You received good advice; get what you can afford and don't bury yourself in debt.
Plenty of depreciation driving off the lot, so buy smart now and keep saving.
I ordered my '19 GT Premium so I could get it the way I wanted and because I could afford to without impacting my family. I really intended to keep it for many years, and the only reason I traded it in was for a great deal on a '21 GT500. I refused to pay the high mark-up and I wanted a fair price for my GT which was in great shape. Finally negotiated to just over $3k over MSRP and $35k for mine. Yes, it was a large chunk of change that I parted with, but still well within what I've been saving. The advice is worth repeating; get what you can afford and don't bury yourself in debt.
I bought my Mustangs brand new because I’m the only one that’s going to beat the shit out of a sports car that I own. Who knows what someone else did to it?! I know what I do to mine!
but yeah. Most of my other cars have been slightly used and in great shape. Saves a lot of money.
Kia Sportage - Got it on 'friends and family' so it was cheaper than second hand. Seven year warranty so piece of mind whilst the kids were young and car tinkering time was rare.
Mustang - Pretty much zero chance of me finding the colour and spec I wanted second hand (I am in the UK so choice isn't as big as in the USA). The time was right financially. It's a keeper (I hope) so depreciation wasn't high on the list of priorities. I got a better deal on a custom order than what they would give me on a stock showroom car (not sure how that works ?).
I ordered mine new so I could get it exactly how I wanted and be the first owner. Some things I prefer to buy new some used, this is one of those things where new was the only option (I spec my cars a bit different than you usually find used or even new sitting on the lot)
I decided to buy one new vehicle in my life before hitting 30. This car made perfect sense, given it's a reasonably high HP, manual rocket. Getting one that hasn't been beaten on or farted in too much was very appealing. And having an unmolested clutch that I could treat nicely. As well as paint that I could baby from the get go (most people are god awful at caring for their vehicle's paint). In short, I wanted to love on the car in that classic boomer way, but also daily drive and enjoy a V8 masterpiece while it's still financially and practically viable (I don't have kids yet).
I still stuck to my budget though, and I could have definitely gotten a higher option car for the same money instead of my brand new stripper if I had shopped used and looked around. However, I feel the trade was worth it. At least to me.
Sports/muscle cars, Atv’s, and UTV’s usually get used hard by their previous owners. So I buy new unless I know the previous owner and how they maintained and treated it.
I bought my 2020 new a couple months ago mainly because used ones were almost as much as a new one. Also I like that I'm the only one that has messed with the car. so I don't have to waste time undoing anything the previous owner did.
I usually buy used, because I can get more car for the same money I would spend buying new. But, we usually buy new for my wife just because it's the only way I can get her to replace her old car. She tends to keep them well past the point where the expense and inconvenience of maintaining them is worth it.
Always wanted a new-to-me car and something to fill the gap Ford left when I couldn't buy a new Focus ST anymore. I'd be in a different boat if I was smart with my money when I was getting out of the military and just bought a new Focus ST then.
Next car (if any) will probably be used unless I can find a job that can support a single guy owning a house and new car.
NoVa is the cheapest area in the world to buy Mustangs. You can expect several thousand off sticker most of the time. Then you wait until there's 0%, and you're in the green as you drive off the lot.
And then you're paying no interest, no concerns about the health of the vehicle, a full 3/36 warranty, it's brand new, and you're not buying someone else's problem-child.