Buying the Right Car

If you place a high value on pride of ownership, or novelty — the first-kid-on-the-block syndrome — certainly you'll favor a new vehicle.  Beyond pride of ownership, buying the latest and greatest car also puts you in command of the newest vehicle technologies, which pay practical dividends in comfort and safety.

New was the only way to go for Newman.  She had even preselected two vehicles that she felt best represented her professional achievements — a Lexus and a Mercedes. She chose the latter because of its design and the solid feeling of the wheel in her hands.  "There's something about getting something new that I just like, as opposed to getting something that's been used by other people. You're not inheriting somebody else's problems," she says.

New cars can also pay practical returns to road hogs who wear out vehicles, or at least push them to their final demise. If you log a lot of miles or keep a vehicle for more than five years, "buy the car you want," advises Mark Perleberg, the lead automotive expert for the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), headquartered in Washington, D.C. He studies auto retailing in order to help people make sense of the car market. 

If you plan to keep the vehicle for the long haul, a minimum of five years, and plan to customize it with the engine and transmission, plus all the features, options and accessories that match your tastes and driving style, new is your best bet. But what if you're looking to save a little cash?