You should be able to pay cash for it. That's the most important rule. And how do you get there? By NOT spending $9K in a year on vehicle depreciation.
If you are going to need a vehicle in 3 years, start saving NOW. It's not a surprise that you are going to need to replace the one you have now. Then buy what you can pay cash for. Save a little bit each month to replace it. Buy a slightly newer vehicle next time, keep it longer, save longer. Repeat a few more times.
After doing that for about 20 years, maybe you can pay cash for a really nice ride. My advice would be never spend more than 1/2 your annual income on a vehicle. And then don't eat the depreciation on a brand-new one.
