Depending on how much work you do on your own car, and how long you keep it, new cars may not be a great investment, since they depreciate so rapidly. Basicall

Depending on how much work you do on your own car, and how long you keep it, new cars may not be a great investment, since they depreciate so rapidly. Basically there's a bathtub curve: too-old cars have very high repair costs, and too-new cars have high depreciation. So if you really want to be frugal, you want a car that's between 2 and 10 years old I think, depending on your finances and what you want to drive. >This kind of assumption also hinges on the idea that newer cars don't break down as often (which may be true statistically, but is nowhere near guaranteed). It's absolutely true statistically. It might not be guaranteed because there are lemons out there (as well as Chryslers...), but in general it's absolutely true: machines wear out over time so of course older cars have more things breaking on them. But some are definitely better than others. I know someone with an '01 Toyota Camry with 300,000 miles on it and it's still running great, though it's needed a few minor body things fixed (like a side mirror, probably broken by getting hit by something). I wouldn't expect an '01 Chevy to be that reliable, and certainly not an '01 Chrysler. >I routinely haul enough stuff to justify at least an SUV, if not an outright truck My suggestion here if you want to save gas is (assuming whatever you're hauling isn't too heavy, and this is an occasional task and not everyday) to get a car, add a tow hitch, and get a 4x8 utility trailer. I had one of these for a while and it was pretty fantastic for things like hauling appliances or furniture in town.