Buying a NEW car

I bought new, once, and I will say this: never again.

I would go with used, because your car will lose 30% of its value within the first year, unless it happens to be something like an instance classic (Honda S2000s sell used 3 or 4 years old, what they sell for new, almost). IT SUCKS being upside down on a loan.

Generally, especially if you go through a dealership, they're willing to haggle ALOT more on a used vehicle. Plus, you can go through a factory certified used dealer which means that their vehicles come with warranties rivaling that of their new ones. Honda for example, provides a 4 year bump to bumper warranty and a 7 year powertrain, which is fucking amazing for a used vehicle.

New vehicles also will cost more to insure (yeah, even when considering financing a used vehicle, the used one will be cheaper to insure). If you know what you're looking for, buying a used vehicle really isn't anymore risky than buying one new.

What I'd recommend doing is buying a vehicle someone leased and then turned back in. Because it's already gone through its initial drop in value, so the moment you start paying on your loan, you've got equity in the transaction.

The myth about used vehicles requiring more maintenance is a load of shit. New vehicles still need regular maintenance: tires, oil changes, fluid flushes, tune-ups (which these days just involves reading data trends in the ECU and making appropriate adjustments to the software), timing belt, etc. Especially if you're buying certified used, it's going to have some sort of maintenance record and they're probably going to go so far as ensure that you come back for your regular maintenance, because they're covering the car under warranty.

Jam it back in, in the dark.