Notes to items above:
I've bought three used cars from Ricart - you --can-- get a good deal there and they'll usually have a car you'd like to buy. I've never had problems with the mechanical condition of the vehicles I've purchased from them.
However, you absolutely
must do your homework in advance. Look at the website, pick out the cars you'd consider driving, then research prices. When you get to the dealership, decline help at first and check the lot for those cars. They are -very- aggressive - if they have specific cars on the lot that they want to move, they'll tell you anything ("that cars isn't here, this care just came in") in order to steer you to what they want to sell. After they've observed you patrolling the lot, are aware that you know what's out there, and realize that you understand what a fair price is for that vehicle, they're usually very helpful. Don't be afraid to walk away if they're not - they'll usually circle back in a few days with an offer close to your terms.
Always run a used car past an independent mechanic - they won't catch every potential problem, but they can screen out most potential disasters. Over time, the guy I use has a 50% kill rate on potential buys, and I've never had a serious problem with a car his shop has passed.
I usually buy new (the used cars were in the days when my kids were driving the family cars, then buying cars for themselves) - but I put about 25,000 miles on my vehicle each year and keep a vehicle into the 175K-200K mile range. With that kind of mileage, there's not much difference cost-wise per mile between new and used.
Lease vs. buy - unless you use your personal vehicle for non-compensated business use, it's virtually always much less expensive to buy rather than lease it unless you buy a new car every 3-4 years and drive it less than normal lease mileage allowance. There's not much in the way of valid economic argument otherwise (the money you "save on repairs" for what would be a normal lease period is not significant in most cases- unless you buy a Mini-Cooper
).
That said - it's your money, and if you want to use your disposable income for a nicer ride, there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. It's like taking a vacation or buying concert tickets - enjoy it.
