[Goat Blower]

The general rule is that if your monthly repair bill is over $200 or it causes you to miss work, you're better off making a car payment. That being said, I would almost always say only buy used, because all but a few cars depreciate by thousands the minute you drive away, and that doesn't stop. But with reasonably priced Honda's and Toyota's, it actually does make sense to buy new because they hold their value so well. Just make sure you're getting a ~4.5% rate if you're a 750 credit score or better.