Does it really make financial sense to buy used over new?

It depends on the manufacturer, one or two year old Toyotas can be almost the same price as new in some cases. If you plan on keeping the vehicle for a long time (10 years+) I personally would just buy new.
 
When I bought my 2019 Rogue in 2021, new Rogues were only $4000 more than the asking price for the 2019. However, I needed a vehicle now and could not wait. Sadly, I didn’t have the cash and needed a loan.

The only maintenance I did on the Rogue was fluids and tires, and I’m debating on a battery since my son is buying it from me. In the 15,000 miles I put on it, it’s been fantastic. It’s now worth 67% what I paid for it in 3 years and 15,000 miles.

I got a job with a company vehicle so a 2020 Jeep Wrangler Sport Willys with 58,000 miles now sits in the garage as a fun toy. I paid $15,000 less than a new one and still have almost a year of warranty. I’m getting 4 new doors, a hood, and new paint on the tailgate due to the corrosion warranty. That will make it nicer longer. The tires are still good, but it looks like the early signs of needing an oil cooler are popping up. I may as well do spark plugs and all other filters while in there. Then it will be as good as a new one.

Our next minivan will be used. I can’t watch my kids and wife destroy a new one. It’s hard work keeping ours nice.

Like many here, it’s my mechanical ability that allows me to look at used first.
 
I thought I had the best depreciation on a vehicle with (the only new car I ever bought)-the $14,900 xB in February '05-it'll be 20 years old next February, still clanking along, guesstimate it's probably worth $2500, maybe. So, $12.5 depreciation over 20 years is $625/year. @Pablo beat me! Also-inflation...
 
It appears so much closer when you talk about a $26,000 new car. Where things come off the rails is buying a $70,000 pickup truck when you are only hauling air with it.
I've seen a few posts online from dealerships and it sounds like cars are just sitting on the lots right now, barely moving inventory
 
Used cars have never been a great value to me. Japanese manufacturer used cars and especially. The old adage theat a car loses 50% value when it rolls off the lot is just silly. When you amortize the repair and service costs over a shorter mileage duration, it means it’s all coming much sooner, and at a higher per operating mile cost.
My dad was always good at this. The key is to not keep the car long. 2 years or so. He usually git his money back on the vehicle. I'm not sure if he did this on purpose or just got bored. Pretty sure it was the latter. He always bought the cars when they were mostly depreciated, so the value didn't change much in 2 years
 
Favourite cars I’ve bought in the past were 10+ years old with low miles and garage kept.
Had a hell of a time trying to find one again last summer, the used market has really tightened up in the last few years. It used to be not so difficult to find a car like that, usually senior owned.
Had to sift through a lot of crap cars to find something decent last summer, at a price that made sense.
Don’t want to go through that hassle again. I’ll be telling my two daughters to buy a new Japanese car when they need new wheels.
 
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Wife won't ride in a car that is embarrassing. So that means it will probably cost at least $15K used.
First ride I gave to my wife (before she was even a "girlfriend") the door on my side didn't close past first click. I don't think it was from bad bushings so much as the cab was settling (more rust holes than metal in that S10). Pretty sure everything after the cat was merely a decoration at that time... and not a straight body panel. She didn't like driving my Jetta turbo diesel (but did when she had to), didn't care about my Camry that had no clearcoat left.

She does want to get a new car every 10 years. Good/bad I'm not sure, but after 200k+ and 10 NH winters, I think she's allowed to scratch that itch.

Although recently I was talking about getting another car and I mentioned being on the fence about side impact bags... to which she replied, it was ok if I was the only one to be driving it. I'm starting to think I might disposable...
 
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