The big advantages if you buy a car that's new are threefold. First, you get to choose the exact specification you want. Second, you have the protection of a full manufacturer warranty should something go wrong. And third, there's no unknown history to worry about. These aren't the only benefits of buying new, either. Newer cars will have more advanced technology, and the value of this should not be underestimated – particularly in the areas of fuel efficiency (where huge advances have been made comparatively recently) and safety. On the downside, it's also true that most breakdowns in modern cars stem from electrical faults, many of which are not easily cured at the side of the road.
