[CyberFonic]

I have had several used and new cars. Based on my experiences to date, I would buy a "modest" new car which has been in production for a while and has a good reputation. In my experience Japanese cars are reliable, but I'm wary of the cheapest models. Then keep the car for at least 10 years.

Shop around and be on the lookout for sales people "needing to make numbers". On new cars I generally get between 5% to 10% off just by being very aggressive in negotiating. Just apply the same high pressure tactics on them as they would onto you.

When I have narrowed the field to the cars I'm interested in, I chat up people in car parks, at work, etc. By asking leading questions like "Would you buy another ....?" or "If you bought another .... what how would it be different from your current on?" or even "What car do you wish you had bought?". Most people are happy to talk about their experiences. You will more likely hear about the negatives and those are the things to look at very carefully in reaching your decision.

From my experiences even the best cars are more likely to have problems in a new model range. No matter how good the processes, the incidence of problems is higher before things get shaken down.

If you don't care for looks, end of model run-outs are excellent as long as the car is not obviously built out of the last parts in the bin.

With the way the economy is, you just have to be able to make a great deal by not getting emotionally carried away.