In article <1124068844.498931.116400@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
<dufffman@gmail.com> wrote:
>- I am thinking of getting a used car (either a 2003 or 2004) to take
>into account the major depreciation that I have heard about in the
>first year of the car. Any thoughts on that? Any recommendations on a
>good place to look for such deals?

Much of the "major depreciation" in the first year is the difference
between retail versus trade-in or private party value. You can only
buy new cars from dealers at retail (what a dealer is willing to sell
for, not necessarily MSRP), and sell at trade-in or private party.
If you buy an almost new used car at a dealer, you might not actually
save that much, particularly with cars that don't depreciate as much
(as with the cars named in your subject line). You may save more if
you find an almost new used car in a private party sale.

Of course, with any used car, you'll want to inspect the car's mechanical
condition and its service records carefully -- if you are not too
knowledgeable about such things, you may want to pay a good mechanic to
do so before you buy.

If you are not knowledgeable about car maintenance and repair, figure
out which brands have the best and most trustworthy mechanics' shops
(dealer or independent -- though dealer shops tend to be more expensive)
in your area. It is also good if there is a good selection of shops for
that brand, in case the good one you found closes shop, the good mechanic
retires, etc..

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy J. Lee
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