[wdb]

Chevy Volts look very enticing these days. With the fed rebate I think buying new makes a heck of a lot of sense, particularly for someone who intends to keep the car for the long term.

I bought three new cars, a Subaru Legacy, STi, and Honda Fit.

The Legacy cost me ~$23K. They shipped the Legacy in from another dealer because of my desired "options" (no leather, manual gearbox, no stupid wing on trunk). It went through 175K miles and two family members before bringing $5K at trade-in. I probably could have gotten better TCO buying used.

The STi was ~$30K (after the dealer dropped list price over $5K!!!). STi's had only one trim level then; they did have a couple of options but they were all dealer installed. I got the color I wanted, not much of a big deal really. I drove it 117K trouble-free miles and got over $19K from the insurance company after it was totaled. I'd be stupendously nervous buying a car like an STi used, and they hold their value very well -- so long as they're not hacked up with bad modifications -- so I'm happy with that call from a TCO perspective. Considering how much enjoyment I got from the car I consider it money very well spent.

The Fit had two trim levels at the time and just a few color options. I got the trim level and color I wanted but I did have to wait two weeks for it to be shipped in. I paid $15K, $200 off list price, because gas had just gone to $4/gallon and Fits were very very hot items. The car had also been introduced in the US just the year before so used Fits were almost nonexistent. I drove it 100K miles and got $9500 from the insurance company after it was hailed to smithereens. Again no complaints in terms of TCO, or anything else for that matter; the car was dead reliable and a hoot to drive. It literally paid for itself in fuel savings compared to the STi. I would not hesitate to buy a used Fit but they hold their price so well that a new one may make just as much sense.

My Taco was bought used. I very nearly gave up trying to find a used one. They are the second highest vehicle in the US for resale value, so the used ones I found were only slightly less expensive than new or else had a bazillion miles on them. I wanted 4wd, v6, auto, tow package, so I was fairly fussy in terms of some options; color, trim level, not so much. I finally found one with 24K miles at $5K less than new price, and snapped it up. I'll have to let you know later how the TCO worked out. To be honest I have no plans of ever selling it so you may have to check with my heirs.