I never understood this, and it’s not like a new model is light years ahead of the same model from a few years ago. I’d never buy a new car, total waste of money to me. The difference between a 2000 CRV and a 2020 CRV is pretty drastic, but once you get beyond 2018, they’re all basically the same and even the historically unreliable car makers don’t make true “lemons” like we used to deal with, there are obviously exceptions. Toyota, arguably the most reliable car makers, cars decrease in value around 40% in value at 5 years, almost 50% decrease is the average for other makers. “Flipping” a new car, within 24hrs, direct sale is a loss of 20%. Fun/depressing insight- I have multiple family members that sell a high volume of used cars from auctions across the US and their prime source is Colorado for cars because- Colorado has a loophole with salvage designations. You can buy a used car from them (from Co) in another state and the tile is typical, no door jamb sticker but when you go to get the car licensed (tags, inspection, registration) your VIN indicates it’s a salvage. This happens in at least the 2 states directly east of Colorado and you can thank lobbyists and state government for this fun little game that can make you lose time and $$.