is it stupid to buy a new car vs a used car

no if you want it to go for a long time get a new one. you will not know the expense of fixing a used car a new car will be covered under warrenty

crumbob makes a good point, but personally I would never buy new, not these days. When I bought my Toyota it was 65% cost of new @ 44,000 miles and have had not a lick of trouble

but no problems is not garenteed y would the person want to get rid of it if he was not trying tto make a profit or got tired of fixing it and there is always a chance something will break

There is no set answer to your question. There was a time when used cars were a huge risk, because 1) they were sold as is, with no warranty, 2) there were no lemon-law warranties, 3) cars wore out much faster than they do now, so you risked buying "someone else's problems." Now with CarFax, certified pre-owned and the ever-increasing cost of new cars, used cars are looking better every day. My GENERAL advice (this doesn't hold true for everyone, so PLEASE don't jump all over me) is this: if you want new, you're probably better off leasing it, but if you want to own it then you probably want to consider used.

jclark you said what I was trying to say in a much more articulate way than I could. Good answer.

Nothing stupid about it. Everyone has different needs and ideals and goals. Some good answers above. :)