New car or low-mileage used car?

Just curious what you guys think. My neices and nephews, it's amazing. They keep buying brand new cars. I honestly don't know how they afford this stuff. I'm talking about a brand new car every two to three years.

Seems to me buying new cars is not that smart but I'm sure there have been many people put the pencil to it. To me, seems a much better bang for the buck to buy a low mileage late model car.

I haven't bought a new car in wow, decades.

Take a small car that would cost you $25,000 new. You could find the same year or last year's model with, say, 15,000 miles. And buy it for, say, $18,000.

Like my used car salesman friend says "You lose 20% when you drive it off the showroom floor with 1 mile on it. Thoughts?

You are correct....but another way to look at it, if you can afford a new car or whatever then buy it. When you get old the nursing home is only going to take everything you have got left.
In this crazy world the people who spend it all get looked after by the state at an old age. The people who have saved and want be independent have to pay for everything when at an older age...then the TAX man takes the rest that is left.