WHY BUYING A USED LEXUS HYBRID IS SMARTER THAN A NEW BUDGET CAR

Money is tight and buying a decent car is expensive. Most of us think of a new car as one with zero miles on it at the showroom. But, cars are expensive and getting more so every year, so buying a brand new car may mean settling for the cheapest option available. There are some really nasty budget cars out there, but you can get a Toyota Corolla for around $22,000. Toyota is a good brand, so that should be a good choice. Or is it? A budget car is just that and offers very little in features or refinement. If that is what you can afford right now, you will live with it. Or is there another way?

A lightly used Lexus hybrid is a more than attractive option if you are willing to think beyond the here and now. Not only will you get a luxury car instead of a budget compromise, but you will save in the longer term. A used Lexus hybrid will give you better reliability and long-term savings than a budget model. It will be more comfortable to drive, offer better safety, and far more features. If you compare the average two to three-year-old Lexus hybrid to a new entry-level Corolla, Sentra, or Elantra, you will find that the slightly longer view will make more sense financially, and for your sense of well-being.

Lexus Hybrids Hold Their Value And Are Built To Last

A Lexus Depreciates Slower And Lasts Longer

Lexus was ranked as J.D. Power's most reliable car brand for the past two years and has traded places with Toyota for several years now. Consumer Reports had Lexus as the most reliable brand in 2023, and it was just edged by Subaru in the 2024 CR survey. To illustrate how close these two authoritative sources are to each other, Toyota is always in the top three with CR as well.

Hybrids from these top brands are rated as reliable as their ICE equivalents, according to Consumer Reports: "While they remain extremely fuel-efficient, today’s hybrids also deliver reliability that is similar to conventional gas cars, despite their added complexity."

Lexus Resale Value

When it comes to retaining value, Lexus is in a class of its own, with its vehicles simply keeping their value better than any other brand. The only brand that comes close to Lexus is, to no one's surprise, its sister brand Toyota. The resale value of a vehicle is what the market on average will pay for that year model of a vehicle. It is made up of several factors, including reliability and the number of years of predictable expenses remaining.

One factor that helps Lexus Hybrids keep their value is that they routinely keep going for over 200,000 miles, as long as they are properly maintained.

Depreciation Comparison - Used Lexus Hybrids Vs New Budget Cars

This is a depreciation comparison of reasonably new used Lexus models versus new budget cars and how much they are expected to depreciate in the next 3 years. The reason this is calculated like this is because new vehicles tend to depreciate the most in the first three years, after which the rate of depreciation flattens out.

Depreciation is part of the total cost of ownership (TCO). Because a Lexus hybrid depreciates at a slower rate than a budget car, you will lose less money over time, so have a lower TCO.

Superior Reliability And Ownership Costs

Used Lexus Hybrid Rank High In Reliability

New cars often prove less reliable than the same models two or three years old. There are two reasons for this: new cars often come with untried technology, and late-model used cars have had their issues identified and sorted out.

Ownership Costs

Reliability and ownership costs go hand in hand. Both these metrics are measured over time, because issues in a car will only manifest after a year or more. The average American car is now 12 years old, and that is also the time frame used for rating predictable repair costs for a vehicle. Longer than that, and there are too many variables.

Lexus hybrids dominate reliability scores, and this results in lower long-term repair costs than most budget cars.

Used Lexus vs. New Budget Reliability Scores

Lexus hybrids consistently rank higher than most budget cars, and this means a used one will give you proven reliability at a great price.

Luxury, Comfort, And Safety: Lexus Vs. Budget Cars

Lexus Has Premium Features

Every luxury or safety feature in a car adds to the MSRP of that car. That is why the base models of many cars, especially more affordable budget cars, cost so much less than the top trim of the same model. Leather seats, a bigger infotainment screen, better sound, and extra airbags all make a car cost more. This reality is very much at the heart of this article, as many buyers will spend the minimum, and get the minimum.

The difference between a three-year-old low-spec Corolla and a five-year-old Lexus is two years, but the Corolla will be a bare-bones used car, while the Lexus, although used, will feel and drive like a premium car, and give you all the satisfying features that make a premium car premium.

Lexus Hybrid Vs Budget Car Feature Comparison

Aspects Of Premium Cars That Are Not Features

We tend to define the value of cars in terms of features, the size of the screens, heated seats, or climate control. But the things that make a car premium are not named features.

If you ever drive a 1973 Jaguar XJ6, you will experience premium. The car was made over 50 years ago. The steering wheel feels oddly thin. There is a radio, no infotainment. But the fascia is polished walnut, the doors are heavy and close with a satisfying 'clunk'. It corners as if on rails, and when you accelerate, the back of the car crouches down for a moment before it launches. Every button, handle, or control is perfectly made and sits right there as you reach for it. The Lexus has all the features we expect of a luxury car, but it adds that premium touch that is difficult to define, but easy to understand.

Fuel Efficiency And Long-Term Savings

Hybrid Tech Makes Lexus Cheaper To Own

A two to three-year-old Lexus is still new in terms of its technology. Hybrids are popular because they use less fuel than the ICE equivalent, and because hybrid technology is reasonably mature. We know what we are getting, and any improvements in this year's hybrid tech over that of last year will be tiny, incremental tweaking.

Lexus Hybrid Fuel Efficiency

Lexus has been rated as the least-expensive luxury car to maintain, beating even low-maintenance EVs such as Tesla. With a Lexus Hybrid, you get the perfect blend of fuel efficiency in a luxury car that offers performance and comfort.

Fuel And Maintenance Cost Comparison

Hybrid cars are also very reliable and cheaper to maintain than similar ICE models. That is because the regenerative braking puts less pressure on the normal friction brakes, while the extremely efficient hybrid battery and motors mean the ICE part of the drive has to do so much less work. This more relaxed mechanical environment means lower maintenance costs. At the same time, the hybrid components are not subject the same service schedule as the ICE part, and with the expensive battery having such a long warranty, a late model used Lexus will give you years of trouble-free driving.

2025-02-09T12:13:43Z