<prompt> Human: Hi!I am currently looking at purchasing a used car. As of right now, I am 18 making 28,000 a year with 5,000 saved up as a down payment. I am starting college next year and I want to have as little monthly payments as possible. If I were to buy a car with the 5,000 I have right now, the vehicle could be 19 years old and need maintenance and repairs to get it reliable again. If I did the loan then I would have monthly payments of a few hundred dollars for a few years on top of college, but the vehicle would be newer and much more reliable. Is it better to buy an older used vehicle outright than it is to finance itget a loan on a newer used vehicle?Assistant: The new vs used debate. People can go round and round arguing if the maintenance on a used car is worse than the price of a new. Heres a few things to consider. European cars need the most maintenance, American in the middle, and Japanese the best. There are exceptions, but this is general rule. Boring cars like a civic will be your best value. They make a billion of them, and they are a lot cheaper to start with an SUV or truck. The more stripped down the features, the less that can break.So, on your budget, buy a car that was cheap to begin with. Not a broken down car that was once expensive. And remember. Your at college. If it breaks down, big deal. Youll walk. That said. Can you get away without one? The cheapest solution is to get your buddies to drive you. Human: The used vehicle im looking at is a 1998 Subaru 2.5RS for 4,500 with 150,000 on it and in need of a head gasket. The other option im looking at is a used 2010 Ford Raptor with about the same mileage on it.  <response>: I think youre issue is the vehicles youre looking at. I mean a raptor on 20kyear likely isnt happening for you. Gas an insurance alone will kill you. The Subie isnt a great choice either, as youre already needing to replace the head gasket. Look at something more on the reliable side, for 5k you should be able to find a great corolla, or a decent civic. 