Brand New Pianos vs Old Pianos

[egem]

Hello

I hope to buy a piano in the near future.
But where do I start?
Perhaps deciding to find one from new ones or second-hand ones for a start.
If money is no issue, would you look for a new piano probably of a reputable brand?
Or would you search an old piano of exceptional qualities?

I would be grateful if you could list pros and cons of each.    

[iansinclair]

If money were no issue?  The field is wide open.  In the top end grands -- Bosendorfer, Bechstein, Steinway, Fazioli -- that class of piano -- it is the instrument which counts, and they are all slightly (or sometimes significantly!) different.  You pick the one that you really love to play.  New, old but not rebuilt, old but rebuilt, varying levels of rebuilding...

Now in my view this is not as much so as you go to less expensive instruments.  But even there, at a comparable price a good rebuilt piano vs. a new one -- or even a used but not abused not so old piano -- it should be what you like the sound and feel of.  I don't think one can make a categorical statement.

Bottom of the line instruments?  Then I'd probably go new.

[quantum]

I'd pretty much do what Ian suggests above.  Personally, I tend to have a preference for broken in instruments as opposed to brand new - instruments that have already matured and are ready to be crafted and refined by a piano tech. 

[indianajo]

A Used piano is less likely to put our soldiers in danger.
Everybody in my town, churches, concert halls, schools, piano teachers, buys new pianos from a country that supports the Iranian Atom Bomb project. It doesn't hit the news very often, but Iranian oil has to go somewhere, and that country is where it goes (read bbcnews.com). That country is not in Europe or the new world. Workers in that country surely never bought any product that came from any factory that I ever worked in.  
I say do your time defending your nation, then make a decision on a new piano.  I was pulled away from the best job I ever had to man up the Army during the time of the Iranian embassy hostage crises.  It is getting to where there is  no church, hall, or teacher in town where I will touch the piano.  Let them ask J*****ese factory workers to volunteer to play their new Y****** pianos.  Or let them pay J****** piano players, and J******* singers too to sing the hymns,  if they have that much money to give to tyrants.  
If you can afford a European built or Queens built piano new, go for it.  Workers in Europe and Queens are treated quite well. The sourcing on Bosendorder is questionable now after the change in ownership, all the old US brands are now built in places that buy Iranian oil as far as I can determine.  The new pianos come with stickers that fall off that say "Made in ******".   Although when it comes to defending Europe against kleptocrats, Germany is turning out to be all talk and no walk, with a defense budget of 1.2% of GDP.  Same problem with most of the rest of the European Union.  If you live in some Baltic state or some other tiny state desired by the bear, play the game and pay the man with the missiles and tanks, is my advice, or move somewhere with a substantial defense budget while the European internal borders are open.  
Meanwhile, In my retirement I'm playing a very nice 1941 Steinway console, with cosmetic damage that made it affordable.  I also have a very nice 1982 Sohmer built in Queens, that I'm learning to replace the broken string on.  Both are very fast, and pleasant sounding in normal residence rooms.