Boring midsize cars do not depreciate nearly this much. A $22,000 Honda Accord depreciates only $10,500 over five years. Besides, they depreciate this much because those first years of car ownership are worth the most. The car is under warranty and is most trouble-free during the early years. People pay that much for the first years of car ownership because they get more utility from newer cars, not because they are suckers.
A lot of cars coming off lease these days that are two or three years old get certified by the dealer, which gives an extended warranty for the person buying the used car. That's a nice little bonus where you buy the car when it starts hitting linear depreciation and you still have a decent warranty.
