About a week ago I picked up a 2005 Acura TSX. According to KBB.com, the private party value for it would have been about $24,500. The seller was leaving the country and wanted $23,500. I was able to use my awesome negotiating skills to lower the price to $21,250.
Its a pretty sweet ride. Even though its a 4 cylinder it has 200 HP and although the torque is a bit low in the low gears, it drives better than my 1999 V6 Honda Accord Coupe. The turning radius is also very tight and it corners extremely well, especially at high speed. The only problem is that it uses premium fuel. I tried mixing in regular on a half tank (reasoning that the blend of 87 and 91 would work out to mid-grade) and didn’t notice a major difference in performance. The mileage didn’t go down either.
Buying a 2 year old used car is always better than driving a new car. The first owner always has the worst depreciation in the first 2 years. If you can get a low mileage car in good condition, its almost as good as a new car anyway. You pay a lot less for it and if you keep it for 6 years before you sell, you shouldn’t experience major repair costs either.
My ’99 Accord (which I must confess I bought new) should last me another 2-3 years easily. I has about 100,000 miles on it and I haven’t had any major repairs. Just tires, brakes and regular maintenance.