I recently bought an '05 after looking at a couple of dozen 430s, 01-06 models. At first I was thinking the same thing: get an older one because they are significantly cheaper and not too different. Well, the more I looked the more I really liked the newer generation cars. And since dealers are pretty much giving them away, I decided to make the jump.
Absolutely no regrets with that decision.
The new cars look better, drive better, and the one I bought felt like a new car, even with 50k miles on it. I love the Modern Luxury package because it has the nav and awesome audio system without the hokey switches in the back seats where people rarely sit. Mine also has a smart key system which is great now that I set it to unlock all the doors instead of just the driver door.
I have recently seen 04 and 05 cars with fairly low mileage listed for $18-$20k here in Northern California. Those disappear fast, but if you are patient and look on Craig's List every day, you will find a great deal. The unlimited Carfax report is well worth the money to weed out the cars that are undesirable.
Happy shopping, foozool99. You won't regret getting a newer car, but if you get an older one you might ask yourself at some point, "should I have gone for it?"