And they ragged it for a month or two after they found out it was gonna get repo'd. I always go new car. If you have any problems the dealer gets way more scared to f up a car with 100 miles compared to 10K.
If you have the discipline to maintain a car for 15 years I'd hope - not advise, cuz I don't know ish about cars - you take that $8k in cash and buy an old Lexus RX SUV.
If you plan on keeping the car over 10 years go domestic with great gas mileage. The parts on American cars are far less and if you cannot fix any mechanical issues virtually any mechanic can. 5 years ago I would be telling you to go foreign, but domestic vehicles have caught and surpassed imports.
i'm looking right now as well - i think i'll be going with the mazda 3. 40 mpg w/ skyactiv. Biggest negatives I've come across so far in reviews: - rear seat legroom - acceleration - headroom (i'm 6' tall so I care) Not sure if you care about any of the above - they kind of come with the territory of 40mpg compacts. I'm going to get the GT model because I want the sunroof and bose audio. I'm probably looking at approx. $23k OTD. Yet to test drive
I can't argue this as I've seen it done (your post reminded me of the particular instance I saw). Still, I've had good luck with my way and it is under warranty in case any issues arise. However, I may consider new for this reason next time out.
