<prompt> Human: This post was kind of motivated by the other car topic, but how many years back should one buy a car with the idea that cars depreciate rapidly after being bought new?For example, say a car was 50k new 2013 model but if I had waited say 2-3 years bought in 20152016 or I bought a 20092010 to be more realistic I couldve gotten the car used for around 30k 40 depreciation.Basically Im looking for a general guideline, I know things like mileage for example factor into the used cost. Is it 2-3 years, 5-7, 10-15, etc where the depreciation kind of tails off? ThanksAssistant: Lease returns. 3-4 years. IMHOHuman: Ah so youre saying in general the used car market has a lot of leases that were returned, and they generally run a 3-4 year contract?  <response>: This is what I always buy. Generally around 30-40k miles 2-4 years old. Still feels and looks new, but not priced like new. Also, lease means it SHOULD have been well cared for by the dealership. 