The way to save the most money on vehicles is to keep them as long as possible. Whether you buy new or used. If you don't have much for resources, you have to pick something that will get you where you need to go at a price you can afford. I couldn't afford a new pickup, so I had to buy used. The wife's vehicle is less cost to get into, so we bought new. She just needs to keep it until it is no longer reliable enough for where she needs to travel. The biggest part of depreciation is the dealers portion of the deal. Everytime you turn a vehicle is where a chunk of value is lost.
In my area, a dealer wants $2000 to turn a car, and $5000 on a pickup. I do not begrudge the dealer making a profit, I just prefer its not my money they make a profit with.
Paying cash is great, but it does not always make the most sense. We live 25 miles from town. The wife puts on 22000 mi a year. I spend a lot of time travelling for work, so I do not want to worry about her and the kids in an old beater. But the wife is willing to drive a vehicle that can be bought new for ~$25000. Not a problem to make a down payment and payments when the plan is to keep the car for 7-8 years.
All that said, there are very few people that can actually afford a new Platinum/Lariat etc. Many would be better off with an XLT/XL. Next time I get to buy a pickup, it will probably be a new XL, and it will need to live as long as I do.
