Yikes!
Although, there ARE ways to buy a new car effectively. I've only ever bought one new car, and thanks to a friend who worked for Ford for many years, coupled with end of year incentives and other programs; I managed to pick up a brand new Ford Focus, with a 5 speed manual and optional rear-disc brakes (otherwise pretty basic), for about $6500 less than MSRP, and for a couple grand less than most of the used offerings in the same generation. AND; here's the real kicker; I was able to take advantage of 0% financing through Ford; something not available for used cars. (At least, not often). One should always do the math! New cars finance cheaper than used cars. Usually, used is still cheaper. But incentives and discounts + 0% financing ended up being a very inexpensive way for me to get a car with a warranty that will last a long time. (The car I traded in had 297,000 miles on it. So I get my use out of them! Ha!)
Wifes car we bought gently used and saved a buttload. Also; proper timing. She's wanted a convertible all her life. She finally got one. A 2014 Ford Mustang V6 Premium Convertible. Sounds expensive right? Well, we bought it earlier this summer, when folks were already pre-ordering the 2015 models. It was used with 18,000 miles on it. The 2014 models were being heavily discounted (new!) and Ford was having a hard time selling the '14's, even at a discount, because of how radically new the 2015 models are. We went at the end of a slow month to a dealer we knew was struggling to meet it's sales quotas. A little browbeating and back-and-forth and even a scrutinizing the car and pointing out every single flaw I could find (Hey, they are a business. Out to make money. It's silly not to have the same motivations as the buyer. You're not hurting anyones feelings). The car was sold new 6 months prior, and they still had it's original window sticker. (Original owner decided he really wanted a GT, not a V6) We drove it home for $14,000 less than what was on that window sticker. The salesman later admitted to me, and showed me the "do not show to customer" invoice too, that they ended up letting it go for a couple grand less than they gave the original owner on trade in. But they were worried it would sit and depreciate further when the 15's hit the road. (Especially a V6 Convertible. Which is an oddly tough sell; because the convertible option costs about the same as the V8 GT option. And so a lot of folks would rather have a hard-top GT than a V6 convertible. Me included; but not my wife!)