The same car for less money

When you buy used, you miss out on the heaviest depreciation hit. A new Honda Accord LX will set you back around $21,500. Buy a similarly-equipped two-year-old Accord with 24,000 miles and you'll pay about $4,000 less. (And that's for a car that holds its value well. A Mitsubishi Galant ES costs about the same new as an Accord; 2 years and 24,000 miles later it's $7,000 cheaper.)