Buying new vs. buying 3-4 years old used

cossie1600

No ifs and buts about, buying a 3-4 years old car is almost always cheaper financially. Yet my question is, is the gap really as big as people say? Here is my situation. I am looking for a new wife mobile. She is leaning toward the Acura MDX as she wants a 3rd row for flexibility. With the discounts and rebate, a new MDX is $37K. If I get a used one, it would cost somewhere around $25-$28K similarly equipped in 2008-2009 with about 40-50K miles. Extended warranty to 120K is available for $2K extra. So the difference between the two car (same style virtually) is $10K. Do you think it is worth the money to fork out for a new car or just take the money and deal with it.

We also looked at a Toyota Highlander. Gap is even smaller due to the resale on the Toyota. I can get a base one for $30K new (with 0%), a fully loaded one for $36K. On the used market, a 3-4 years old base goes for about $21-24K and high 20s for a loaded one from 2009 with basically no warranty left.

What do you guys think?