Used vs New Car?

My husband's family has always been practical. Maybe it's because my mother-in-law is half Ilocano, half Chinese, which makes for a lethal combination when it comes to being frugal. But she is also very practical. She helped my sister-in-law buy used toyota a while back. She knows used cars are real good value for money -- if you do your homework, that is. Luckily, she has her brother to turn to for advice on these matters.

My mother is also a practical woman but she does not generally buy used cars because she does not have such a person to consult. She had a bad experience many years ago buying a second hand car. However, she later spent a lot more in repairs when it turned out that the car had a lot of problems. From then on, she just decided to buy brand new, unless she knew the previous owner of a pre-owned car and trusted him to have taken good care of it.

If you feel that your budget is not enough for a new car, a good quality pre-owned car from a reliable seller may be the thing for you. It does help if, like my mother-in-law, you can have someone inspect the car for you prior to purchasing it, but if not, stick with a reliable seller and don't just go for a car because it's cheap. You might spend more in the long run.