On this day of the bankruptcy of General Motors, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight a recent article on Edmunds.com that demonstrated that some new cars are currently cheaper than their used counterparts.  Specifically, they are cheaper than the same model-year CPO (certified pre-owned) version of the car, as well as the equivalent car that is one model-year older.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before, and certainly not across so many different models.  Generally, my advice would be to buy a late-model used car to avoid the initial depreciation that typically occurs with the purchase of new cars.  Furthermore, I would think twice about rushing out to buy a new car solely because they are cheaper than they’ve been in a long time.  Nonetheless, if your car is on its last legs, now is a great time to be in the market.

I’ll refrain from providing advice on whether or not to buy a GM vehicle, other than to say that the current restructuring process would not prevent me from buying one, if I was in the market and was able to find a model I liked.  Even if the company cannot find a way to emerge from bankruptcy, I have little doubt that the government will ensure that the proper support is provided for warranty servicing, and I suspect that the deals will continue to roll for awhile.