The answer is you should consider buying both used.

Both computers and cars lose value after you buy them....at least in the sense that it would be difficult for you to turn around and sell it for the same amount you paid for it.  But both have become increasingly important to people's lives to the point where they feel essential.

Now if you need a top speed computer for a specific business reason, like say you get paid to do video editing or game design.  Purchasing a top of the line computer might make sense.  If like many people however, you just want to check your e-mail, get online, maybe play a CD (or DVD), do a little word processing or even run some accounting software, you probably don't need a top of the line machine.  You might find a used computer running Windows 2000, XP, on the Mac side OS X, or a free operating system like Linux, will suit your needs just find.

There are enough people and businesses out there buying new computers with every new system or upgrade that pops out, that many perfectly good machines are popping up for sale as used. A few years ago I was able to pick up a Mac with over a thousand dollars worth of graphics software and a scanner thrown in for about $300, cause the lady I bought it from had been given a newer system by the company she works for.

Last week I found Theresa a laptop computer on craigslist.com for $125.  No fancy software, just the standard stuff with the XP operating system, but it has wifi and ethernet cards, plus a CD and floppy drive.  Everything she needs to get online and start writing again.

If you're computer savvy enough to build your own system, that can also be a great way to save money, but for the rest of us, particularly beginners, check out the used market.