several reasons.. longer life.. a newer car will hypothetically last me 2-3 years longer than a 2-3 year old car... less mileage.. better warranty.. better financing... i'd like think that i good at maintaining a car, who knows how the used car was treated..
her exact reasons. she has to finance it for such a long time, if she finances a 2004 or so, who knows if it'll be running by the time she done paying it off.