New or used?

I'm considering making a move on a Legacy GT limited 5-spd.

 

Simple question, is it worth saving some $$ to get used, or buy new?

 

Used: there's an '05 with 12k miles I'm thinking I could get around 21,500. I would finance a good portion, at 5.9% interest

 

New: what should I expect, $26k? then if I financed at 2.9% for 36mo's.

 

I'd plan to keep the car for a while (4+ years) so wondering what others think about saving 4k+ up front for a 18mo. old car, or getting new and taking the depreciation bite.

 

thx

--sigmeda

I just bought an 05 LGT limited 5spd 19k miles for $22k. I think it's a decent price, and a great car. If you have the $$ to go new, by all means do so. I'm just averse to buying new cars.

Figure the payments. If you can get the new car payments close to the used, then go new by all means. Buy used if you are only going to have the car a year or two and need it to hold value better (first year depreciation is the worst.) Also, check out leftover '05s if you can find any close to you, you should get a better deal than on an '06 and that might just let you go new too.

My next one will be low mileage used. Depreciation is a bitch.

Just traded my 03 WRX for a new 05 Limited 5EAT. Paid ~24K, you should be able to get under that for a new 05 5MT if you can find one. They are getting scarce.

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

The legacy will have to wait a bit, until my 95 maxima dies, or the accord v6 we just leased reaches the end of the contract. Since the wife needed a car soon, and wanted an automatic for city driving, I couldn't see putting her in a legacy auto when manual is the way to go for this type of car.

 

plus couldn't pass up the lease rate on the accord ex v6 (no navi), only 269/mo for 36, very little down (under 1000, not counting tax). Honda is giving them away, the money factor was like .00089.

 

--sigmeda