Is it better to buy a new or used car?

Great minds really do think alike as I'm having this same debate personally right now. As a car nut, I spent time in the financing side of the car business for a few years before the hours got to me (and my wife). I'm still a car nut and cars have become much more reliable than they were years ago. With those considerations in mind, let me suggest a couple of alternatives.
What is your car budget and how long do you keep your vehicles? How strong is your credit history? What do you want for a vehicle? Let's use a Ford Edge for sake of discussion. A brand new, well equipped Edge will list for the upper $40,000's. The deal you make on the car will determine what you actually pay for the car. Now, go to Emdonds.com and check the price of a comparably equipped 2 or 3 year old Edge. Do you want to let someone else pay the early year on essentially the same car depreciation or do you have that kind of money to spend? Next, check the listings on the 2 and 3 year old Edges and look for a "Certified" listing. Certified or a similar term with other companies means the dealer is offering a kind of guarantee or warranty for the reliability of that vehicle. Maybe not a new car warranty, but some assurance you aren't taking a chance on your own. Near the end of a model year, dealers may have cars available that their family or employees have driven. They aren't technically "new" but they are the latest models of that car on the road. And since the dealer has depreciated them on his books, he can sell them for less than the very same car with 0 miles on it.
Another way to shop this situation is to have a lender pre-approve you for $X.000 for a car loan. Then look for what you want and offer to pay no more than $X.00 for what you want.
Hope this has helped you to some degree.

New or used, that is the question. Actually, the questions should be: how much money do you have? How's your credit? Trading in or starting from scratch? Employed? Answers to these questions have a direct impact on the first, or original question.

How much money do you have for a down payment on a car? If the answer here is a couple hundred bucks or so, then used goes to the top of the list. Buying used isn't despite what some will have you believe a negative mark on your soul. Most dealerships have quality used cars that are well maintained and in excellent condition; the car's only reason for being back on the lot is that it is a model year or two (or three) out of date and keeping up appearances mandated that it get traded in. On the other hand, if you' re looking at that suspect Buy here, Pay here lot, you might be in for some nightmares.

Your credit score is going to factor in when that loan approval process starts. If you're looking to drive that fresh off the factory floor Audi with all the bells and whistles sporting a 550 credit score, save yourself the time and don't. Spotless credit, or credit hovering around 700 or above you can get away with a decent loan at a decent interest rate on buying new. The further away from 700 you get, the higher the interest and the more likely you want to look at used.

Trading in your current car will give you a few hundred to a few thousand off your final price (depending on what it is you're trading in) and everyone knows that car dealers are the most honest people in the world, so check out what Kelly Blue Book puts your trade in value at before you walk into the lion's den. No trade in? Revert back to the first two points.

Employment is going to be a factor. Fresh out of college, brand new job, looking to make your mark, pulling in 30 +/- grand a year? Go used. The economy, while getting better, is a fickle beast and it has no qualms about turning on you in a heartbeat. Established and your financial life is in order and points one and two are well in hand? Treat yourself. Go new. Working full/part time at a minimum wage job tossing burgers or clearing tables? Look for used. This is not a slight on those jobs; your disposable income to devote to a car payment just isn't that great. The lender who is going to give you a thumbs or down on your loan is going to be taking this into consideration and it will be a deciding factor.

There is nothing wrong with buying used it's actually, in many cases, a smarter financial move than buying new but do some homework. Figure out what you have going in and what you can afford driving out with. Having that shiny new BMW in the driveway is great, until it's repossessed a month later.

Most people can only afford used cars via trade-ins of their old cars. However, there is also a lot of maintenance that goes into using a used car, where you could end up pouring thousands of dollars into it only to have it stall out on you the next day. Used cars also tend to not have a depreciation value as they are already used. If they do, it's extremely slight.
Moreover, an important thing to think about is whether or not you actually have the money for a new car instead of a used one, as it is far better to purchase a new car over a used one, only due to the money you'd most likely be saving in the long run. Also, used cars tend to spend time in auto repair shops a lot because of the fact they're so worn down. There are specific repairs that you'd be unable to make if something broke on the car.
The biggest thing here is that you need to be able to afford purchasing a new or used car. This is the question that a lot of people ask themselves and is an extremely important question as most times; buying a car puts people into the red, or in other words, into debt. It can only get worse from there.
You should take your time and if you are going to buy a used car, ask to take it for a test drive. If possible, an extended test drive, somewhere in the range of an additional 20 minutes on top of that five minutes around the block if possible, to really see the wear and tear on the car. You should also possibly bring a friend who knows cars who can inspect it for you. That way you shouldn't have any problems down the line, hopefully. Now, this is all avoided by buying a new car but either way, you'll most likely spend the same amount of money on the used car as you would on the new car, unless you're buying an extremely expensive new car. In the end, the choice is really up to you.

I think it's better to buy a new car if you can afford it