A new car is almost as bad of an investment as putting your life savings into fireworks. Sure, it looks and smells pretty, but you're left with an empty bag when it's all over.
Last year, I bought a 1999 Yukon, 4X4, all the options for $17K. It was in perfect shape, low miles, and I expect a long life out of it. New, it sold for close to $45K.
A 2 or 3 year old car, properly cared for, is essentially indistinguishable from a new car. The only difference is that all the things that came broken from the factory have been fixed.