation so they've got a really good grip on even the daily car market.
BaldursFence3800@reddit
But Reddit just thinks they are ALL from people who were too poor to own the car to begin with! Get outta here!
deerhuntingdude@reddit
That's actually a really good point. When my FIL passed, he had an almost new Highlander. The poor guy was on one year into retirement. My MIL knew that she didn't need a second Highlander (she had one also) so she sold it
Javier1019@reddit
I had a friend trade in cars cause he wrote it off in his taxes for his business
enorl76@reddit
Taking losses because you can write off in taxes is really pretty dumb.
Ok-Attempt2842@reddit
Sometimes they quickly realize they can't afford it.
Spudtater@reddit
Yes, I bought a 2015 Lexus GX 350 AWD FSport that was 12 months pre-owned with about 9K on it for about $40K. Sticker was originally close to $60K. This was all pre Covid, of course. The original owner had leased it and couldn’t afford the payments. It was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. My daughter has it now
ku_78@reddit
I just bought my 2nd repo.
josh_moworld@reddit
Where do you find these amazing repo deals
ajd198204@reddit
Repos aint always amazing. I transport autos for a living and do a lot of repos back to dealerships. Just moved a 2017 Range Rover with 51K on the odometer yesterday until I started it. Sounded like the engine was going to explode. You could tell the owners stopped giving a shit about it with trash inside and the engine knocking. This one was going back to Carmax. The salesman said they don't resell Repos but I wonder. Always do your due diligence. People can be trashy with cars when they know it's up for Repo.
Realistic-Proposal16@reddit
LOW OIL- NO OIL- cheap assholes who lease or SIMPLY DO NOT give a shit often don’t CHECK OIL LEVELS or change oil on cars. Self service has stations and New Jersey they do your gas and ENGINES blow-out , timing chains and engine items fail catastrophically. I know own 12 cars and my 2016 Range Rover sport V8 — engine required replacement $25000K
peppermintpattymills@reddit
I’d guess Carmax doesn’t sell true POS cars because they all have a 30 day warranty. If it were on its last legs then Carmax might get crushed by selling it then something grenades on it
jccaclimber@reddit
I have zero specific knowledge, but it’s possible they just offload all of the repos at the local Manheim auction or something like that.
AudieCowboy@reddit
The problem is, most people won't stop making payments on a good car, they stop making payments when the car breaks, so it's already got something wrong with it when it gets repod
AgreeableMoose@reddit
If the owner ain’t making payments the cheapest gas available goes in the vehicle. That engine is toast.
Hoovie_Doovie@reddit
Cheap gas won't cause an engine knock. Only pre-ignition. Usually not bad enough to cause an actual engine knock. The cpu can compensate.
They probably still had the original engine break in oil still in the sump.
No_Constant6585@reddit
Depends on the car. You put 87 in a corvette and that hoe gonna start plug knocking. (Not real knocking that is. But to the average person they might say it’s a normal knock)
AgreeableMoose@reddit
Got stuck once and had to put 87 in my 7 Series and it ran horribly. They say use high octane for a reason.
Hoovie_Doovie@reddit
Maybe I have more faith in the knowledge of a repo man knowing the difference between a spark knock and engine knock but I think in this situation it'd not be due to 87 octane.
Most situations, really. When it comes to modern cars the computer can compensate and all you'll notice is reduced power and mpg.
CommonBubba@reddit
If an engine is knocking at idle or when pulled on a transport vehicle, it’s not preignition. It likely a rod or main bearing issue. Many times people don’t do any maintenance, including checking the oil or antifreeze, if they know the car is being repossessed.
sadChemE@reddit
Accurate. Over here with a kia putting ethanol free in because I can afford to. Had a grandma putting E85 in an older vehicle just making it run like a hot mess she couldn't understand why it ran fine for everyone else when they filled it up 🙃
ku_78@reddit
First one was just from a dealer many moons ago. Zero issues with the car.
The current one I bought at CarMax. Previous owner took immaculate care of it. I had my mechanic inspect it during the 10 day return period and he told me the car checked out great.
Spudtater@reddit
My Lexus GS was actually returned to the dealer by the original person who leased it. They ended up with a several year old Blazer that they could afford payments on, but they had to have taken a big financial hit by turning in the lease within a year.
Sig-vicous@reddit
The suburbs.
JusticeoftheCuse@reddit
Off marketplace or something?
ku_78@reddit
Dealerships. People sometimes just give the car back. They lose their job or something else happens and they need to offload it.
Ornery_Special_6642@reddit
You must’ve meant Gs350, very nice car. 🔥
Spudtater@reddit
Thanks, that is what I meant, I now have a GX.
Head_Phase57@reddit
Got a GX 460 and a GS 350 in my garage too.
Spudtater@reddit
Two fabulous, comfortable and reliable vehicles. My GS would go through an amazing amount of snow with just all weather tires on it. But God, I loved firing that thing up. All the shit would hit the fan with the seat, rear view mirrors steering wheel, dipping headlights and even the rear sunshade if I had it on. My GX does pretty much the same, but the cockpit of the GX was special. I had to replace the rear spoiler and they listed for over a grand because it was an FSport. I got one from North Scottsdale Lexus at a substantial discount and put the damn thing on myself. It was bolted on with 7 or 9 bolts, extreme overkill. But I do miss that car!
Beginning_Opinion618@reddit
Car like that might be someone that does 1 year leases.
Spudtater@reddit
The salesperson gave me the story. But I didn't know you could make a 1 year lease. The depreciation must be brutal for those.
_-ShouldBeWorking-_@reddit
They never made a GX 350. You mean GS 350? Lucky girl, either way, and great parent!
Spudtater@reddit
Yes, thanks for the correction.
mr802rex@reddit
That's something anyone with more than a 20 IQ would know BEFORE signing up for the massive debt.
Sklibba@reddit
I mean, some people really are stupid enough to take on an auto loan they can’t afford, and some people’s circumstances change. Job loss, a major medical event, an unexpected pregnancy, a lawsuit…these things could all make a person decide to trade in a brand new car and get something with a lower cost of ownership.
GrimesvsHumanity@reddit
They typically are situations where a customer realizes it doesn’t meet their needs like they thought it would. One time we had someone who didn’t like the seats and another when the car didn’t have the wiring harness needed to install a hitch
dumpin-on-time@reddit
or someone decides for them
rudbri93@reddit
some of those cars like that were used as loaners by the dealer.
solracer@reddit
Or salesman demos.
Yerriff@reddit
Demos aren’t titled and therefore are sold as new, just usually with an extra discount to account for the miles.
Swamp_Hawk_420@reddit
Same goes for loaners too
ArchStantonsNeighbor@reddit
I bought a loaner and it was considered used because it was titled to the dealer.
Swamp_Hawk_420@reddit
Mine was titled as new
Front-Mall9891@reddit
U got ripped off, if it had a plate as a loaner it was titled and should have been sold as used, even if it only had 100 miles
DoubleNaught_Spy@reddit
Same
austinh1999@reddit
Usually not. Dealers typically have loaner programs and those vehicles are registered as fleet vehicles.
SRQmoviemaker@reddit
Our loaners are tagged and titled and sold as used.
THEJonCabbage@reddit
My dealer loaner Mazda was sold as used 🤷🏼♀️
Forsaken-Sea6390@reddit
Bought a 2018 gmc loaner and it sold used
Hodyhodyhodyho@reddit
Loaners are titled
wheels_N_deals@reddit
Vehicle registration requirements for loaners vary by state, but most require them to be registered as a sold vehicle to the dealer. Dealer employee demos, while not needing to be titled and registered, do need to be disclosed as such to consumers.
Swamp_Hawk_420@reddit
Mine was titled as new, this was in Texas.
builtbysavages@reddit
Mine was CPO.
regal-bagel@reddit
Some buyers prefer it to be used to gain the extra CPO warranty vs new with new warranty
TheKiddIncident@reddit
Just bought a super low mileage “used” car (in California). It was titled to the dealer and sold as a used car to me. 1,300 miles on it.
Loaners usually have more miles according to the dealership I bought mine from. Not sure what happened to mine. The theory on mine is that it “got lost” on the back lot.
psyco75@reddit
We bought a loaner subaru, and it was sold as used. We got it just a few months after it was brand new.
Background-Job-3629@reddit
I just bought a Lariat 6.7 with 3900 miles and the 100k warranty expires at 103900
Ornery_Ads@reddit
Maybe...sometimes....
Manufacturer demos (press cars) are often registered to the manufacturer, then sold as used.
Dealer demos (car used for the majority of test drives) are often driven on a dealer plate and sold as new.
Vinifera1978@reddit
The situation varies but ex-demos are often wholesaled so they have already been titled
vandangooo@reddit
Demos are registered (and titled) to the dealer, at least in my state
1Etre@reddit
And the worst part is that demos mostly have been abused with the engine still cold, far from new id say
builtbysavages@reddit
They are most often sold as CPO.
squarebody8675@reddit
That’s illegal
BreakFun2436@reddit
Or buy backs and junk
MagnusAlbusPater@reddit
Those wouldn’t show up at Carmax. Loaners and demos are still considered new cars since they’ve never been titled even if they have miles.
Past-Option2702@reddit
Some manufacturers force dealers to register loaners. Mercedes and Porsche definitely do. There might be others.
Avalanche325@reddit
I have a Porsche loaner. I am the first registered owner. I got the factory warranty starting on my purchase date plus 2 years as a CPO.
Past-Option2702@reddit
If you’re in USA, that’s not the point. Yes, you are technically the “first owner” and yes you get 2 years CPO but you didn’t get all of the original 4 years of manufacturers warranty too (check your CPO paperwork or the Carfax for the date the dealer titled it). Regarding the 4yr/50,000 warranty, you received what remained of it since the dealer registered it with the state in order to put it into use as a loaner. Porsche demands that of all US dealers.
The dealers CPO inspection almost certainly counted as the “first free service” too. You won’t get a free service for your first visit.
Saunteringpunk@reddit
Pretty sure Acura does as well. Just bought a 2025 with 900 miles on it that was listed as used. Was transferred from one dealership to another and then sold to me
kenneth_dart@reddit
Also Mercedes and Porsche can still lease these used cars because they weren't owned by anyone yet. I wonder if other Makes do that.
bardockOdogma@reddit
Depends on the state
Australian_PM_Brady@reddit
Not always. I bought an Audi A4 that was a loaner and it was Certified Used.
DeFiClark@reddit
Depends on state.
Head_Childhood_2077@reddit
All of the Subarus in Colorado are registered while being used as loaners.
Hypnotist30@reddit
It's probably state specific. In my state, you can drive on a COO with a dealer tag.
il_vincitore@reddit
I got a nice discount on a car that was a loaner. It may have had a few hard miles when it was proper new, but it was pretty good for price.
CeC-P@reddit
Why don't they loan a 5-10 year old car? They literally have mechanics on payroll to make sure it's drivable. This seems like a terrible idea to use a brand new car as a loaner.
ChromiumSilk@reddit
It's a marketing, sales, and customer service tactic. Customers don't want a 10 year old car as a loaner, especially when they drop off their brand new car for service. It also gives the dealer an opportunity to market a customers next car to them. It also makes the customer feel cared about. They probably have ways of writing off whatever they end up losing value-wise in the process.
It's all part of the image... BMW would have a much different image if, when a customer dropped off their 2026 5 series and got a 2016 320 that broke down on them, rather than getting a brand new i4 to cruise around in...
dfrlnz@reddit
People saying this is not true are sometimes right. Other times, the car became a loaner because it sat for too long unsold. using as a loaner and sending to auction as used car, instead of discounting heavily is how they move some old inventory. Put big discounts on 1 car then everyone wants big discounts on all the cars. Now if they have too much old inventory then they need discounts.
No_South_9912@reddit
For some reason dealers would rather wholesale vs giving the retail buyer the same price.
redditorrrrrrrrrrrr@reddit
Just like the other guy said. You give one person a fat discount of 10,000+ and all of a sudden the word of mouth spreads and everyone comes in expecting the same deal or they get upset and cause problems.
Literally better to wholesale it via auction than sell at such a lost to customers and mess up other sales.
No_South_9912@reddit
Don't you want customers spreading the word they got a good deal? So many say they get great deals w/o showing the buyers orders. The excellent deal the other customer got was on a completely different used car.
Also gives opportunity to make back end money.
redditorrrrrrrrrrrr@reddit
There's a difference between a customer saying they got a good/great deal and a customer saying they fleeced and robbed you. One is good for business while the other is unsustainable.
Backend money can be made either way. every finance company ever will add gap+warranty to help protect their asset while payments are being made. Holds no major weight in this conversation.
No_South_9912@reddit
So auctioning at a $10k loss vs selling retail at a $5k loss with an opportunity for back end to cover some of the $5k loss is a better option for the dealer?
redditorrrrrrrrrrrr@reddit
No becuase the reality in this situation is selling at a 10k loss vs auctioning it to another dealer for a 10k loss.
We're not talking about rebates and a few thousand off. When it gets to the point of this large of a discount it's better to sell it to a dealer who understands most will retail higher.
No_South_9912@reddit
Listing a car online at 5% cheaper than competition would move the car, unless there's something wrong with it.
loveland_wasteland@reddit
Some people don't check the cost of insurance before buying the car. I've heard of folks where the monthly insurance is as much as the loan payment.
Brief-First@reddit
Not super low miles, but I just bought a Rav4 with 40k miles on, the first owner owned it for 4 years, the 2nd owner (not including the dealerships) had it for 6 month, got into a minor fender bender (the paperwork was in the car, it seriously only needed a bumper due to a scratch) then traded it back in.
polishrocket@reddit
So back in the day, my dad used to work for GM. He’d get a brand new car every 3-4 months, put up 1,000 or so miles then pull it from him and hand him keys to a new car. Not sure how they classified these cars back then but they were virtually brand new
DoubleResponsible276@reddit
Kinda a crazy thing but I’ve come across people whose parents would buy them a new car simply cause the light bulb from a headlight went out.
My dad’s boss would buy his wife, not lease, buy a car for her every six-ish months. Trade in the old and she gets the new car. Would not be crazy if she didn’t like the new one and traded in again for a different new car.
People with money can get away with stuff like that, but people without money can still make dumb financial decisions.
FreshCords@reddit
I’ve come across people like this too. Guy had a new Mercedes and got a flat tire. He went a got a new Mercedes because the old one was damaged goods in his mind.
DoubleResponsible276@reddit
I’m waiting to meet someone that thinks low on gas means the engines fucked
Parkview_Josh@reddit
Not in the same financial scope, but I knew a guy who tossed a weed trimmer because it ran out of string.
DoubleResponsible276@reddit
Now this has my attention. Would his trimmer come preloaded or would he put the string on and then assume that was it?
Dwayne_Shrok_Johnson@reddit
mine came pre-loaded, so i assume that maybe his did too
Carstuff392@reddit
I’ve done that also. But I picked it back up, loaded it with string and finished the job lol.
Parkview_Josh@reddit
hahaha. Fair.
Sketch2029@reddit
Once EVs become more common than gas cars I can totally see it happening.
inredditorbit@reddit
My partner used to joke that I’d get a new car whenever the windshield washed fluid ran out.
streetcar-cin@reddit
Steve Jobs would buy new car every six months as that is when permanent plates were required
AdministrativeFly157@reddit
Hope to get this level of wealth one day. Still wouldn't do that but it would be nice to know that I can!
gerdude1@reddit
Dotcom boom in the late 90’s. Had a colleague who’s husband made it big with options. She showed up every month with a new car. One day I am driving to the office and try to pull into the garage. She just pulled in ahead of me in a Hummer (H1) and it was 45 minutes before I was able to park, because she couldn’t navigate the gigantic car through the parking garage.
1_21-gigawatts@reddit
The military version H1, not the H2 that looks like a stretched and lifted Suburban? (But actually isn’t)
Vegetable-Effort-726@reddit
I’m a master technician. My mother bought a 45k suv because her old perfect one had a brake light out….
niccotaglia@reddit
Loaner or test drive cars.
Horizon2217@reddit
Those are usually dealer cars. You know the ones used for testing drives and promos. So they're pretty much new.
silvercurls17@reddit
Uncomfortable seats or ride. It might feel ok on a test drive but a road trip or a long daily commute will amplify that.
JP147@reddit
Are uncomfortable seats not just standard in all modern cars? I have never worked out how to properly sit in a seat with the forward leaning headrest without removing it or turning it backwards.
SkyWatcher530@reddit
I used to think the seats on my 5th gen Camaro were very comfortable compared to other cars. Not sure if you’d consider that modern enough though.
rmill127@reddit
Interesting you say that. My parents Buick has the headrests so far forward I feel like I’m hunched over.
Meanwhile in my GMC I could nearly wear a hat backwards there’s so much room.
FarewellAndroid@reddit
The headrest should contact the back of your head at about ear height. If that happens you won’t notice the angle of the headrest
JP147@reddit
That can work if I am badly slouching or if my back doesn’t touch the back rest of the seat at all
minatomiraiyankee@reddit
Blame FMVSS 202a
JP147@reddit
They have out-safetied themselves with this one.
Surely all the people removing and flipping the headrests because they are too uncomfortable is more harmful than having a slightly more vertical headrest.
MrPogoUK@reddit
We had a Mercedes A180 as a hire car a couple of months ago and although the seats could be adjust in about ten different ways I couldn’t find a position that didn’t give me a back ache after 20 minutes in the two weeks we had it. If that had been a purchase I’d definitely have needed to get rid of it
Tuna_Finger@reddit
Repos?
RobsHereAgain@reddit
Some cars are sold and the dealer sends it before the financing is fully secured. When the dealer can’t get the loan funded it comes back
madryan@reddit
I bought a Gen 3 Tacoma and stupidly got the auto transmission. Had it for 6 months and just couldn't deal with it anymore. Sold it for almost what I paid and bought another Tacoma with the MT.
The automatic in the Gen 3 was just absolute crap. I've always owned manual rigs but I've driven tons of autos and this thing was constantly hunting for gears. It was always in the wrong gear too and it took forever to shift down when you needed to get going. You'd be sitting in the turn lane waiting for traffic to clear, you'd get a window and hit the gas and between the fly-by-wire bullshit ECU and the Transmission it'd take a small eternity for the truck to get its shit together.
I couldn't wait to get rid of that thing.
rockgodtobe@reddit
I did it once. I traded a 2011 Civic for a 2012 Civic. I went from an LX to EX package (upgrade) got a lower interest rate, and lower monthly payment.
It worked out well all around for me.
news247120@reddit
What was the difference in the total price between the two cars? I get the lower interest rate, lower monthly payment, but the main thing missing is the price of the car.
rockgodtobe@reddit
To be honest I really don’t remember.
Educational-Song6351@reddit
This… its more common newer model comes out with incentives making it worth it
news247120@reddit
I don't understand how people can be upside down on a car, trade it in and go further into debt. It is wild the decisions many people make. I'm over here with an 871 FICO score and asking Chat GPT about which credit union offers the lowest interest rate on cars and still driving a reliable used older car I have owned outright for 10+ years.
I know America relies on debt but damn. A lot of people just want to do what the easiest thing is, which is go into a dealership, sign a bunch of paperwork and drive out with a brand new car. Meanwhile, they didn't do any research on the financing of the car they bought and got taken to the cleaners.
Small-Studio@reddit
Traded up/down or simply wanted a different car
Purple-Sister3971@reddit
I know a guy who trades in and buys brand new every 3-4 months. Dude needs therapy but buys vehicles instead.
Badassmamajama@reddit
Didn’t Steve Jobs trade in his car when it was time to put plates on it.
news247120@reddit
Yes he did. It was a Mercedes he traded in.
ysfex3@reddit
Changes in circumstance
bazilbt@reddit
Sometimes financing falls through. Some times they let you take it off the lot without form financing then tell the customer it's going to cost whatever and they return it instead.
showersneakers@reddit
We love sub 20k vehicles- effectively new- many monies less.
MurkyTrainer7953@reddit
Sometimes they can’t afford it. Sometimes they can afford everything.
Even-Further@reddit
Repos. People going above their means.
peppermintpattymills@reddit
oof. buyer just lost their down payment for nothing.
VegetableConsistent6@reddit
Because I hated my Lincoln nautilus
robinson217@reddit
I used to sell new and used cars. A lot of these are corporate lease returns. IE, an executive is supervising a project being built in some random city. Company leases them a brand new car through Enterprise or something like that for 3-6 months and x miles. Project wraps, and the car they picked doesn't fit the daily rental mold, so off to auction it goes.
Coolbrazz@reddit
Some have buyer's remorse, and some may have some life changing event that they have to give up the car.
Shibil25@reddit
Unpopular but quite a few people have quite a bit of money. They can afford cars and don't care because they have money in a plethora of savings, trusts or the multiple ways you can make money.
Gunk_Olgidar@reddit
Buybacks. People who can't afford the payments, short-term use vehicles for sporting events, etc.
baminblack@reddit
Buyer’s Remorse is diabolical.
lornetc@reddit
99% of the time theyre dealer lot-damaged vehicles, loaners, or demos.
squirrel8296@reddit
Oftentimes those were dealership loaners or the dealership's floor plan loan was called up by the bank and they couldn't afford it so they offloaded some of their new cars to auction and CarMax bought them.
Booyahshakeit1@reddit
Because people by a car and after realize they bought something they cannot afford or right after they buy it they lose their jobs and trade down to lower their car payment..hence their brand new car sitting on a lot somewhere for sale again
BlksnshN80@reddit
Be aware of buy back lots. It is the vehicles the manufacturer has to buy back because they are a lemon. The dealer "fixes" the issues and resell them.
Nev-Ret-Dude@reddit
Found my wife sitting on the curb crying because she couldn’t see her car in the parking lot. Lots of silver cars. She didn’t remember where it was parked. Traded it for a bright blue one. Same model and trim. No trouble after that.
ryguymcsly@reddit
People like my ex's dad exist, who bought a brand new Ford Mustang and drove it twice. Then he went on a two month business trip out of the country, came home, got in the Mustang and realized he hated it. It was too late to return it. He tried to trade it in when he went to buy the Porsche he ended up keeping but they gave him better financing options with cash instead of a trade-in so he just paid it off and gave it to my ex as an early college graduation present.
Still, for most people like that semi-rich lawyer type guy, they would have just traded it in and ate the difference. In a certain wealth bracket you can just shrug off a few grand worth of bad decisions. Probably less than that dude was spending on blow a month.
Ok-Yogurtcloset8344@reddit
I bought a new Accord a few months ago as I prepped to start a new 40 mile (one way) work commute, keeping my old Subaru as the dirty bike, camping, and lumber hauler. Two weeks ago, Subaru kicked the bucket unexpectedly. Now I have nothing to do the dirty and heavy stuff with, which is most of my free time life (woodworking, outdoor activities, sports, etc.). Along with that, I found a ride share that takes me to work for a fraction of the cost of fuel, maintenance, and depreciation and I hardly drive it.
I now only have a car that doesn’t fit my lifestyle at all, and even though I would take a decent financial hit, there are 50+ vehicles that fit my lifestyle better sitting on the Carmax lot. And I am very, very tempted to take the loss to get the perfect fit (that is likely to stay the perfect fit for a while at this point). I am so frustrated that all of this mess didn’t happen three months ago before I bought the Honda, but life is just that unpredictable sometimes.
jordyb3231@reddit
Garrantee we will see a heap of EV with the same treatment once people realise the Chinese branded EVs are incredibly cheap for a reason
CompetitionFalse3620@reddit
I'm in the car business and I can tell you dome people make the mistake of not test driving the car. I have seen people return cars that were brand new and it ends up costing them thousands of dollars.
deysg@reddit
Repossession or voluntary surrender when someone looses income.
welldressedpepe@reddit
I mean, buyers remorse is strong sometimes. When I was selling cars for living in the past, I’ve sold a brand new car and the next day the dude comes back, takes a $9k hit just to swap his silver car to same car in black.
PaleontologistShot25@reddit
I bought a used Wrangler once with 500 miles on it. I was told by the dealer it was a “spouse said no” situation because it was a manual transmission.
Substantial-Comb-148@reddit
Gezz,The games just to make an extra buck on new and used cars.
rayrayrayray@reddit
Life happens. Repos also.
TiFist@reddit
Don't question, just benefit from whatever situation led up to that point.
In my three very low mileage purchases used:
Used by employee at the factory (not a dealer loaner) and never titled. Entered into dealer's used network.
By all appearances, rich parents bought a brand new car for their kid. Their kid threw a shit fit over having a car that's not prestigious enough (the story I tell myself anyway). Almost no mileage but traded in to a Porsche dealer that was 50% of the mileage away from where it was purchased.
COVID-19 up-ended original buyer's plans.
JerryRiceOfOhio2@reddit
I've seen people buy cars that they think they can turn around and resell for a profit.
streetcar-cin@reddit
Friend of my dad bought car because it looked cool. A couple of months traded it in because he hated how the car drove. He was retired with lots of money
highnotefan@reddit
I once bought a 1980 Honda Civic brand new and traded it 6 months later for a VW Scirocco. Civic was just TOO SMALL, and it didn't have air conditioning to boot. Nice cat, but very uncomfortable.
tidyshark12@reddit
They don't like them or were told they are getting a "special deal" bc their vehicle is "in demand" right now.
SgSheppard@reddit
Thought i really wanted a 25 Camry hybrid, thought wrong after 8 months and 17k miles. Sold it for a 25 Type R.
Secret-Function-2972@reddit
More than a 1000 miles, but in 2013 we purchased a used 2013 Nissan Altima with 8,600 miles. The people who bought it found out they were going to become grandparents right after purchase and traded it in on a larger vehicle.
Still have that Altima 3 drivers and 231k miles later.
Useless_Leader@reddit
Carmax is the place to go to trade in leased cars. Sometimes its worth more than what it would cost to transition to purchasing the leased car. Plus with a tax incentive, people trade in for a nicer vehicle. Worked at Carmax for a year, thats what I saw
StuffIanWrote@reddit
My Stepfather passed away months after buying a new Toyota Tundra. It was sold back to the dealership it was bought from before it even had an oil change.
So there’s one reason an almost new one will be in the used lot. Just needed an owner.
Charming_Intention_7@reddit
Salesman talked up something you didn't want
Cheap-Can-1085@reddit
They owner realizes they don't actually like the car or too many weird issue. Or life happens and they need something else.
TheRealestJG@reddit
Because I’m addicted to cars. Mainly sports cars
Triumphrider865@reddit
Many strange reasons, back in 99 my dad bought an Accord with 3k on it. The first owner bought it, drove it from the east coast to the west coast, and traded it in.
Naerven@reddit
Short term leases, dealer loaner vehicles, and hail damage can account for most of them.
Bwana60@reddit
Repo's?
New_Breadfruit8692@reddit
Sounds like rentals that are overstock at rental companies, trying to get rid of too much inventory.
thisaintparadise@reddit
Some might be repos. Some are fleet units that are dumped early for one reason or another.
imapepper81@reddit
My mom benefitted from a situation like this. A Ford dealership sold a brand new Escape to an older lady. Two months later she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and had to surrender her license. Her kids used the car to take her to doctor’s appointments at first, but decided it would be better to not have to worry about that payment. They sold it back to the dealer, and my mom wound up with a basically brand new car with only 2500 miles at a used car price. This was right before the pandemic hit, and she was able to get that car for around $15,000.
There are lots of reasons that low mileage new(ish) cars hit the used car market.
Vinifera1978@reddit
Ex-Factory fleet car demos, or for the luxury cars, they are sell-offs for tax avoidance strategies
Beginning_Key2167@reddit
My dad bought a new car once in the 90’s. He liked it when he test drove it.
He quickly hated the drivers seat. Comfortable for short drives. But he found the seats terribly uncomfortable for longer drives.
He traded it in with about 3000 miles.
stale_cum@reddit
I had a 2023 Ford Ranger that I absolutely hated and traded in after 6 months of ownership. There were so many issues with the truck from the factory, including hard shifts. It turns out the 10r80 transmission was plagued with problems that resulted in failures.
I'm so much happy with the Frontier that I purchased with the Ranger trade in.
overcatastrophe@reddit
In 2020 and 2021 it happened a lot because used car prices were crazy, so if you could buy for a good price from a dealer you could drive it straight to carmax a d make 10-20 grand in an afternoon.
Psyko_sissy23@reddit
Many years ago, I lucked out. I was looking for a new car. I found about a month old car with less than 2,000 miles on it for a really good deal. It was a manual transmission. The person who owned it injured their shoulder badly and couldn't drive a stick shift for a long while.
Forsaken-Sea6390@reddit
They might sell the cars to other dealers before the 1 year mark. Because they have to pay taxes on them then.
Malarkey5150@reddit
Could be fleet cars from Enterprise or another car rental place.
Ryfhoff@reddit
$
Bromatoast@reddit
Idk but I got my 2022 cx30 in early 2023 with 1.3k miles for about 8-10 grand cheaper than brand new.
So I appreciate it.
Woekie_Overlord@reddit
The one we bought was bought back by the dealer after an elderly couple just couldn’t get used to all the modern bells and whistles and driver aid systems. (Yes I independently verified ownership). With 2000km on the odometer and 4 months old it was a good deal.
funcentric@reddit
People already buy more than they can afford but Tesla made more people stretch their budget that much more just to be cool and impress people they don’t know with money they don’t have. The finally realized that. Don’t be that guy. Buy within your means. That means if you finance, don’t take 7 years to do it. If you can’t finance a car in 4 years, you can’t afford it and there’s no shame in that. Remember, it’s about the long game. As you get older, cars will matter less and less. Young people including myself back in the day will equate a car with their identity which I later realized couldn’t be more sad. If you don’t have any substance to identify yourself beyond a material possession, you have a lot to work on.
Remarkable_Ad5011@reddit
Idk, but I’ve literally taken in trades with less than 1000 miles many times over the years I’ve sold cars.
cookie-ninja@reddit
Some people get bored of their cars really quickly
Radknight11@reddit
Exactly. The thrill of researching and hunting for a new car consumes certain people (like old me). Once you buy it, the dopamine rush and the idea, subsides and you have to live with the thing and it's kinda anticlimactic....so you can't wait to start all over again
Been buying and selling cars every three years for the past 20 years and I'm actually over it.
ImplementLogical4130@reddit
With today's throwaway cars? Maybe in the 90s or early 2000s, for me at least.
safety3rd@reddit
When did you buy your most recent car?
Radknight11@reddit
My latest car, a Mazda CX-60 is nearly 3 years old and only 19000kms on it.
In September I'm thinking of selling it and getting a 2015 Hilux t keep things really simple
Ambitious-Ocelot8036@reddit
I used to tint cars. I thought people bought cars and kept them for a few years at least. I had customers that liked buying new, doing some customization and then doing it again in 6 months with a different car.
GigaChav@reddit
Fact: nobody owns brand new cars except for dealerships.
Reasonable_Shine_841@reddit
Loaners. My dealership had my car for 6 months and ended up buying it back. Over that time they had me in loaners and I had to make sure to return them when I got close to 1000 miles. Later they would be listed as used. Be careful of them though. The car I originally bought sa loaner.
Second one was people who got in over their heads trading down to something cheaper
cvanmovieman@reddit
A toyota dealer told me if a car on their lot reaches 1000 miles, they have to mark it as used.
BadBlood_1989@reddit
Sometimes they just hate the car after buying it. For example I bought a new Corolla last year and I can't wait to get something else. It looked nice on the lot but you don't truly know if you like a car until you drive it for a few weeks.
AlbatrossSea6726@reddit
fightnight14@reddit
They buy a new car and later on realize that auto insurance is high. Got rid of it after a few thousand miles/6 months later.
Leading_Ad5674@reddit
I traded in a 2026 Corolla hybrid in 3 months. Bought it new because it was the cheapest most reliable car for the mission I had. I didn’t especially like it when I bought it but it did what I wanted. I got promoted, changed job locations and traded it in for $250 less than I paid and bought a Lexus I should have bought in the first place.
Accurate-Flamingo-16@reddit
The dealers have quotas tonbeat every month, sonthey need to buy certain numbers from the branda, if they are having a hard time selling new ones they can pull this loaner demo thing witha discount that the customer will know the car isnt new but feels like new with a good price of you know what i mean
mr802rex@reddit
Because people are stupid and love giving away 25% of the vehicles value for no reason and getting backwards on deals. Its never a good reason. 'It doesnt ride ad nice as I wanted' well you test drove the thing and liked it a week ago. I always tell people if you HAVE to for some stupid reason have a new car, buy a 6 money old or 1 year old car with only a few thousand miles on it, let some other really stupid person have given you 25% off the MSRP.
TheStig827@reddit
Are many of them EVs?
There may have been some rather sus plays by a lot of new car dealerships around the ending of the major tax credits on EVs who would sell them to themselves.. title them.. claim the tax credit, and then list them as "used" vehicles.
bdgbill@reddit
I traded in a 2003 Jeep Wrangler with 4000 miles on it because it was an absolute piece of shit. It took something like 6 years to financially recover.
This is why I am deeply suspicious of ultra low mileage cars for sale. Sure, there are "little old ladies who only drive to church on Sunday" but there are also people tired of calling tow trucks or taking the bus to work.
TheCarcissist@reddit
There is this weird belief that alot of people have that the vehicle has to be some kind of life changing experience. They get it, realize their life is just as shitty but they now have a huge car payment.
planko13@reddit
I returned a lemon law car that was settled outside of courts.
They gave me a check that more than covered the depreciation, and “fixed” what I personally felt was a safety issue. I could have kept it, but considered it unacceptable with young kids.
Traded it in and made out a few hundred dollars for my trouble. Dealer sold it someone who was none the wiser. Never again chevy.
cfbrand3rd@reddit
I worked at a Dodge dealer when a guy bought a brand new Daytona on a Friday, came in and traded it on a new Caravan the following Monday. Ya gotta talk to the wife first, man…
Sporanox4footFungus@reddit
Lmao
BrindlePitty@reddit
Buybacks to avoid lemon.
Wasn't a good fit (most people have zero knowledge of what they want)
Keeping up w Joneses. Got a new car but neighbor got better one. Enter rat race.
Dealers approached them and made fair offer on different inventory. Customer bites.
JJHall_ID@reddit
I did it a few years back. I bought a 2022 Toyota Corolla. I had it for about a year and only put about 10K miles on it and traded it in. It was during the Toyota shortage so I was able to get more than I paid for it back out of it, so it made sense to upgrade to my 2022 Prius Prime I have now. Not quite "under 1000" like you're talking, but it was basically still in brand new condition in every aspect but the mileage. Normally it would be incredibly stupid to trade so early because most people are upside down, but it worked in my benefit this time.
largos7289@reddit
They put like 2k down, drive the car then when the payment came in they could cover it, then the insurance kicked in and they were like WHOA wtf??!? so the car might be 500 but when the insurance on it is 3-400 a month that car is really 800 a month.
Ryans4427@reddit
Rental vehicles from Enterprise, Avis etc.
RallyVincentCZ75@reddit
Probably.some of it.comes from indecisive people, others might be like dealer cars, or briefly lived loaners. Then they can sell those as CPOs.
RepulsiveAnswer4202@reddit
Mix of things. Some people don't drive much and lease vehicles then turn them in. Others have buyers remorse. People's needs change requiring a different vehicle. Some people just have money and want drive a car for a few months and don't care about losing money on it.
Other times new vehicles can be buggy or have issues that dealers are lost on fixing, so people get rid of them.
pwnageface@reddit
The most likely is they were courtesy vehicles or dealer take-home vehicles. These are typically fantastic opportunities if you want a new car for thousands off. If you purchase from the dealer they usually still come with full warranties as well. Want a $70k car for $45k? This is what you want. Results may vary and remember... its a rental so go mental is how a lot of people think so yeah, you could be rolling the dice...
Many-Pomegranate-33@reddit
Leases.
Surprised this hasnt been mentioned more.
Many-Pomegranate-33@reddit
Leases.
Surprised this hasnt been mentioned more.
Sez_Whut@reddit
Knew à guy who traded in a new car because he did not like the seat. He was wealthy so no big deal.
itsJames098@reddit
I write this in my store as someone is trading in a 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness with only 300 miles on it, to get a 2026 Subaru Outback Touring XT. Sometimes they do it just because they like the styling of the other car.
Car is so new our computer is not even accepting the VIN.
Substantial-Onion-92@reddit
My coworker is 23 and he just traded in his 2020 F150 5.0 for a 2025 F150 5.0. They look identical to me, I asked him why the trade? He said his dad always told him once a vehicle has 100k km its time to trade it in because it's not going to be worth anything and pretty much done.
Kiba-04@reddit
Money laydry
3Green1974@reddit
I bought my Subaru WRX after reading that the STI would not be coming to the USA. That changed a few months later so I traded it in on the car that I actually wanted.
Blackiee_Chan@reddit
Cause new cars are nice. Car payments are not
Battystearsinrain@reddit
Circumstances change, surprise pregnancies, etc, spur changes of vehicle. Sometimes people think they will like something, and do not.
Beneficial_Leg4691@reddit
Hate them? Buy your wife a car as a surprise and they Hate it.
Buy a new 2 door sports car and find out your pregnant... New corvette and suddenly you lose your job. Etc
FileFantastic5580@reddit
The best deal I ever got in my life was one of these scenarios. A guy ordered a fully loaded Chevy crew cab dually for a daily driver…. Owned it a month and hated it. Only put 400 miles on it, and traded it back in for a suburban.
mistman23@reddit
Probably too difficult to get in McDonald's or a parking garage.
Carstuff392@reddit
As a crew cab dually driver McDonald's is no problem. Those parking garages though can be an issue lol.
FileFantastic5580@reddit
You speak the truth lol.
Carstuff392@reddit
I had to travel for a meeting not expecting a parking garage. I got squeezed in day one. Day two and three I showed up an hour early lol.
Beauty_iz_hername79@reddit
Relocations/military deployments overseas
QuePastaaaa@reddit
i’d say carmax/carvana has the best hassle free trade in value. but also like others say repos or like me you just decide you don’t like the car and want to swap out of it regardless of how bad of a financial decision that is haha
Vegetable-Effort-726@reddit
Because dealerships are a scam. People are impulsive by nature and they take advantage.
stargazertony@reddit
In Pennsylvania, if a vehicle has over 500 miles on it, it can’t be sold as new, I think
thebaz1981@reddit
I totaled my beloved 2021 TLX last year. I now had a week to buy a new car (or start paying for my rental) where I'm the type of person who would research cars for 4-6 months before making a purchase.
At the time I was starting a new job that had a 150 mile round trip commute 3 days a week so leasing was out of the question. I purchased a 2025 X3 because I wanted something with AWD (I had a little PTSD from my accident) and sat high for my commute. My kids also complained about the cramped backseat in the TLX.
Fast forward 6 months and my job informs me I can go fully remote. I hated the X3, I hated sitting high, I hated how it handled (great for an SUV but nothing compared to the sedans I had always driven) so I went to the dealership and asked if they could get me into an i4 for a reasonable price. They had a loaner on the lot that they discounted about 21k (including the tax credit) and they gave me 2k more on my X3 than I expected.
I love my i4. My oldest still complains about the cramped back seat but long trips are done in my wifes 3-row SUV.
Sometimes peoples need change, sometimes people just hate their car. Sometimes both!
Icy-Cardiologist-958@reddit
They realize they can’t afford a 500-600 a month payment.
UnderwhelmingAF@reddit
In many cases more than that, $500-$600 is probably on the low end for payments on a new car these days. A lot of people out there with four figure car payments now.
GallitoGaming@reddit
Some are just regrets/ voluntary repos. There are people who regret comfort, or colour and take the big hit.
But some are going to be mini lemons in the making. Stuff just feels wrong and something just pops up every few weeks. I am very weary of buying a car like that. I feel like those are the ones that have huge engine and transmission issues around 60K miles and over
piemat@reddit
The 3Ds, Death, Divorce, and Debt
AYPEETWO@reddit
Value went up, trade it in for something more. I see it a lot at Porsche.
SympathyAdvanced6461@reddit
Rental cars
YandereValkyrie@reddit
Ive had this happen a couple times at our dealership, there's a lot of reasons it can happen. One was a guy who bought a brand new 2026 Civic and had a medical episode not long after that made it extremely difficult for him to get in and out of it comfortably, so traded it in with less than 3000km. Another one, customer had just bought a GLE350 but ended up falling in love with the GLE450e we had just gotten in stock when he came in for a service and swapped it that day. Had less than 5k kilometers. Last one I can think of is customer had just bought a Nissan Pathfinder because they wanted something bigger for their huskies but ended up being too big to fit in their garage?(??????) Idk this one was weird cause they bought a used GLS we had and I swear it was bigger but they never came back, they had the Nissan for less than 2k km.
MusicMan7969@reddit
I bought a year old Camaro off Carvana in 2024 with 1800 miles. Car was basically brand new and absolutely perfect. Still smelled new inside. Only history the Carfax had was it was a single owner.
imissher4ever@reddit
People living above their means.
Clean-Entry-262@reddit
Rental fleet cars
chinmakes5@reddit
Repos. I buy a car, I get fired, a family member gets sick, etc.
There was a post yesterday from a guy who bought a car, a few weeks ago, hates it and is asking how to buy something else.
SanAinvestor@reddit
I’d say poor judgement and poor self impulse control.
Neighbors of ours had about 5 brand new cars in 7 years. Most of the changes avoidable. The reason was always something like she didn’t like the GPS, it didn’t have leather seats, he didn’t like the driving position, etc. those are all things that if you just look besides how the car look and the color and actually sit down in it and drive it for a few minutes you’ll pick up right away as opposed as walking into the finance guy’s office and answering to the how much are you willing to pay per month question
insomnia_universe@reddit
Hi i heard from an auction buyer. Some cars cant be sold and the dealer need to get it off their floor plan. So they get rid to carmax or other resaler. They said is pretty common after 2021 to have cars left on the lot. And do that. Besides also demos loaners and dealer boses use them as their cars with dealer plates. Bad practices but they do.
Significant_Lab_1945@reddit
They realize this shit is expensive lol
Live_Lychee_4163@reddit
The could be cars that dealers converted to loaners then sold later on.
Plastic_Explorer_132@reddit
Changed their mind, want a different color, wants bigger car, want a faster car.
PATTY2WET@reddit
Depending on the car, could be for profit. I’ve bought a few new cars at steep discounts and resold to carmax/carvana/etc, for a profit.
binarypower@reddit
a friend of mine was duped into paying $750/mo for a brand new car. the dealer used the "all you have to do is work a 2nd job" tactic and he bought it (literally).
he never accounted for even the sales tax and stopped paying for everything. made 1 payment, car was repossessed 3 months later.
AmigaBob@reddit
Not cars, but I got my previous motorbike because the previous owner changed his mind twice. It was a 70 year old guy buying his last bike. First he bought a BMW GS1250 adventure bike. Rode it for a bit and realised it was too heavy. Then he bought a Suzuki GSX-S1000F. Only rode it 124km before discovering the power freaked him out. I got a slightly used GSX at a good price with a quick shifter and top box already added. Apparently the guy never heard about test rides 😉
The4kLizard@reddit
I enjoy driving and working on cars but when I was practically burning money just to keep my 350z alive I just decided to buy something reliable and got a new civic. After about a year (~12k miles) I was completely bored of it ended up trading it in. Not a bad car but it just wasnt for me, and I don’t really care for CVTs. So yeah I did lose some money but now I actually have a car I like and I am in a better position to work on it if needed
Plutowasmyplanet@reddit
Usually an issue. They buy a new car and immediately start having issues, worry about things to come. I bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. I knew not to buy any Chrysler products again, but didn't listen to myself. I really missed my old XJ. Well, immediately after buying, trim started falling off, some of which was held on by double sided tape. Something else happened, can't remember what, then final straw ( at 3 months of ownership) I got in it, and the windshield was covered with water, no problem, hit the windshield wipers, didn't remove it. It was because it was inside the car. I traded that pos that week.
mrenz9@reddit
The number of people who refuse to test drive a car and then 2 weeks later come back and trade in because it wasn’t comfortable blows me away.
Great-Tie-1573@reddit
My loved to do this. He called it “irresponsible” 🤣 one thing about that man was he was to trade in a damn car. And soon.
nvielbig@reddit
??
InternationalBite690@reddit
I worked at a dealer as a tech and daily had “used” cars to inspect with under 5000 miles. Half of these cars get bought by someone who never even sat in the car. No test fit. No test drive. No research about car options. People can be as stupid as you imagine stupid can get.
CrazyMarlee@reddit
A number of years ago I was looking to replace my wife's Mercedes with another one. I went to the dealer in early September and it was packed with young foreign teenagers. I live in an area with many top rated colleges and in talking to a salesman, the foreign students would come and their parents would buy them a Mercedes for the year and the students would sell the car back at the end of the school year. They would do that every year.
nvielbig@reddit
My school was nothing but kids driving around in $80k+ porsche, Audi, etc. lol
ConclusionFlat1843@reddit
I had this conversation with a salesman at a very large dealership, because they had a used 2026 on the lot with 4k miles. He said you'd be amazed how often that happens. He said it's almost always because they didn't budget for the payment plus insurance so had to return the car, but he also had a woman trade in a new car because the seats weren't comfortable, and other kinds of "silly" reasons. Some people have loads of money and can do that.
Tinyberzerker@reddit
I traded in an almost brand new WRX because it sucked ass and was slow.
Drewdc90@reddit
Felt alright when you test drove it?
Tinyberzerker@reddit
It felt sporty at first then it just fell on it's face at highway speeds when I got on it.
Ghost_with_no_name@reddit
Oof. It’s one of the cars I’m considering when my lease is up next year. Any other thoughts you have about it?
Tinyberzerker@reddit
It was cool, but I was used to V8 power. (CTS-V). Later I worked at a Japanese auto repair shop and the Subarus kept us in business, blown head gaskets, ridiculously expensive oil leaks, control arms, valve body failures. I don't have an opinion on the newer models because I don't know if those same problems exist. Mine was a 2019.
Ghost_with_no_name@reddit
Fair enough. I’m looking at 2023 and newer.
DJScaryTerry@reddit
I feel the same way about my Jetta except with different problems. Same conclusion though
2dayisthrownaway@reddit
When I was in my late 20's / early 30's, I got buried by the mortgage collapse (07'-08'ish) and took a $70,000 loss getting out from under a property in Southern California. I knew I was going to file BK due to mounting credit card debt, my wife being laid of from her job, and us having a 1yr old at home. The lease was up on my Audi and I needed a new car. "What's the least expensive German car I can buy?" - because no one will give me an expensive car and I couldn't afford it anyways. I went and got a Jetta.
I wanted a Wolfsburg, I got a base model with no bells or whistles instead.
After about 10 days with that car, I parked it and left the keys in it and told them where they could come get their car. They said, "you can't do that" and I said, "It's already done. Either you're taking it or whoever sees the keys in it is taking it......but I'm not paying another cent and I do not want that vehicle, even if it were free" - and they came and got their Jetta. When I would floor it, the Jetta would make all the noise like, here comes the power!!!.....and it wouldn't really go much faster than I was already going. I hated that car, filed BK, ruined my credit, and immediately bought a used car at a stupidly high rate.
Brilliant_Account_31@reddit
Broke, bankruptcy?, kid on the way. You buy a Corolla. Why on Earth would you want a German car?
2dayisthrownaway@reddit
Read it again. Had a 1yr old at the time.
I started with a BMW. Loved it, got another BMW. BMW's are expensive, so when it came time for another vehicle, I got an Audi. Was getting out of the Audi by the time I got into this mess, so I went with what I knew. Or, at least what I thought I knew.
Brilliant_Account_31@reddit
It doesn't matter what the precise details of your kid situation were. If you're broke, don't lease, and don't go German.
Friendly_Strike4094@reddit
He did mention living in SoCal. It’s a different world out there
MagnusAlbusPater@reddit
Exactly. Lots of financial foolishness there.
Either buying too much home they couldn’t afford or even worse doing one of those ridiculous ‘strategic defaults’ when the house went down in value, then not just living with the Jetta even if it wasn’t the perfect car.
It’s the same thinking of all of the people who had big student loan debt and had a multi-year moratorium on payments and interest during COVID when they could have paid them off entirely or made huge progress in reducing the balance but instead chose to make no payments at all and now like to complain that the loans don’t get any smaller when they’re just making minimum payments.
mittypyon@reddit
its*
SuspiciousOwl816@reddit
I may be biased cuz I had an 04, but the WRX are actually pretty good imo. They are best enjoyed on curves so if you want something that goes fast on a straight, it’s not the car for you. They do get expensive to pull power from though, folks need to keep this in mind.
Also imo, 200-400 ponies to the wheel is plenty for anyone. Anything more than that and you don’t get many chances to fully enjoy them.
With that being said, I’m not the biggest fan of the newer ones because they lost the rawness you get from driving one after the return to sedans in 2010.
MagnusAlbusPater@reddit
Yeah, a WRX has way more than enough power. I owned a Mazda Protege5 way back in the day that had 130hp and it was still more than fast enough to be fun.
Deufuss@reddit
The RX350 has a curve to the windshield that just doesn't work for my wife. Dealership went above and beyond trying to fix the problem for her, but in the end we traded it with 1300mi for something else (which she now doesn't like also). We're very fortunate to be able to afford to change vehicles when we want to.
ElKezam@reddit
Most people do not buy new cars anymore and keep them - the ownership depreciation costs would be disastrous. So many people are now buying used vehicles and keeping them to absorb the depreciation effect.
Nervous_Hurry_9920@reddit
I dated a girl, family decently wealthy. Her dad custom ordered some 6 figure Ford dually pickup truck. It came and wasn't what he wanted.
So he ordered another one and planned to trade in the old/new truck when it arrived.
Blew my mind.
IlliniOrange1@reddit
I picked up an ‘18 BMW M3 with about 2,000 miles on it for $13k under the $80k sticker. The dealer I bought from had sold it to the prior owner who said the guy custom ordered it, drove it for a few months and then brought it back saying “it wasn’t for me” and went on to buy a custom ordered X4 which is not even remotely similar. Nearly full warranty and no instant depreciation. I would do that again in a heartbeat.
avidoutdoors76@reddit
I bought a demo car once with 1100 miles on it and got a sweet deal. I ended having the car for just under 19 years
Friendly_Strike4094@reddit
Which car?
avidoutdoors76@reddit
It was a 2006 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport pickup truck
Smokey_McDoob@reddit
Lease expiry? Though I've never understood why anyone would RENT a car, either...
MagnusAlbusPater@reddit
Leasing makes sense for a lot of people.
The average car loan length now is 69 months. If you’re the type when you know you’re going to want something new every few years you’ll still have negative equity three years in on a loan. If you lease not only are your payments less for those three years you walk away with no negative equity at the end.
It also makes sense for people who are self-employed or own a business and use the car as a business vehicle. You can write off the lease payments as a business expense on your taxes, you can’t do that on a financed vehicle (you can write off depreciation in the first year for a business use vehicle if it’s over 6,000 lbs GVWR, but depending on your business income and tax liability spreading that write-off over a period of years via lease payments can make more sense).
Smokey_McDoob@reddit
I never said it made no sense. I only said I didn't understand why anyone would do it.
To be fair, the word 'car' implies a non-commercial passenger vehicle. In most countries, a 2500kg (or 6000 freedom unit) vehicle, or any that need a GVWR, is a truck, not a car.
With that very clear definition of the word 'car' (personal-use passenger vehicle), I stand by my statement.
But I also don't understand why people keep paying Crapple (or Sam-dung) $1000+ for a new phone every year, either. The phone I'm tapping on right this very second is more than ten years old, and somehow still gets the exact same job done.
Just like my car. And I own them both.
MagnusAlbusPater@reddit
For the business write off for lease payments the 6,000 lbs GVWR rule doesn’t apply, so you can lease a Corolla and if you use it for 100% business use you can write off 100% of the lease payments.
CountryBear1979@reddit
Cant afford it or the insurance for it The owner passed away Its plagued with issues
It could be a demo car, not that I’s expect to see that on carmax/carvana but possible on a dealer lot. (My grandfather was a GM engineering exec back in the day…actually helped develop the corvette engine, and used to bring home company vette’s often…he’d call my parents up and say so hey…wanna trade? Give me the grandson for a weekend, you can have the vette for the weekend. I had my bag packed before they hung up lol my grandparents were freakin awesome!)
They aren’t comfortable in it (my dad test drove a 2000 Grand Cherokee back in the day, it was comfy and drove good, liked it and leased one. After driving it to work and spending an ample amount of time in it, he realized his foot placement due to the dog house over the transmission was making his leg numb. Ultimately I took over the payment and parked my car…a 97 grand am and used the miles he was paying for and saved the miles on mine that was financed vs. leased)
SuzeFabulous@reddit
I wondered that myself when I was shopping for my M4. I couldn’t find any new locally but I found quite a handful of them around the US used with only 2-5k miles on them (not at car max). I can only imagine that these people ordered the car without ever driving it and it was too powerful for them or when they got the sticker shock of how much it costs to insure one.
LonesomeBulldog@reddit
We paid cash for a Lexus TX500h in August. For the first 3 months, my wife wanted to trade it back in and go back to a Sequoia. We both hate the sport seats with a passion. Now, she’s past that and will keep it until our youngest graduates in ‘31.
TXtogo@reddit
I just think people who are diagnosed with a terminal illness run up their credit before they die
GraphicWombat@reddit
I didn’t buy mine from carmax. But I got a 2025 rav4 se phev in october with 1500mi on it from a toyota dealership. The dealership owner’s daughter had a lease expire so she needed a new car asap, but her next car she wanted wasn’t there yet. So she hastily leased this one for 2 months until it came in. She got the $6500 toyota lease cash back. All her lease paperwork was in the glovebox when I test drove it. So it all checked out.
After I test drove it I negotiated the price down and paid a $500 refundable deposit. Then they inspected it and gave it s gold certified used status. Went to sign the papers and paid for it shortly after.
Everyone is gunna say I should have bought new. But these things are so hard to find. There were loads of xse trim for $52-54k in town here. But no se. I had a dealership across state I was working with to lease an se that had not been shipped feom japan yet. I would have got the $6500 cash back, then buyout immediately. But they wrote up the 1pay lease all wrong before they mailed it to me. They dragged their feet for a week writing it, admitted they had to call TFS 3 times to finish writing it. Time was running out, i have a 4yo to look after. His birthday party I was planning was coming up. The sales reps mom died. It was just a series of unfortunate events and it didn’t feel right in my gut.
iluvdrt@reddit
Because all of the new cars are junk. I wouldn't buy any new car newer than 2005. They just aren't worth it
shaggy24200@reddit
One other possibility is customers who initially appear to qualify for financing and take the car home. then a couple of weeks later the bank requires more down payment or cosigner and the buyer has to take the car back. Boom, now it's a used car.
malsell@reddit
Sometimes people get into a car loan before finding out they cannot afford it.
GeneralHoliday5401@reddit
My mom did it once. Her new car was rear ended hard by a Ford Ranger 5 weeks after she bought it (1996 Saturn SL2). The insurance company wouldn’t total it since it was new. It took 2 months for the Saturn body shop to repair. After, the passenger side doors rubbed against each other at the top, sunroof squeaked, and the car didn’t drive straight.
musicpimp@reddit
I traded in a car after 2 years, I just didn’t like it and they had a used model on the lot I wanted, surprisingly didn’t lose my ass on it
Diptothaset@reddit
I have a family who CONSTANTLY buy new vehicles and even homes. No shot they’ve owned atleast 6 different homes in the last 10 years. They just put their house on the market and he just got a new GMC pickup. A few years ago she had a Hyundai suv but didn’t like it so refinanced into a Kia qashqai shortly after
Cool-Negotiation7662@reddit
I have known several corporate salespeople who get a leased vehicle, drive it 30k, turn it in and get another. This is about 6 months driving.
Their employer has everything set up. They get limited input into the vehicle selection (color mostly).
mrsclausemenopause@reddit
There are certain brands like Nissan and Dodge that notoriously loan to under qualified buyers keeping the repo market strong.
Dark_Holocaust@reddit
We traded in our 2025 Pathfinder for another 2025 Pathfinder only because Nissan had come out with a 0% promotion that included the Pathfinder model. Went from 7% interest to 0%. Only had the car for 2 or 3 months.
usafmsc@reddit
Had an uncle that couldn’t be seen in a car older than 6 months for 60 plus years. SMH
yourbumblenarrator@reddit
Had a car I bought used which I loved, (Cadillac CT4-V AWD) but it was only 5 y/o and started having weird electrical issues (1 known short) and it burned out 2 batteries and started to drain another within a year and a half.
Thinking entirely about cost, reliability, and performance, I traded in that car on a completely different style of car from a different brand with a manual transmission (brand new Subaru WRX)
I hadn’t had a daily with a manual transmission in decades, and realized now that I find it a pain in traffic. I wasn’t enjoying the WRX as much as I thought I would after 6 months. I loved my old car, and realized that’s the car I wanted to be driving, so I found a 3 year newer version of the CT4-V AWD and traded the Subaru. Luckily I didn’t lose money trading, I wouldn’t have done it if it would put me upside down.
Raging_Mullet@reddit
My own boomer mother, traded in a less than 500 mile Subaru Outback because she had a problem hooking up her phone. Lol. When she told me, I was floored. Was really hard not to laugh on the phone.
miatified@reddit
We get a lot of similar cars from auction. A good portion of them are corporate demos. People who work for car brand, inc. (Not your dealership the actual brand) will get work vehicles, and then they all get auctioned off so theres current model year cars with like 400-4000 miles on them in batches like twice a year.
spliff231@reddit
I feel like this answer should be higher. The automakers all have significant numbers of newer vehicles being driven by employees that are typically auctioned off before they're about a year old with less than 10k miles.
Agile_Session_3660@reddit
I just traded a 3000 mile RS3. Less than a year old. Did it because I needed the garage space for a classic car instead and I wanted to get out of my auto loan debt. Traded it for a sub $30k car that can live outside.
I could afford it, but it just didn’t make sense for my life anymore to have such an expensive new car. Owning a car like that as a daily is honestly very stressful. You’re always worried about it.
Plato2026@reddit
My guess would be that it's the result of impulse buying / realization of shitty financial decisions. A lot of folks are reaching far outside of what they can actually afford. Car payments are higher than they've ever been and the lengths of these loans are also longer than they've ever been. Not a good situation.
Playful-Park4095@reddit
Dealerships will sometimes buy their own car to hit certain sales goals from the manufacturer, then use them as loaners or whatever briefly, then sell them. OEMs will give the dealership bonus money to move so many units, especially of vehicles that aren't moving that well on their own.
I don't know if Ford still does, but they used to have a stair step program where you (the dealership) would get more cash bonus from the OEM per unit retroactively once you hit the next stair. So maybe you were getting $600 per car sold after a certain level, but sell a few more and you'll get $750 for all of them instead. I'm sure other OEMs incentivize dealers to move certain models the same way.
Glazing555@reddit
Carmax is buying new car dealerships, maybe slow sellers? BMW was doing that a while back, dealerships buy cars the sell CPO with very little miles
alxstr204@reddit
Sometimes its build quality too like those new JAECOO's or even the cheap MG's they are awful my friend couldnt stand the MG as it revs to 5000rpm if its going up a hill said he wasnt happy with it and traded it in with about 1000 miles
Flightwise@reddit
Saw on reddit recently someone who’d bought a Subaru wagon 2026 and regretted it within the week of purchase and after riding in a model Y Juniper put the Subi on the market, prepared to take a bath.
Ready_Procedure7589@reddit
Flaws or quirks in the car that were not immediately apparent during the test drive, rich buyers who don't care and can trade it in.
imachiknsamich@reddit
There are probably plenty of them that got repoed because people can't pay the $1000 a month to drive a kia sedona anymore
K_Linkmaster@reddit
Because using winter windshield washer fluid causes a orange triangle on my dash.
Fun_Cardiologist_373@reddit
People are idiots. They buy stuff they can't afford and either sell it back to the dealer or get it repossessed.
More_Branch_5579@reddit
I did that. Had a brand new Prius C and during a trip, my daughter drove over something in road. We were on side of road for hours waiting for AAA with trucks wizzing by. I decided right there to get rid of it for a suv that was bigger and safer.
joker_1173@reddit
Sometimes, when car dealers cant sell a car (especially below MSRP), they can "give" it to a sales rep or other employee to drive for a couple of weeks. Then its a "used car" and can be sold for whatever they want to. Then, if they still cant sell it, and the floorplan costs are adding up, they can dump them at Carmax auctions and let Carmax sell them for them
BrownSLC@reddit
Sometimes to pull lease incentives. You immediately buy the car and turn it over to pocket some cash. Carmax pays well for reliable Japanese cars.
You will notice it’s confined to a few models somewhere ~50k.
It’s a stupid hustle, but whatever.
maybach320@reddit
They were paying nuts prices in covid, my friend was considering selling his 18 Accord in 2020 and they offered him $1800 less than what he paid and he has put 22k miles on it. He jumped on that like his life depended on it. I still don’t understand how Carmax could have made money on it.
jrileyy229@reddit
Yes, but he also had to replace it brand new accords were doing over sticker, so used ones adjusted accordingly.
SuperSayainSkincare@reddit
Yea same thing happened to me but it was a Civic, it was a good time to sell a used car.
EvilDarkCow@reddit (OP)
That tracks. When my grandma took my great uncles keys away either right before or in the early days of Covid, we took it to Carmax and they offered $10k… for a 2014 Kia Forte.
maybach320@reddit
The prices were wild then on stuff they thought people wanted.
Sad_Win_4105@reddit
a few decades ago a farmer retired, and he and his wife bought a pair of Honda Civics. However, he missed driving his pickup trucks, and bought a new compact truck that he probably drove for the rest of his life. The Civic had maybe 5,000 miles when my son bought it. He happily kept it for10-15 years. The guy could afford to buy what he wanted to drive as his forever car, so why not?
memedudebro@reddit
A lot of people losing jobs as well.
vjbigtv@reddit
Rich people are unexplainable.
havnar-@reddit
Dealerships sometimes buy them to hit quota and then sell them as barely used cars.
Loud-Chicken6046@reddit
Because some people are really bad with money.
Monster51915@reddit
Some could be just trying it out and dislike it. It’s honestly something I feel isn’t super abnormal. Most people nowadays get a new car and lease it and then they trade it in. It’s stupid because that means you’re going to always be paying money and a paid off vehicle is better than something that isn’t paid off.
People I find also a ton just always want something different even if they already paid it off.
marko719@reddit
You don't trade in a leased vehicle, you return it. You never owned it, you're just giving it back.
Monster51915@reddit
You know what I mean, they swap it out for something else.
MagnusAlbusPater@reddit
You don’t own it when you finance until you pay it off either.
You can trade in or sell a lease if you have equity in it, same with a financed vehicle. During Covid it wasn’t uncommon for leased vehicles to have equity since the used car market was going crazy.
A lease has a buyout price at all points during the lease, you can just call the bank you’re leasing it through to get it.
AdPrud@reddit
Yea could be something you’d never notice during a test drive or whatever.
One thing I despise about my current car is that it if I leave the car running and the key is in my pocket, when I leave the car HONKS. Not a chime, not a beep, full on honk. Now I don’t leave my car running often enough for this to be a deal breaker, but the first time I found out about this was when I was leaving for work at 6am and forgot something inside and now I was probably waking up all my neighbors with this honking.
Monster51915@reddit
That sucks, the only thing I wish my car had was that it’s auto lock when I get far enough away but that’s not a big issue just a little thing I wish it had.
PetriDishCocktail@reddit
Dealership unwind... I've been lucky enough to purchase a couple of those. Late last summer I was able to purchase a Ford Ranger Raptor at $3,000 under MSRP. It had 258 miles on it. A guy purchased it and couldn't get it financed because his wife wouldn't sign the papers...
2dayisthrownaway@reddit
I believe this is the answer in more cases than people think....
PersimmonGlum6536@reddit
Loaners if they're commuter cars like a Camry or Suburban, or for higher trim/luxury badges they may have been used by the dealer employees for a bit then placed for sale as used.
For higher end cars, it's usually buyers who have insane disposable income who lease for a year or two then move into something else brand new. Porsche guys do this A LOT, at least where I'm from. Nearly brand new 911s, GT3s, and Spyder Boxsters a couple years old with something like <2k miles on the odometer are super common around here.
marko719@reddit
Suburbans are commuter cars now?
GryphonGuitar@reddit
My dad once sold a car with 5000 miles on it. He jag bought it brand new, but saw something else he wanted.
Icy-Front7718@reddit
I traded in a new car after it was wrecked and fixed. The carfax hadn’t reported yet.
ku_78@reddit
The heart wants what the wallet can’t afford. And it’s a lesson learned in that order.
A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot@reddit
All of the reasons you mentioned. Also:
rodeo302@reddit
Rental cars tend to be flipped quickly. My dad bought a 2012 cruise in February of 2013 for a commuter. It was the biggest piece of shit he could have gotten because rental cars are beat to shit though.
Dolphin_Princess@reddit
People with a lot of money (simply not liking a small feature) and people with no money (repo)
maybach320@reddit
Dealer loaners and tax write off trucks/SUVs are the leading ones. I had a neighbor who would buy a new Navigator every year because it was heavy enough that he could write off the entire cost of the vehicle in one single tax year. He would put like 1k 1500 miles on and then trade it in the following year for a new one.
Zestyclose_Panda_886@reddit
People make mistakes and buy Subarus. :)
Luxcrluvr@reddit
I bought a used/new car from CarMax back in 2015 and it came with a death certificate. Sht happens and you never know the circumstances
AJHenderson@reddit
Three main sources. Vehicles people couldn't afford and had to sell back, vehicles people could afford so easily that they bought it instead of doing a test drive and loaners or demo vehicles that have too many miles to sell new.
awqsed10@reddit
Impulsive spending. Or it's a shitty car.
GTO400BHP@reddit
I'm sure a lot of them are new dealer loaners, like while doing warranty service on a customer car, that can no longer be sold as new, but selling to Carmax means not having to deal with auction fees and a risky sale price, while not selling used and undercutting their new sales.
I would imagine some of them are new inventory that didnt sell before new model year cars were supposed to start arriving, because I've seen the odoms in the 10s on rare occasion.
Cornholio231@reddit
Poor impulse control
Great_White_Samurai@reddit
Repos