<prompt> Human: I drove a 1999 Buick sedan. It was paid off, had just over 100K miles, and I was prepared for it to last me for another 18 months at least. Two days ago some lady slammed on her brakes on a wet road and I slammed into her. She has cosmetic damage, but my car is completely totaled. The way the law is written makes the wreck entirely my fault. As the rear driver it makes sense, but it just sucks. Some driver slammed on their brakes and I am out a good car.I make 38K annually. I live with my fiancee who makes 20K annually. She owns her car outright. I expect her car to last another 18 months hopefully.In a year, I will graduate with my Masters and expect to make 70K annually. She will graduate with her Bachelors and has a job lined up for 40K annually. All told, our joint income will increase from 58K to 110K. I did the math, and when our income increases I was comfortable with the prospect of buying two new cars and paying off student loans with a decent amount of monthly income left over for savings.However, because of the wreck, Im faced with that decision now, which sucks. I want to do the smart decision, but I dont know what that is.The car that I really wanted to buy in a year was a new Mazda CX5. I like the way it feels, it has options I like, and after paying my dues driving a clunker for years, I wanted to buy a nice new car. With all options and fees, the new Mazda I wanted is about 33K. With my prospective income being what it would be, I considered it an investment in my future.So, what do I do? Do I buy that car now, and suck up the hit to the wallet for a year until my income rises to meet it? Do I buy another clunker for 8K to last me just a year? Do I buy a gently used but good value car for 20K that isnt exactly what I want but will last me just as long?Im not sure what would be considered investing in my future and what would be considered really stupid.TL;DR: I was going to buy my dream car when my income doubles next year, but Im forced to invest in a car NOW. Do I buy a clunker to wait out the year, buy my dream car and be car-poor, or buy something in the middle and be frustrated with it? Whats smarter money?Assistant: First of all, unless you are talking about Antique Ferraris or something, cars are never an investment. They all go down in value, most very very quickly. A new car is almost never a smart financial move. Buying 2-3 years used gets you a car that is still basically new, but can save you thousands or even 10s of thousands depending on the car you are buying. I bought a 2013 Bmw X3 for 32000 in the fall of 2014 with 28k miles. It had a certified warranty, which was better than the factory warranty, and the only thing different from a new one was the smell. The car came with a 43,000 sticker price, and most BMWs sell very close to sticker. So we saved about 10 grand just by giving up the new car smell. The smarter money is 99.9 of the time on a gently used car. Human: Can I ask what you earn in order to justify the BMW?  <response>: Combined about 275k. 