There are legitimate reasons to purchase a new car, but it really comes down to doing the numbers for yourself. I bought a new car right after college. My inte

There are legitimate reasons to purchase a new car, but it really comes down to doing the numbers for yourself. I bought a new car right after college. My intent was to do the "responsible" thing and buy a lease return or some slightly used vehicle. However, with the price difference, the warranty on that versus a new car, the APR I could get on a new vehicle (0%) versus a used one (2.75%), and how long I intended to keep the vehicle swung me to buying new. The warranty in particular was a key selling point because I was moving to a new city with no social net to help if I suddenly had to have massive car repairs. Been there, done that, it's not fun. There was some other intangibles. I have full service records for my car, there's no risk of "hidden" damage, I didn't have to bother with taking it to a mechanic to get checked out. Bottom line is run the numbers before blatantly assuming it's "money to burn". It's a cost effectiveness scenario. Obviously more expensive cars potentially have more expensive depreciation cycles. Leasing is similarly a good idea in certain cases. There's tons of articles around that illustrate in what scenarios it actually is a plausible option of obtaining a vehicle.