My husband already traded in a 2013 car for a 2000 truck, and I just traded in a 2014 car for a 2003 car - saving myself about $15K over the next 4 years. I did have to move a couple thousand to the loan on the cheaper car, but instead of looking at what each car was worth, I went straight for what I'd save in payments (adding up each total) and that was the most concise way to look at it for my situation.
My advantage was that for all of my car purchases in the past 8 years, I have gone back to the same dealership, same salesman, and that really made a difference. Lots of people get a different car every few years, but it seemed, by how appreciative they were of my business, that most people will go somewhere new each time they get a different/additional vehicle. Craigslist can be ideal, but it all depends on your situation.
I just wanted to share, since I know there have been a lot of threads started in this area of the forums asking advice on car buying.
