mongoose3800, you make some good points, but some pretty average ones too. There's just as much risk in buying a house as there is in a new car. What would happen to your morgage rates if interest went through the roof, which it could do very easily with all the instability in the world atm, or in 10 years time. Maybe you could still afford the mortage, but there'd be a lot of people who couldn't, and the market would be flooded with people trying to sell, which would dramatically bring down prices. Sure, you've paid $500,000 for the house you own, but now you can only sell it for $300,000. You come across like my boss's wife. She says cars don't make you happy. Bull. Cars don't make her happy. I love cars, and having the privelage of owning a brand new VE would be sweet. I'd rather own one brand new than one that's 16 years old. I too drive a VN, but unlike you by the sounds of it, I take care of it. Mine's in great condition. It's pretty much standard too. I do care if someone spills a drink in it. I do care about every scratch on it. I'd rather be like this than drive around in something shameful. By the way, city driving I'm lucky to get 12L/100km, which really isn't that far off the new V8's these days, and worse than the far more powerful V6's. You don't buy a V8 to bitch about fuel consuption, or tyre wear for that matter. That's just hypocritical. You buy it to put a huge grin on your face. As for no one wanting a dud car, you're right. That's why you look after them in the first place, and use the 5 year warranty to fix anything that might happen to break.