<prompt> Human: So, a bit about my situation:Im a non-traditional student about to earn my first degree. I have a couple of internship options lined up for the summer following graduation, but my priority is grad school, as Im a psychology major and a BS in psych is basically useless without a masters or higher to follow it. By non-traditional I mean Im married, own a home, work two jobs, and have a son in kindergarten.Im driving the car I bought as a sophomore in college, 7 years ago. Its mechanically sound and paid off, but it doesnt really meet my needs as a homeowner, and as a daily driver there are better choices its a sport sedan that gets 17-19MPG around town. My wife has a Ford Escape that works for some hauling, but several times a year I have to borrow my brother-in-laws truck. I am thinking it might be time to trade for a pickup.I am leaning toward a Toyota Tacoma for the following reasons:1 Roomy enough without being oversized- probably will get a crew cab.2 Good gas mileage for a truck probably better than my car, if I opt for standard shift, which I plan to.3 Its a Toyota truck. I can pass this thing on to my kindergarten-age son in 10-11 years and hell still have a reliable vehicle.I bought my last car new and it was a mistake. The depreciation was enormous and I was basically stuck with the car and a gigantic payment for its duration. Toyota trucks dont have that problem- Ive seen 2011 models going for only 2-3 grand less than new- but Id prefer to go used unless theres a truly compelling reason to buy new. 2009 or newer and under 75,000 miles are my starting criteria.My credit is acceptable, and other than 30,000 in student loans I dont have much personal debt to speak of counting mortgage as a household debt as my wife works and we split the bills. We have a small house and are far from overburdened with money but we live comfortably, and having paid my existing car off at 500mo I think I can afford 2-300 without much issue. I would expect to get 8000-10,000 for my current car in trade, and I have a few thousand in personal savings as well, though I would prefer to put that toward the house.Of course, this isnt really a necessary purchase right now, and part of me thinks I should wait a year and see how things look. The only real reason to buy this year is that we get a fair amount of snow and my car doesnt like winter all that much- other than that, my next major need will be next summer, when I start roofing my house Ill want it for hauling shingles and some other general projects.Thoughts? New, used, buy, dont buy? Choice of model, etc?  <response>: I wouldnt trade cars or take more debt while still in school and still in debt. Borrowing or renting a truck a few times a year is far cheaper than financing a truck for all year. 