<prompt> Human: Im looking for general advice on minimizing how much it costs me to own and operate my own vehicle. Some basic advice that I received from a friend is to buy a 3 year old car with lump sum My budget is 13000 with low mileage and sell it after 3 years. I drive roughly 15K miles per year. His logic is that this way I will not have to have much maintenance and overall after selling it in 3 years I will have bought and sold at sweet spot.It makes sense but I dont know how accurate this is so I would appreciate your advice. Im looking for a mid size or large sedan by the way.Thanks PF.  <response>: If youre looking at strictly financial aspect, buying an older used car, and driving it as long as possible is probably your best solution. However, most people want to incorporate some wants and comfort into decision, and thats when it becomes more complicated.If you can find a one to two year old used car at a reasonable price, buying it and holding onto it for 10 years gives you the best long term outlook. 