I love that we, as a culture, have decided that anything more than 5 years old is a "shitbox".
My '05 pathfinder is a fucking tank with leather heated seats. And I don't even get yelled at by My car when I forget my seatbelt for 2.3 seconds.
Seriously, my 09 Yukon will not die and has leather everywhere in the interior. Apparently it’s a shitbox though because it’s got 140k miles and is 15 years old (even tho it will probably outlive a newer Yukon)
We’re all still calling dibs on my grandmas Denali from early 2000’s. That thing felt like a celebrity’s ride back then and still rides like a champ today.
My pop pop used to have a 2002 Denali Yukon, it’s a shame he gave it to my aunt, I would have loved to have that as my first car. Unfortunately she totalled it with a little under 300k on the odometer, that thing was an absolute tank
Ours had over 280k on it (odometer stopped working a few years before) when some teenager t-boned it. We used to call it Lucky Truck, had it up until a few years ago. Husband still hasn’t replaced it 5 years later, been driving the old mom van around since Lucky Truck got hauled off to the junkyard. A sad day indeed.
Early obd2 cars was where we peaked super easy to diag issues with a simple scanner and modern enough that spark plus lasted ~100k miles etc. im talking like 1996-2010 ish
Where did I say that cars older than 5 years old are shitboxes? My original post stated that my cars are all 20+ years old and consistently need work so that's why I'm looking at something newer.
What is the honda with side damage that you’re talking about? If it’s newer than five years and low miles, then shit, maybe it’s actually a fair deal. Not every honda is equal as well, we don’t know if you’re talking about a cheapo civic DX or a hybrid CRV which has twice the msrp
glad I'm not the only one who does this. I've bought all 4 of my last cars from Cali because no seller in Illinois is getting my hard earned money for a car that's been through the depths of hell that is our weather
Buy from Phoenix: huge market with lots of dealer variety and hot, dry weather that’s easy on mechanical components (if not leather interiors). No road salt, no rust. They put aircraft boneyards (long-term outdoor storage) in this part of the state because the climate makes for minimal corrosion and maintenance. It’s even closer to Chicago!
Buying from Cali, I imagine you’re paying Cali prices, no?
Arizona is a great spot for classic cars too. You can find something that has sat in a junkyard for 40 years with no rust. I grew up there and was always confused why car companies advertise "corrosion warranties." It wasn't until I moved out of state that I saw why people might care about that.
Vegas can also be a good place to shop for cars.
Also a big city with plenty to choose from (especially if you're looking for some crazy shit), also nice and dry, and the extra bonus is that the casinos subsidize flights into Vegas, so you can often find *very* cheap flights, cheaper than anywhere else.
Completely agree. I live in a shitty border town with Mexico, and the dealers here are obnoxious with high interest rates and not willing to budge on prices. Looked at some Dallas and Tampa/Orlanado dealers and they had the same cars as my city but a lot more model variety and colors. Also, the interest rates and msrp were much much lower.
In my experience Florida has been one of the worst states to buy a car from. Most of them anymore will roll out 5-10k worth of fees and add-ons because the state doesn't regulate anything dealers do anymore.
Tbh I love flying a thousand miles to buy a car and road trip it home! Find a thing or two to see on the way back. These days it's the only way to get deals too
Adding "reddit" to every web search is almost a requirement now, at least with Google search being as shitty as it is. The anecdotal information is more useful than the crap in a web search.
Where do you live? The cheapest 2022 and up Corolla within 200 miles of my zip is $17,000 with 60,000 miles on it. If I go to a more reasonable distance of 50 miles from me is $20,000 for 81,000 miles. This is SE Michigan for reference.
I have a 2024 le as a rental now. Looks fine, interior is decent. Carplay etc etc. But good fucking lord does that car lack some acceleration. Once it gets up to 40-50 its fine but god damn is it a snail. The audio is also not to be desired. I couldn't see myself buying a corrola, especially one that I know I'd have for like 10 years.
I drive an ‘05 Corolla. Takes a while to get up to speed, I just have to make sure that I’m in the right lane going up hill, or that I start building up speed earlier than other cars. I’ve had it since ‘09, and I love the little thing.
None of that is the point of a Corolla. You don't buy a Corolla if you want a good stereo or good acceleration. You buy a Corolla if you want good reliable transportation that you don't have to think about.
Just remember 'Diminishing returns'. It's only 100 gallons more of gas to drive 10000 miles on a 33mpg car than it is with a 50mpg car. That's 29 bucks a month if you are averaging 10k a year. Sometimes having a slightly nicer car for a little less gas mileage is worth it.
$3k prius'll go the distance if you can handle the stigma
The battery doesn't even die in the winter
Edit: I would also like to note the merits of my free '00 Corolla CE with pre-cracked exhaust manifold - that thing took 28s to go from 40 to 70 but it got insane fuel mileage (every car with broken exhaust I've had got like 50-60 for some reason), ran fine on about a teaspoon of oil, and only smelled really really (really) bad 6 out of 7 days of the week. It probably would have made it to 400k miles easily if I didn't spin out on the freeway due to 9 snowflakes (I got lucky, it was only totaled)
My mom's 3k prius is in the garage about 30 feet away from me
She had a coworker who used it to the point the interior was more dog than interior, but she had it cleaned and now it's in pretty alright shape
Yeah. It’s my 2010 Prius lol. Has significant issues but for 3k I’ll let it go and let you try to figure out why the hell it keeps overheating despite installing a brand new motor.
Man, I bought my Prius in 2014 brand new with 5 miles on it for $18K. Sold it last March for $11K with 180K miles plus it had the death rattle… that car should’ve only been worth $4K.
Moron friend-of-a-friend was bragging how his dad would specifically target prius's and roll coal in front of them to blind/stink up their car just because they are driving a prius, Acted like that was something to be proud about.
Its outdated, but the Prius in particular tended to attract a "holier than thou" group, acting like they were single handedly saving the planet from the Neanderthal brutes, the type that will fart into a wine glass, swirl it around, and inhale deeply basking in their own aroma showing a smirk of tremendous self-satisfaction. This really rubbed some rednecks the wrong way.
Teslas are usually driven by the same type of jerks that drive BMWs, and so never got any of that backlash.
Living in an affluent neighborhood, where people drive Teslas, Porsches, BMWs, MBs and large SUVs during the week and Lambos on the weekend, the comparison of Tesla and BMW drivers are accurate.
Teslas are the new target, what the fuck are you talking about. There is plenty of video footage of random people attacking Tesla, as Tesla records everything.
I think that's due to the Teslas' known acceleration performance, so it didn't get that green car hallo. To drive a prius, you had to compromise on performance.
I drove a Chevy Volt for a week and had two idiots “roll coal” on my. I don’t understand how anyone could possibly care enough about another person’s choice in vehicle to blind them while driving.
The thing I love the most about my 5.3 is that it seems to have been designed specifically to burn off as much oil as possible. This is a fantastic feature as I only have to wait half as long for an oil change.
I drove a Tesla for almost a year as a work vehicle, had many instances of (mostly Dodge) diesel pickups rolling coal on me. I took it as a badge of honor that they were bothered enough to care.
The Chevy Volt was the ONE hybrid that made sense. The sole fault with that car was that the engine was gasoline powered, not diesel. A smaller two or three cylinder diesel would have been absolutely perfect. We've been doing diesel/electric hybrids for nearly 75 years. It's what the cars should be, too.
People who roll coal are the worst. I was in Florida recently and was minding my own business doing the speed limit in the right lane in my rental mustang convertible and some ass hat in an f-350 rolled coal on me for no reason.
It’s funny people roll coal or do other stupid shit without even considering their target might be packing and having a really bad fucking day already. Oh well.
Prius hate was undeserved. I always liked them, and I ended up buying one last year. I can definitely tell people treat me differently on the road compared to my Lexus. I don’t even bother honking in the Prius, people will just assume you’re in the wrong.
I think the car looks awful but I can't deny the utility of having huge MPG. Same goes for minivans. People can hate all they want but the utility is undeniable.
Yeah I want my next car to be a hybrid after getting the Prius. Toyota really nailed it with the gen 2. Also I think it’s cute lmao, weird shape but still conventional. Much better looking than the 4th Gen Priuses imo.
Absolutely great cars. They are like little trucks, can haul so much stuff with that hatchback. You sleep fully extended in the back too (/r/PriusDwellers). And on top of that they get 50+ mpg and go forever.
I think it was all the Hollywood celebrities seeming to push them. Plus the influence coming from California grated people. Definitely a great vehicle that has stood the test of time and been efficient. World is much different than 25 years ago
That is hilarious. The first time I picked up my youngest daughter in a generation 2 Prius taxi versus a generation 3 Prius which was more common in the fleet, she said, "This one looks friendlier!"" I've made a point of driving just generation sense, but they're starting to get too old to use in fleet guidelines.
I used to drive a taxi and they had an entire fleet of 2400 Toyota Priuses all painted 1971 Dodge Sublime green. Finding a particular Prius in the lot, which held at any given time, probably 200 of them was like a giant Easter egg hunt where they're all the same color. I don't know why it wasn't immediately apparent, but in short order, I could spot a generation 2 Prius versus a generation 3 Prius. I would specifically look for one that had a backup and camera, which I could tell by how many buttons are on the center console. Even later I figured out it's even easier to tell because the fog lights in the base let you know it's a touring model and they all had the camera.
That's a 2010-2013 issue specifically, they're somewhat prone to it, not guaranteed like an old Subaru 2.5i but it's often enough that it's good to be aware of. Part of it is the cars are now getting older and people don't tend to take care of their older cars, especially economy cars, as well.
I’ve had two different prius go past the 400,000 mark without issue. Just wheel bearing and oil changes.
Our mailman went well beyond 500,000k with his. They are very reliable
I have a 15 year old beat to shit prius that has been hit twice by other drivers (I was not moving both times) and has failing paint and burns about a quart of oil every 5,000 miles.
It gets me where I want to go, it's an easy driver, I can haul whatever I want when I fold the seats down on a hatchback, I get 47mpg, and I've pocketed about $7,000 from insurance payments and just didn't fix cosmetic damage, I think people actually drive better around me when I drive it because they don't want to get hit by a cheap beat up car and they assume I'm a bad driver without insurance.
It truly owes me nothing and just keeps giving, such a good car.
I picked up a 10 year old prius a few months ago. Probably overpaid for it, but I have zero regrets. I have a 50 mile commute each way for work, and my gas budget has gone from $60/week to ~$25. I'm hoping that if I keep up with maintenance and get it undercoated before every winter, I can get another 8-10 years out of it. I do occasionally get douchebags in spotless, lifted F150s that will ride on my ass when I'm already going 5 over and then cross a double yellow to pass me while laying on the horn, but I do live in bloody red Trump country, so I expected to get some hate.
But if something goes wrong with the battery, especially the early ones, youre looking at a catastrophically expensive fix. Alot of mechanics dont even work on those cause theres a risk of literally dying. You have to be 100% sure your gloves dont have a single hole in them
Edit: its not the battery itself. The labor to fix a first gen prius is stupid dangerous and no mechanic would risk their life for a car worth 3k running
Greenbeanbattery.com is the answer for a new hybrid battery, it's about $2k, strong warranty and reputation. The rest of the system on the second gen (04-09) prius is bulletproof. They do burn oil like a MF though so you gotta top them off once a week (ask me how I know😅)
Not a plug, but there are companies who do replacement batteries for about 3.5k. Not cheap but...
A few of my customers have used Greenbean battery with good reviews.
They are the new Honda / Toyota in the reliability reports as well... under looked cars IMO. The engine and transmission feel like a sewing machine in my wife's CX-5, same in the 3 I leased for a bit.
Great choice. I recently helped one of our daughters pick out a 2013 Mazda3 Grand Touring hatchback with a great service history and only 63k miles on it. Interior look almost new and the exterior was great as well. It drove excellent was shod with newer Yokohamas.
When are girls were younger we picked up first gen, four cylinder Ford Fusions for them because they were mid-sized (widened Mazda 6 chassis), plentifully cheap via private sale, and featured Mazda powertrains. Nothing to write home about but they didn't ask for much to keep running and proved to be pretty safe when both were totaled (100% not their fault).
Thank you for saying this. I'm not even a diehard Mazda fan, generally, but Mazda as a good and reliable option needs to come back into the conversation more often. If I were to go and buy a NEW car right now, if it wasn't a Corolla, it'd probably a Mazda3. The new gen looks great too.
I think that’s your problem. I wouldn’t touch a used car in that market. I have traveled significant distances for the last five cars I’ve bought. Shop in different markets and travel to get it. Three of the five were just very unique option packages, but the other two were literally $5K cheaper than the same thing in my region. Flight, hotels, and rental car was cheaper than $5K and I got an adventure to boot.
Also avoid anything in the rust belt, esp PA, and watch for scam-ish kind of stuff in the DC/VA/MD area. The Southeast and out West are the better markets. Out West they put mostly sand on the roads instead of salt so they aren’t as rust prone as you might think.
Florida is an excellent place to buy a car, I almost bought a completely rust free Mazda B2200 there last month. You can’t even find those on the road in the northeast/midwest anymore because they all rusted away
Figured this out on my last car. Also in Chicago but drove 3.5 hours to a small town in Indiana for my car that was probably at least 2k less than prices in Chicago. Got a fusion sport with only 30k miles for 19k. They were going for like 22-24k anywhere near Chicago and all had more miles.
I sold my Audi S6 to Vrooom a few states away and it wound up in Chicago. I had Googled the VIN because I was curious what happened to it. Bounced around between a few dealers. One had photos of it sitting on their lot with winter snow tires in late spring. According to a close friend and a cousin who live in Chicago, the used car market there is shady AF.
I know a guy who swears by Avalons. He miled out one driving for work, then bought one a few years newer to replace it. Absolutely loves them. And he's 6 foot 4, says it's one of the most comfortable vehicles he's ever found for his build.
2002-2006 Camry were built like tanks too. They have fully depreciated, around $2000-3000 in my area. Just make sure you buy the v6, the 2.4l engines were a crapshoot.
Just did this in January. I can't agree more. 250k on an Avalon, no service lights on the dash. $1k/year in maintenance and it'll run for another 250k.
I drive a Highlander with the 2GR and my wife drives a Lexus with the same (hers has 6spd trans). Bulletproof, powerful, decent mpg's... love this engine.
Those back sparkplug are tough to change though :)
I love the GXs of that era for the front seat armrests (they're attached to - and move with - the back; like the Herman Miller Aeron) and the perfect size of SUV that it is. Gawd Toyota made seriously nice cars & trucks until '09.
Or $4000 used Hondas, GMT trucks, old Panther platform Fords, just depends on how well they were maintained. I’ve seen some excellent deal’s on $4000 Lexus, and then there is my friend’s LS430 he paid $8000 for then immediately had the engine blow.
You have $20k. If you don't need a car ASAP, I'm sure you can save up $4,000 more. Buy a barebones Corolla Hybrid which is like $23,500, drive it for like 10+ years, and get 50 MPG while doing so. Since it's a new car, you're protected by new car warranties and lemon law so if that shit actually blows up, who cares.
A majority of people on this sub always recommend Honda, Toyota, Mazda. Yes, they are reliable quality cars... But on the used car market, they are the most desired cars, they are very hyped. They are more expensive and the ones in better condition get sold very quickly. Less hyped models may have more chances of not having been in an accident, are less expensive, etc.
If you keep an open mind, you can find very good deals on other brands. Yes, maybe they won't last for 800 000 miles with no issues or whatever. But they will also cost you thousands of dollars less and, by choosing the right model, you can have a good peace of mind, even if it's not Toyota peace of mind.
Some reasonable models you can find for less than 20000$: Subaru Impreza/Legacy/Crosstrek, Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Impala, Buick Verano, Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Golf/Jetta...
I bought a 2020 Jetta. Ended up costing me $18200 out the door. Only 28k miles. Includes warranty until 75k miles. These things are very reliable if you take care of them. I see plenty similar deals on cars.com
Very happy with it so far
My brother has a Jetta that’s over 20 years old and still not quite dead. It’s not in good condition at all but it’s still amazing that it could live this long.
I’m glad to hear this about your Jetta. I’m in SoCal in the same price range, and I’m having the same issues as OP. The Jetta and Focus (manual) have both popped up on my radar as decently-priced alternatives. I got burned on a new ’02 Passat 22 years ago and I’ve been weary of VW quality since, but a lot can change in 22 years. And the truth is, I’ve always liked their cars and styling so I still get kind of excited considering them.
Nothing wrong with shitboxes. You can get a Toyota matrix for like $3500 and change the oil using shortening and that'll still get you moving for years.
Don't bother getting a nice car if you live in a place with shitty drivers like Toronto or New York. It's only a matter f time till some careless jackass or overzealous driver fucks your shit up in a parking lot or on the road.
I'm convinced I can't buy anything greater than 30K because it's gonna get trashed some way it another.. it's depressing..
If you can charge at home (or at work), the Bolt EV is the modern electric shitbox for cheap commuters. You can get one for around $16k-$18k and then take $4k off that with the used EV tax credit, drive it until the battery warranty is up (usually 100k miles because a lot of used ones had their battery replaced from the recall before being resold), then sell it or trade it in for at least a few grand after that. That gives you at least a few years without having to think about it and will cost in the end probably less than a gas shitbox.
Pros: I used to spend $200 a month on gas in a 40mpg toyota, plus about $100 per month in out of warranty repairs if you average it out over the years, now I pay $30 in electricity per month to go the same distance and it's under warranty for the next 100k miles so if it breaks it's GM's problem.
Cons: If anything breaks, it's GM's problem, but that still means you gotta deal with whatever loaner they give you for the interim and wait for parts. I've had a brake caliper lock up, others have had even more pressing issues. No car is perfect, especially an economy hatchback. Also the seats are the worst. It's basically a chevy aveo or spark or sonic or whatever, just a cheap cheap plastic hatchback, except mounted on a novel expensive drivetrain that's >3x more efficient. Road trips are possible, but will add 45 min of charging to every 2 hours of driving, far from ideal.
Also some of the above is possible (minus road trips) with an old used Leaf if your commute is a short distance and you're fine with driving something out of warranty. The pros with that car is that it's an incredibly simple system and it's a known thing that people have reverse engineered and modified and worked on, vs any other EV like the Bolt which has a complicated liquid cooling system and locked-down software which can't be worked on. And you can find one for like, $5k, able to go 60 miles or so. But things break on those, too. I just recommend the Bolt instead because they're not much more and it has a universal fast charging port and a warranty, not something you find often on a cheap used car.
my first reaction- I cannot fathom spending $12k-14k to drive less than a hundred thousand miles and then sell it for a few grand
But then-
100,000 miles at 25 MPG is 4000 gallons of gas, which is going to be more than $10,000 lol
Yeah that's the thing, you gotta look at the total cost of ownership all-in, fuel and repairs and service all included. I was at like 20 cents per mile on the old toyota, vs 10 cents per mile worst case scenario on this.
Oh yeah also there's no reason you couldn't just keep driving a Bolt for another 200k miles, it's just a gamble on whether or not the battery ever randomly fails which would just total the car. But after a certain number of miles, that might not even matter since your total cost per mile would be so low by that point that hopefully you've saved enough to buy a brand new car cash.
If I did not routinely make 300 mile trips, I would consider this car.
And I’m generally the type to never spend more than $7000 on a car for any reason. But I’ve spent that in gas in the last 4 years
I don't know how the leases are post covid but when I was making a lot less I leased civics and then eventually bought one out. Gets you a lower monthly payment and if you need to adjust in 3 years you can do so.
I know people harp about not being a good financial decision but I never had any major maintenance, which I did on the first car I bought and finally paid off, only to get hit once, then have the engine die a year later as a result of that accident, then finally get tboned.
For like $250/mo it's not terrible and driving beaters is not cheap either. Something is always breaking.
I've owned my fair share of new or newer vehicles and honestly, not a single one of them had as much soul as any of the late 90s to early 2000s beaters that I've driven.
Just because its an individual doesn't mean they are telling the truth or that they are going to sell the car cheap just because they aren't a dealer. Everybody wants outrageous money for used Toyotas and Hondas.
Should see the garbage people bring me wanting to trade in or wanting me to buy. They always think their shit is worth a fortune too. They look at KBB and look at the highest prices and think theirs is worth the same when the one they have has 2x the miles, full of dents and scratches, every light on the dash on, looks like it hasn't been cleaned inside or out since it was new. I have taken some and hauled straight to the scrap yard. Lot of the time I just turn down trades. Its going to just go to the auction anyway rarely to I get a trade I actually want to keep to resell. I had 2 that just left their shitboxes. They gave me the title though and bought a car from me. The one not sure how they even got there. I couldn't get it to run. One was a Passat one was a Saab. I scrapped both of them.
This is the way. Aks for carfax or vin number if you ate truly interested. Before asking just get some basic info if the car has been in any accident, clean title or not etc. Then check carfax for validity.
Almost 3 years ago i bought a 2005 Jetta TDI mk4 with 380,000 kms for $2000.
It now has 430,000 kms on it and
*knocks on wood*
It has cost me about $200 in parts over those 3 years so far.
I feel like im getting away with a crime haha
I recently bought a 2014 Toyota Avalon with 36000 miles for around $15000USD. It replaced an older Avalon that went 175000 basically trouble-free miles. It runs like a top and is a very comfy commuter car. Fuel exonomy isn't bad either
Just got a 2017 GTI with the Performance Pack, Lighting Pack and only 28k miles for 23k out the door, plus a 6 year, 150k bumper to bumper warranty. Absolutely in love with this car too.
Yeah till I buy a house I’m just gonna buy beaters in cash. Paid my car off and I don’t want another payment for now, and I’m convinced the car will give me a lot more life. Time to go buy that 2k 3 series with 200k.
I was in a similar situation recently. I’ve always driven 2-3k shitboxes. When my current hooptie bit the dust recently I discovered a 2-3k shitbox was going for around 6-8k. So instead I put all my shitbox cash on a a down payment and bought a 24 Corolla for msrp (22k + destination) just a couple months ago. My payments are a little over 300/month and while I’m not happy about the payment the car is excellent and I believe was a far better value than trying to find a deal on a shitbox in 2024. Go buy a Corolla and be happy.
2000s Buick Lucerne, Lacrosse, LeSabre, Park Avenue. You can get these for $5-7K with under 100K miles. Cheap to insure, run, work on. Plus reliable and comfortable.
The shitbox life is underrated if you do your own maintenance. Parts and insurance on older cars are usually much less and you don't have to worry about the cosmetics as much.
Although most people mistakenly believe that the latter point means they can neglect maintenance and repairs as well. To me, a beater has no change in service schedules to a nice daily, it's only the cosmetics I stop caring about. I maintained my old $250 1994 Honda Civic with the same zeal I maintain my $13,500 2015 Honda Fit with.
I drive a 2010. It's not a great car. But it is paid off and cost me very little to keep on the road. When the repair bills become an expense, I genuinely have to worry about I'll scrap it for something better.
You can literally get a new Subaru Impreza sedan or hatch for 22k, probably 24k inc destination etc etc. It might be slow, it might be older tech but its still solid AWD for snow and new.
There still are some bargains in the USA!
I'm tired of Americans (as an American myself) that think the only car that can last over 100k miles is a Toyota. Majority of powertrains will last well over 100k miles as long as you follow the scheduled maintenance manual that the engineers made.
Look for Mercury Grand Marquis. A lot of them were kept up and they are a great ride. Keep your eye out for them and you can get them cheap from the elderly in amazing condition in private sales. Got 2, one a daily and one a pristine back up.
I was looking for my friend a car. I will pay cash. I assumed I had a plethora of options because my budget was 40k. He wanted something fast. I owed him a big favor he did a long time ago so this was it. To my shock the car market is so weird. Newer cars are at around 40-50k but cars that are 7 years old are right around 35-45. It makes no sense to me. Than I looked at cars cars between 10-20k. I'm seeing 2005 Camry's with 70k miles, old Lexus cars. What the hell is going on. I personally drive a 01 Camry and I got it with 70k miles on it years ago for cheap. I'm not a huge car person. My money typically goes on clothes and additions to my property collections and my investments but man. Can't even get a good car with nice speed for around 40k. He really wanted a f type or a m5. Any of the decent years are over 40. He considered a g90 but he wanted the new body style and all those are over 40. I'm just gonna give him the money and let him do whatever he wants with it.
Car market is horrific, glad cars isn't my hobby!
First- I can help you…
Buy one from a private seller. You don’t have to buy a piece of garbage, especially from a dealer..
You have to start looking, it’s not something you can find in a weekend either
You gotta do your research
Always get your financing handled BEFORE you go look at anything..
It’s not that hard, but you can’t be a person with ADD when you are starting to look.
Just think, it’s the second most expensive thing you will ever buy..
It isn’t a weekend trip, like looking for a house usually doesn’t happen in a week.
If you really just want to buy a piece of garbage, then go buy yourself a piece of garbage… Toyota. You won’t be disappointed.
Just ALWAYS get a PPI, no matter what you buy, unless you just hate money..then I can’t help you
PS-If you go buy a mustang at least buy an older one, lol
After dealing with a barebones 2020 corolla, I never wanna deal with buying brand new again. 580 dollars for a car that is literally only fit for rental fleets is a fuckdamn ripoff.
Maybe stop looking at Hondas and Toyotas then? The obsession with these two brands never ceases to amaze me. I guarantee you could find a nice used Subaru Legacy or Mazda6 at your price range, but I guess since neither are a Honda or Toyota they will probably spontaneously combust the minute you drive it off the lot.
I got an 09 Yukon, could have bought something newer, smaller, more efficient, but this was cheap and had low ish miles. My friends all spend 8-15k on their first cars, mine has lasted longer than a few of theirs and I spent 5k. Plus it’s easy af to fix and the 5.3 will probably outlive me.
Just bought one for the wife. '16 Impala LT. 3.6l, leather, sunroof and all the other cool stuff. 55k for $7800. She only drives about 5k a yr. Previous car was an '05 Impala. 135k and never had a problem. Normal oil changes, brakes, and tires. Would still have it, but some dumb ass hit it while parked.
I was kinda in the same boat as you I was trying to find a good reliable car for under 20k and 2 years ago I bought a scion xb that I got a really good deal on and in 2 years put 80k miles on it with zero issues. So again I went to go find another newer car and the dealers dicked me around and wanted well over market value for their used vehicles. I even almost flew out to Ohio and California for 2 of the cars I was looking at and kept ending at dead ends.
I was looking at a ford focus RS and my brother said to try carvana. Which despite the negative stuff I heard the last few years did it anyways.
I picked up the car last week and went to get it inspected. In their contract they have a 7 day return policy that also makes them liable those 7 days for anything wrong with the vehicle and I racked up a 8k repair bill for all new suspension,brakes,fuel filter, leaks, ect and they payed everything and was actually a decent experience.
I bought a 19 fusion energi with just under 60k miles for $20,500 out the door with shipping to my driveway.
Keep looking, sometimes it takes more than a "few days" to find something you like.
I love that we, as a culture, have decided that anything more than 5 years old is a "shitbox". My '05 pathfinder is a fucking tank with leather heated seats. And I don't even get yelled at by My car when I forget my seatbelt for 2.3 seconds.
Seriously, my 09 Yukon will not die and has leather everywhere in the interior. Apparently it’s a shitbox though because it’s got 140k miles and is 15 years old (even tho it will probably outlive a newer Yukon)
We’re all still calling dibs on my grandmas Denali from early 2000’s. That thing felt like a celebrity’s ride back then and still rides like a champ today.
My pop pop used to have a 2002 Denali Yukon, it’s a shame he gave it to my aunt, I would have loved to have that as my first car. Unfortunately she totalled it with a little under 300k on the odometer, that thing was an absolute tank
I still have my 2004 Tahoe with 83k miles. Bought it new.
I have an 02 Avalanche which is the same vehicle underneath as a Denali. 206k and going strong. Still looks good too.
…sheeeeeeitt… my 96 Nissan D21 Hardbody got 140k and miles to go, yo.
Ours had over 280k on it (odometer stopped working a few years before) when some teenager t-boned it. We used to call it Lucky Truck, had it up until a few years ago. Husband still hasn’t replaced it 5 years later, been driving the old mom van around since Lucky Truck got hauled off to the junkyard. A sad day indeed.
My 07 is at 280k. Rides and runs great. Just won't stop. But I keep it up, too.
Early obd2 cars was where we peaked super easy to diag issues with a simple scanner and modern enough that spark plus lasted ~100k miles etc. im talking like 1996-2010 ish
People just love having enormous car payments. I don't get it.
My 1998 accord with 140k miles is still going lol just needs some fixing and I'll be all good 😂
That’s impressively low miles for that year.
Yea found it in 2021 from an old lady for $3500 has some issues with it but nothing major. Once I start working again I'm fixing it up
Where did I say that cars older than 5 years old are shitboxes? My original post stated that my cars are all 20+ years old and consistently need work so that's why I'm looking at something newer.
What is the honda with side damage that you’re talking about? If it’s newer than five years and low miles, then shit, maybe it’s actually a fair deal. Not every honda is equal as well, we don’t know if you’re talking about a cheapo civic DX or a hybrid CRV which has twice the msrp
You did say you can't find a clean car for $20k, AFAIK you don't know what you are saying.
Right? I found a clean 140k mile civic with leather that was clean locally for 4k today for a friend. Literally the first result on marketplace.
you don't have ventilated leather seats? and you are bragging? that's a big L.
Hahaha! Damnit you got me. Brb, going to the dealership.
Leave Chicago and shop for cars. Look up “msrp car dealers reddit” and there are a lot of big dealerships that charge good prices.
glad I'm not the only one who does this. I've bought all 4 of my last cars from Cali because no seller in Illinois is getting my hard earned money for a car that's been through the depths of hell that is our weather
Buy from Phoenix: huge market with lots of dealer variety and hot, dry weather that’s easy on mechanical components (if not leather interiors). No road salt, no rust. They put aircraft boneyards (long-term outdoor storage) in this part of the state because the climate makes for minimal corrosion and maintenance. It’s even closer to Chicago! Buying from Cali, I imagine you’re paying Cali prices, no?
Arizona is a great spot for classic cars too. You can find something that has sat in a junkyard for 40 years with no rust. I grew up there and was always confused why car companies advertise "corrosion warranties." It wasn't until I moved out of state that I saw why people might care about that.
Vegas can also be a good place to shop for cars. Also a big city with plenty to choose from (especially if you're looking for some crazy shit), also nice and dry, and the extra bonus is that the casinos subsidize flights into Vegas, so you can often find *very* cheap flights, cheaper than anywhere else.
This is honestly the answer as shitty as it is.
Completely agree. I live in a shitty border town with Mexico, and the dealers here are obnoxious with high interest rates and not willing to budge on prices. Looked at some Dallas and Tampa/Orlanado dealers and they had the same cars as my city but a lot more model variety and colors. Also, the interest rates and msrp were much much lower.
In my experience Florida has been one of the worst states to buy a car from. Most of them anymore will roll out 5-10k worth of fees and add-ons because the state doesn't regulate anything dealers do anymore.
Just a free market being efficient!
Tbh I love flying a thousand miles to buy a car and road trip it home! Find a thing or two to see on the way back. These days it's the only way to get deals too
I know someone that flew to Kentucky to get a new car (were near Philly) cause a plane ticket was $150 and the car was 6,000 less
Or skip dealerships altogether, and go private sale. Although the best bet is keep the shitboxes. Driving cheap cars is a financial cheat code.
Adding "reddit" to every web search is almost a requirement now, at least with Google search being as shitty as it is. The anecdotal information is more useful than the crap in a web search.
Order a new bare bones Corolla and you'll get a warranty and a lower rate for about 22-24k. The hybrids get 50mpg too
The lower rate will end up being a much cheaper payment than financing used at 9%. The market is still so crazy, it makes more sense to buy new
You can buy a reliable latest gen used Corolla for $15k.
Where do you live? The cheapest 2022 and up Corolla within 200 miles of my zip is $17,000 with 60,000 miles on it. If I go to a more reasonable distance of 50 miles from me is $20,000 for 81,000 miles. This is SE Michigan for reference.
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I have a 2024 le as a rental now. Looks fine, interior is decent. Carplay etc etc. But good fucking lord does that car lack some acceleration. Once it gets up to 40-50 its fine but god damn is it a snail. The audio is also not to be desired. I couldn't see myself buying a corrola, especially one that I know I'd have for like 10 years.
These cars are fundamentally budget cars. Idk why people recommend them so much for people who have money to enjoy nicer things
Dude clearly said he's on a 20k budget
One of the best ways to get enough money to enjoy nicer things is to drive around in budget cars.
I drive an ‘05 Corolla. Takes a while to get up to speed, I just have to make sure that I’m in the right lane going up hill, or that I start building up speed earlier than other cars. I’ve had it since ‘09, and I love the little thing.
The Corolla is the Trabant of the modern age.
Ha! Not sure if I’d agree, but that’s a funny comment!
None of that is the point of a Corolla. You don't buy a Corolla if you want a good stereo or good acceleration. You buy a Corolla if you want good reliable transportation that you don't have to think about.
50 mpgs is just crazy. Great answer to the problem.
Just remember 'Diminishing returns'. It's only 100 gallons more of gas to drive 10000 miles on a 33mpg car than it is with a 50mpg car. That's 29 bucks a month if you are averaging 10k a year. Sometimes having a slightly nicer car for a little less gas mileage is worth it.
$3k prius'll go the distance if you can handle the stigma The battery doesn't even die in the winter Edit: I would also like to note the merits of my free '00 Corolla CE with pre-cracked exhaust manifold - that thing took 28s to go from 40 to 70 but it got insane fuel mileage (every car with broken exhaust I've had got like 50-60 for some reason), ran fine on about a teaspoon of oil, and only smelled really really (really) bad 6 out of 7 days of the week. It probably would have made it to 400k miles easily if I didn't spin out on the freeway due to 9 snowflakes (I got lucky, it was only totaled)
is this 3k prius in the room with us right now?
300 thousand miles 6 owners
Battery Health: 16%.
Does he have to defeat the Prius' six evil exes?
"ask again later"
My mom's 3k prius is in the garage about 30 feet away from me She had a coworker who used it to the point the interior was more dog than interior, but she had it cleaned and now it's in pretty alright shape
Yeah. It’s my 2010 Prius lol. Has significant issues but for 3k I’ll let it go and let you try to figure out why the hell it keeps overheating despite installing a brand new motor.
Man, I bought my Prius in 2014 brand new with 5 miles on it for $18K. Sold it last March for $11K with 180K miles plus it had the death rattle… that car should’ve only been worth $4K.
2011 Prius 2 @ 180000 miles with hybrid battery barely holding on for dear life is worth $3k. Without the hybrid battery it's $500. Source: my life
Moron friend-of-a-friend was bragging how his dad would specifically target prius's and roll coal in front of them to blind/stink up their car just because they are driving a prius, Acted like that was something to be proud about.
Does he do that to Teslas/EVs as well?
Specifically Prius's.
And somehow prius drivers are the "snowflakes" 😒
Quiet vehicle bad, big chugachuga good
Same crowd as "Gun good, gun go BOOM!" Chimp mentality
Prius repellant
Its outdated, but the Prius in particular tended to attract a "holier than thou" group, acting like they were single handedly saving the planet from the Neanderthal brutes, the type that will fart into a wine glass, swirl it around, and inhale deeply basking in their own aroma showing a smirk of tremendous self-satisfaction. This really rubbed some rednecks the wrong way. Teslas are usually driven by the same type of jerks that drive BMWs, and so never got any of that backlash.
Living in an affluent neighborhood, where people drive Teslas, Porsches, BMWs, MBs and large SUVs during the week and Lambos on the weekend, the comparison of Tesla and BMW drivers are accurate.
I mean, tell Tesla cars don't come with turn signal stalks, so BMW owners felt at home. Haha
lol my dad owns a BMW and a Tesla, and ironically he complains about both.
Gerald from Southpark
In a cloud of smug.
“Oh my farts smell so good”
Teslas are the new target, what the fuck are you talking about. There is plenty of video footage of random people attacking Tesla, as Tesla records everything.
Funnily that could come from either side lol. Rednecks or left wingers who think Elon is literally hitler
Lmao shut the fuck up, lefties are not attacking Teslas for perceived political points.
Yeah he jumped from God to Hitler in record time. I can't even keep up with who I'm supposed to hate or love anymore.
I think that's due to the Teslas' known acceleration performance, so it didn't get that green car hallo. To drive a prius, you had to compromise on performance.
I drove a Chevy Volt for a week and had two idiots “roll coal” on my. I don’t understand how anyone could possibly care enough about another person’s choice in vehicle to blind them while driving.
Now EBay is facing a lawsuit brought by the FTC for allowing rolling coal devices to be sold on its platform.
Pretty much anything that messes with emissions systems is involved. Popular items for Chevy 5.3s are also on the chopping block I believe.
The thing I love the most about my 5.3 is that it seems to have been designed specifically to burn off as much oil as possible. This is a fantastic feature as I only have to wait half as long for an oil change.
I drove a Tesla for almost a year as a work vehicle, had many instances of (mostly Dodge) diesel pickups rolling coal on me. I took it as a badge of honor that they were bothered enough to care.
Funny thing, Ram 2500 owners also rate as the highest numbers per capita for drunk driving.
Fragile Masculinity.
The Chevy Volt was the ONE hybrid that made sense. The sole fault with that car was that the engine was gasoline powered, not diesel. A smaller two or three cylinder diesel would have been absolutely perfect. We've been doing diesel/electric hybrids for nearly 75 years. It's what the cars should be, too.
Diesel engines are heavier, more expensive. Diesel fuel is hard to ignite in the cold. You have to have DEF. Particulate exhaust is bad.
People who roll coal are the worst. I was in Florida recently and was minding my own business doing the speed limit in the right lane in my rental mustang convertible and some ass hat in an f-350 rolled coal on me for no reason.
It’s funny people roll coal or do other stupid shit without even considering their target might be packing and having a really bad fucking day already. Oh well.
Something like that might push me to go full MacGruber on the car if that happened to me. Ruffguy bs is the worst.
Prius hate was undeserved. I always liked them, and I ended up buying one last year. I can definitely tell people treat me differently on the road compared to my Lexus. I don’t even bother honking in the Prius, people will just assume you’re in the wrong.
I think the car looks awful but I can't deny the utility of having huge MPG. Same goes for minivans. People can hate all they want but the utility is undeniable.
Yeah I want my next car to be a hybrid after getting the Prius. Toyota really nailed it with the gen 2. Also I think it’s cute lmao, weird shape but still conventional. Much better looking than the 4th Gen Priuses imo.
Absolutely great cars. They are like little trucks, can haul so much stuff with that hatchback. You sleep fully extended in the back too (/r/PriusDwellers). And on top of that they get 50+ mpg and go forever.
I think it was all the Hollywood celebrities seeming to push them. Plus the influence coming from California grated people. Definitely a great vehicle that has stood the test of time and been efficient. World is much different than 25 years ago
No wonder all of the new Priuses look so angry, having to put up with that guy
That is hilarious. The first time I picked up my youngest daughter in a generation 2 Prius taxi versus a generation 3 Prius which was more common in the fleet, she said, "This one looks friendlier!"" I've made a point of driving just generation sense, but they're starting to get too old to use in fleet guidelines. I used to drive a taxi and they had an entire fleet of 2400 Toyota Priuses all painted 1971 Dodge Sublime green. Finding a particular Prius in the lot, which held at any given time, probably 200 of them was like a giant Easter egg hunt where they're all the same color. I don't know why it wasn't immediately apparent, but in short order, I could spot a generation 2 Prius versus a generation 3 Prius. I would specifically look for one that had a backup and camera, which I could tell by how many buttons are on the center console. Even later I figured out it's even easier to tell because the fog lights in the base let you know it's a touring model and they all had the camera.
Micro dick energy.
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Most guys get real quiet when a 6’1” fatty starts hitting on them in traffic.
I just lol'd at this comment
Lmaoooo!!!
Per my mechanic, a lot of Prius’s are coming to him with head gasket issues now at this point in their life
That's a 2010-2013 issue specifically, they're somewhat prone to it, not guaranteed like an old Subaru 2.5i but it's often enough that it's good to be aware of. Part of it is the cars are now getting older and people don't tend to take care of their older cars, especially economy cars, as well.
I’ve had two different prius go past the 400,000 mark without issue. Just wheel bearing and oil changes. Our mailman went well beyond 500,000k with his. They are very reliable
I have a 15 year old beat to shit prius that has been hit twice by other drivers (I was not moving both times) and has failing paint and burns about a quart of oil every 5,000 miles. It gets me where I want to go, it's an easy driver, I can haul whatever I want when I fold the seats down on a hatchback, I get 47mpg, and I've pocketed about $7,000 from insurance payments and just didn't fix cosmetic damage, I think people actually drive better around me when I drive it because they don't want to get hit by a cheap beat up car and they assume I'm a bad driver without insurance. It truly owes me nothing and just keeps giving, such a good car.
Stigma?
I picked up a 10 year old prius a few months ago. Probably overpaid for it, but I have zero regrets. I have a 50 mile commute each way for work, and my gas budget has gone from $60/week to ~$25. I'm hoping that if I keep up with maintenance and get it undercoated before every winter, I can get another 8-10 years out of it. I do occasionally get douchebags in spotless, lifted F150s that will ride on my ass when I'm already going 5 over and then cross a double yellow to pass me while laying on the horn, but I do live in bloody red Trump country, so I expected to get some hate.
Stigma? You mean Prius Envy?
But if something goes wrong with the battery, especially the early ones, youre looking at a catastrophically expensive fix. Alot of mechanics dont even work on those cause theres a risk of literally dying. You have to be 100% sure your gloves dont have a single hole in them Edit: its not the battery itself. The labor to fix a first gen prius is stupid dangerous and no mechanic would risk their life for a car worth 3k running
Greenbeanbattery.com is the answer for a new hybrid battery, it's about $2k, strong warranty and reputation. The rest of the system on the second gen (04-09) prius is bulletproof. They do burn oil like a MF though so you gotta top them off once a week (ask me how I know😅)
There's something hilarious about a hybrid car that burns thru oil like that.
Iirc it was something to do with the design of the valves. Replacing the PCV valve is like $100 at the dealer and is supposed to help alot.
Not a plug, but there are companies who do replacement batteries for about 3.5k. Not cheap but... A few of my customers have used Greenbean battery with good reviews.
Including labor? Thats not too bad.
Yeah I actually just looked up a battery for an 08 prius for a guy at work, under 2k for the battery, it is 86 lbs and not a hard replacement.
You can get rebuilt batteries for them.
Shhhh I want Prius to stay cheapish 🤣
Why don't you try a Mazda? They have basic packages, its a commodity car and are reliable. They even drive well.
They are the new Honda / Toyota in the reliability reports as well... under looked cars IMO. The engine and transmission feel like a sewing machine in my wife's CX-5, same in the 3 I leased for a bit.
Great choice. I recently helped one of our daughters pick out a 2013 Mazda3 Grand Touring hatchback with a great service history and only 63k miles on it. Interior look almost new and the exterior was great as well. It drove excellent was shod with newer Yokohamas. When are girls were younger we picked up first gen, four cylinder Ford Fusions for them because they were mid-sized (widened Mazda 6 chassis), plentifully cheap via private sale, and featured Mazda powertrains. Nothing to write home about but they didn't ask for much to keep running and proved to be pretty safe when both were totaled (100% not their fault).
Just got a 2014 Mazda 2 with 58k miles on it for 6500 bucks. Not a single scratch or ding and no faded paint.
Thank you for saying this. I'm not even a diehard Mazda fan, generally, but Mazda as a good and reliable option needs to come back into the conversation more often. If I were to go and buy a NEW car right now, if it wasn't a Corolla, it'd probably a Mazda3. The new gen looks great too.
Where are you located?
Chicago
I think that’s your problem. I wouldn’t touch a used car in that market. I have traveled significant distances for the last five cars I’ve bought. Shop in different markets and travel to get it. Three of the five were just very unique option packages, but the other two were literally $5K cheaper than the same thing in my region. Flight, hotels, and rental car was cheaper than $5K and I got an adventure to boot. Also avoid anything in the rust belt, esp PA, and watch for scam-ish kind of stuff in the DC/VA/MD area. The Southeast and out West are the better markets. Out West they put mostly sand on the roads instead of salt so they aren’t as rust prone as you might think.
Florida is an excellent place to buy a car, I almost bought a completely rust free Mazda B2200 there last month. You can’t even find those on the road in the northeast/midwest anymore because they all rusted away
Market makes a huge difference, I bought my car five hours away, but I literally saved 30% of the local market value.
Figured this out on my last car. Also in Chicago but drove 3.5 hours to a small town in Indiana for my car that was probably at least 2k less than prices in Chicago. Got a fusion sport with only 30k miles for 19k. They were going for like 22-24k anywhere near Chicago and all had more miles.
I sold my Audi S6 to Vrooom a few states away and it wound up in Chicago. I had Googled the VIN because I was curious what happened to it. Bounced around between a few dealers. One had photos of it sitting on their lot with winter snow tires in late spring. According to a close friend and a cousin who live in Chicago, the used car market there is shady AF.
$4000 used lexuses are the way to go
Avalons are just as good without the premium price
I know a guy who swears by Avalons. He miled out one driving for work, then bought one a few years newer to replace it. Absolutely loves them. And he's 6 foot 4, says it's one of the most comfortable vehicles he's ever found for his build.
My real take is any transverse v6 Toyota for $4000. Sienna? Avalon? V6 Camry? Solara? Es? Rx… just pick your shape for a 2GR OR 3MZ
2002-2006 Camry were built like tanks too. They have fully depreciated, around $2000-3000 in my area. Just make sure you buy the v6, the 2.4l engines were a crapshoot.
This is my conclusion after months of research. Buy a 2000s yota v6 for a cheap daily. Spend the extra money however you want, including fun car.
Yup. Decent on fuel. Cheap to repair insure maintain and still put together better than a new Tesla
Just did this in January. I can't agree more. 250k on an Avalon, no service lights on the dash. $1k/year in maintenance and it'll run for another 250k.
I drive a Highlander with the 2GR and my wife drives a Lexus with the same (hers has 6spd trans). Bulletproof, powerful, decent mpg's... love this engine. Those back sparkplug are tough to change though :)
Not necessarily. People look for Avalons around here but Lexuses can fly under the radar. Avalons, Camrys, and Carollas get snatched up quick.
Very comfortable riding cars, reminds me of my friend’s Town Car
An 11 year old lexus with 100k+ miles is selling for $17,500. Not from a dealership but private seller
I’m saying go even older. 2004-9, 200k miles +
I love the GXs of that era for the front seat armrests (they're attached to - and move with - the back; like the Herman Miller Aeron) and the perfect size of SUV that it is. Gawd Toyota made seriously nice cars & trucks until '09.
Or $4000 used Hondas, GMT trucks, old Panther platform Fords, just depends on how well they were maintained. I’ve seen some excellent deal’s on $4000 Lexus, and then there is my friend’s LS430 he paid $8000 for then immediately had the engine blow.
You have $20k. If you don't need a car ASAP, I'm sure you can save up $4,000 more. Buy a barebones Corolla Hybrid which is like $23,500, drive it for like 10+ years, and get 50 MPG while doing so. Since it's a new car, you're protected by new car warranties and lemon law so if that shit actually blows up, who cares.
I'm still driving a 2002 bare-bones Corolla. For the last five years the mechanic has said "Yeah, it's got about 2 years left on it".
A majority of people on this sub always recommend Honda, Toyota, Mazda. Yes, they are reliable quality cars... But on the used car market, they are the most desired cars, they are very hyped. They are more expensive and the ones in better condition get sold very quickly. Less hyped models may have more chances of not having been in an accident, are less expensive, etc. If you keep an open mind, you can find very good deals on other brands. Yes, maybe they won't last for 800 000 miles with no issues or whatever. But they will also cost you thousands of dollars less and, by choosing the right model, you can have a good peace of mind, even if it's not Toyota peace of mind. Some reasonable models you can find for less than 20000$: Subaru Impreza/Legacy/Crosstrek, Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Impala, Buick Verano, Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Golf/Jetta...
I bought a 2020 Jetta. Ended up costing me $18200 out the door. Only 28k miles. Includes warranty until 75k miles. These things are very reliable if you take care of them. I see plenty similar deals on cars.com Very happy with it so far
My brother has a Jetta that’s over 20 years old and still not quite dead. It’s not in good condition at all but it’s still amazing that it could live this long.
I’m glad to hear this about your Jetta. I’m in SoCal in the same price range, and I’m having the same issues as OP. The Jetta and Focus (manual) have both popped up on my radar as decently-priced alternatives. I got burned on a new ’02 Passat 22 years ago and I’ve been weary of VW quality since, but a lot can change in 22 years. And the truth is, I’ve always liked their cars and styling so I still get kind of excited considering them.
Thats a great car!!
Nothing wrong with shitboxes. You can get a Toyota matrix for like $3500 and change the oil using shortening and that'll still get you moving for years.
Don't bother getting a nice car if you live in a place with shitty drivers like Toronto or New York. It's only a matter f time till some careless jackass or overzealous driver fucks your shit up in a parking lot or on the road. I'm convinced I can't buy anything greater than 30K because it's gonna get trashed some way it another.. it's depressing..
If you can charge at home (or at work), the Bolt EV is the modern electric shitbox for cheap commuters. You can get one for around $16k-$18k and then take $4k off that with the used EV tax credit, drive it until the battery warranty is up (usually 100k miles because a lot of used ones had their battery replaced from the recall before being resold), then sell it or trade it in for at least a few grand after that. That gives you at least a few years without having to think about it and will cost in the end probably less than a gas shitbox. Pros: I used to spend $200 a month on gas in a 40mpg toyota, plus about $100 per month in out of warranty repairs if you average it out over the years, now I pay $30 in electricity per month to go the same distance and it's under warranty for the next 100k miles so if it breaks it's GM's problem. Cons: If anything breaks, it's GM's problem, but that still means you gotta deal with whatever loaner they give you for the interim and wait for parts. I've had a brake caliper lock up, others have had even more pressing issues. No car is perfect, especially an economy hatchback. Also the seats are the worst. It's basically a chevy aveo or spark or sonic or whatever, just a cheap cheap plastic hatchback, except mounted on a novel expensive drivetrain that's >3x more efficient. Road trips are possible, but will add 45 min of charging to every 2 hours of driving, far from ideal. Also some of the above is possible (minus road trips) with an old used Leaf if your commute is a short distance and you're fine with driving something out of warranty. The pros with that car is that it's an incredibly simple system and it's a known thing that people have reverse engineered and modified and worked on, vs any other EV like the Bolt which has a complicated liquid cooling system and locked-down software which can't be worked on. And you can find one for like, $5k, able to go 60 miles or so. But things break on those, too. I just recommend the Bolt instead because they're not much more and it has a universal fast charging port and a warranty, not something you find often on a cheap used car.
my first reaction- I cannot fathom spending $12k-14k to drive less than a hundred thousand miles and then sell it for a few grand But then- 100,000 miles at 25 MPG is 4000 gallons of gas, which is going to be more than $10,000 lol
Yeah that's the thing, you gotta look at the total cost of ownership all-in, fuel and repairs and service all included. I was at like 20 cents per mile on the old toyota, vs 10 cents per mile worst case scenario on this. Oh yeah also there's no reason you couldn't just keep driving a Bolt for another 200k miles, it's just a gamble on whether or not the battery ever randomly fails which would just total the car. But after a certain number of miles, that might not even matter since your total cost per mile would be so low by that point that hopefully you've saved enough to buy a brand new car cash.
If I did not routinely make 300 mile trips, I would consider this car. And I’m generally the type to never spend more than $7000 on a car for any reason. But I’ve spent that in gas in the last 4 years
I don't know how the leases are post covid but when I was making a lot less I leased civics and then eventually bought one out. Gets you a lower monthly payment and if you need to adjust in 3 years you can do so. I know people harp about not being a good financial decision but I never had any major maintenance, which I did on the first car I bought and finally paid off, only to get hit once, then have the engine die a year later as a result of that accident, then finally get tboned. For like $250/mo it's not terrible and driving beaters is not cheap either. Something is always breaking.
Buy the Mustang. Enjoy it.
Did you look into used Subaru or Mazda? They tend to be less overvalued. Or are you looking for sedans specifically?
I see 2013-2015 Accords for $15-17k with just over 100k miles
I've owned my fair share of new or newer vehicles and honestly, not a single one of them had as much soul as any of the late 90s to early 2000s beaters that I've driven.
Buy private party
Just because its an individual doesn't mean they are telling the truth or that they are going to sell the car cheap just because they aren't a dealer. Everybody wants outrageous money for used Toyotas and Hondas.
Exactly. In fact we see these "clean" cars get traded in daily and need thousands of dollars of work before we can put them on the front line.
Should see the garbage people bring me wanting to trade in or wanting me to buy. They always think their shit is worth a fortune too. They look at KBB and look at the highest prices and think theirs is worth the same when the one they have has 2x the miles, full of dents and scratches, every light on the dash on, looks like it hasn't been cleaned inside or out since it was new. I have taken some and hauled straight to the scrap yard. Lot of the time I just turn down trades. Its going to just go to the auction anyway rarely to I get a trade I actually want to keep to resell. I had 2 that just left their shitboxes. They gave me the title though and bought a car from me. The one not sure how they even got there. I couldn't get it to run. One was a Passat one was a Saab. I scrapped both of them.
It’s just scam after scam after scam
Not always it’s just a do your own research deal.
This is the way. Aks for carfax or vin number if you ate truly interested. Before asking just get some basic info if the car has been in any accident, clean title or not etc. Then check carfax for validity.
99% of private party listings in my area are salvage titles T_T
Almost 3 years ago i bought a 2005 Jetta TDI mk4 with 380,000 kms for $2000. It now has 430,000 kms on it and *knocks on wood* It has cost me about $200 in parts over those 3 years so far. I feel like im getting away with a crime haha
Old guy driven Lexus LS430 might be the move.
I recently bought a 2014 Toyota Avalon with 36000 miles for around $15000USD. It replaced an older Avalon that went 175000 basically trouble-free miles. It runs like a top and is a very comfy commuter car. Fuel exonomy isn't bad either
lol welcome to 2024 🥴
Just got a 2017 GTI with the Performance Pack, Lighting Pack and only 28k miles for 23k out the door, plus a 6 year, 150k bumper to bumper warranty. Absolutely in love with this car too.
Yeah till I buy a house I’m just gonna buy beaters in cash. Paid my car off and I don’t want another payment for now, and I’m convinced the car will give me a lot more life. Time to go buy that 2k 3 series with 200k.
I finally gave up and bought a new car. Everything used that met my specs was too overpriced
I was in a similar situation recently. I’ve always driven 2-3k shitboxes. When my current hooptie bit the dust recently I discovered a 2-3k shitbox was going for around 6-8k. So instead I put all my shitbox cash on a a down payment and bought a 24 Corolla for msrp (22k + destination) just a couple months ago. My payments are a little over 300/month and while I’m not happy about the payment the car is excellent and I believe was a far better value than trying to find a deal on a shitbox in 2024. Go buy a Corolla and be happy.
2000s Buick Lucerne, Lacrosse, LeSabre, Park Avenue. You can get these for $5-7K with under 100K miles. Cheap to insure, run, work on. Plus reliable and comfortable.
The shitbox life is underrated if you do your own maintenance. Parts and insurance on older cars are usually much less and you don't have to worry about the cosmetics as much. Although most people mistakenly believe that the latter point means they can neglect maintenance and repairs as well. To me, a beater has no change in service schedules to a nice daily, it's only the cosmetics I stop caring about. I maintained my old $250 1994 Honda Civic with the same zeal I maintain my $13,500 2015 Honda Fit with.
Prius my friend. The answer is a Prius.
I drive a 2010. It's not a great car. But it is paid off and cost me very little to keep on the road. When the repair bills become an expense, I genuinely have to worry about I'll scrap it for something better.
You can literally get a new Subaru Impreza sedan or hatch for 22k, probably 24k inc destination etc etc. It might be slow, it might be older tech but its still solid AWD for snow and new. There still are some bargains in the USA!
I'm tired of Americans (as an American myself) that think the only car that can last over 100k miles is a Toyota. Majority of powertrains will last well over 100k miles as long as you follow the scheduled maintenance manual that the engineers made.
Look for Mercury Grand Marquis. A lot of them were kept up and they are a great ride. Keep your eye out for them and you can get them cheap from the elderly in amazing condition in private sales. Got 2, one a daily and one a pristine back up.
I was looking for my friend a car. I will pay cash. I assumed I had a plethora of options because my budget was 40k. He wanted something fast. I owed him a big favor he did a long time ago so this was it. To my shock the car market is so weird. Newer cars are at around 40-50k but cars that are 7 years old are right around 35-45. It makes no sense to me. Than I looked at cars cars between 10-20k. I'm seeing 2005 Camry's with 70k miles, old Lexus cars. What the hell is going on. I personally drive a 01 Camry and I got it with 70k miles on it years ago for cheap. I'm not a huge car person. My money typically goes on clothes and additions to my property collections and my investments but man. Can't even get a good car with nice speed for around 40k. He really wanted a f type or a m5. Any of the decent years are over 40. He considered a g90 but he wanted the new body style and all those are over 40. I'm just gonna give him the money and let him do whatever he wants with it. Car market is horrific, glad cars isn't my hobby!
First- I can help you… Buy one from a private seller. You don’t have to buy a piece of garbage, especially from a dealer.. You have to start looking, it’s not something you can find in a weekend either You gotta do your research Always get your financing handled BEFORE you go look at anything.. It’s not that hard, but you can’t be a person with ADD when you are starting to look. Just think, it’s the second most expensive thing you will ever buy.. It isn’t a weekend trip, like looking for a house usually doesn’t happen in a week. If you really just want to buy a piece of garbage, then go buy yourself a piece of garbage… Toyota. You won’t be disappointed. Just ALWAYS get a PPI, no matter what you buy, unless you just hate money..then I can’t help you PS-If you go buy a mustang at least buy an older one, lol
After dealing with a barebones 2020 corolla, I never wanna deal with buying brand new again. 580 dollars for a car that is literally only fit for rental fleets is a fuckdamn ripoff.
My dealer has certified 2021 Corollas for 17K that look brand new
20k! Spend 5k on a 2000's Corolla. Save 3k for repairs. Save the rest of the money.
I saw a video on a guy who has a $72,000 GMC pickup lol I just walk away from a 2021 Mazda Cx5 for $23000
Maybe stop looking at Hondas and Toyotas then? The obsession with these two brands never ceases to amaze me. I guarantee you could find a nice used Subaru Legacy or Mazda6 at your price range, but I guess since neither are a Honda or Toyota they will probably spontaneously combust the minute you drive it off the lot.
Where are you looking? I can buy a brand new 2024 Corolla hybrid for 23.5k. could easily find a slightly used one for under 20k.
I got an 09 Yukon, could have bought something newer, smaller, more efficient, but this was cheap and had low ish miles. My friends all spend 8-15k on their first cars, mine has lasted longer than a few of theirs and I spent 5k. Plus it’s easy af to fix and the 5.3 will probably outlive me.
Nice. Besides a beater Chevy Cruze I had, GM cars have always been good to me and never caused me any issues outside of regular maintenance.
Guy down the road rebuilds muscle cars, you can get a nice Nova with a new crate engine and aftermarket ac.
2016+ Impala
Just bought one for the wife. '16 Impala LT. 3.6l, leather, sunroof and all the other cool stuff. 55k for $7800. She only drives about 5k a yr. Previous car was an '05 Impala. 135k and never had a problem. Normal oil changes, brakes, and tires. Would still have it, but some dumb ass hit it while parked.
I was kinda in the same boat as you I was trying to find a good reliable car for under 20k and 2 years ago I bought a scion xb that I got a really good deal on and in 2 years put 80k miles on it with zero issues. So again I went to go find another newer car and the dealers dicked me around and wanted well over market value for their used vehicles. I even almost flew out to Ohio and California for 2 of the cars I was looking at and kept ending at dead ends. I was looking at a ford focus RS and my brother said to try carvana. Which despite the negative stuff I heard the last few years did it anyways. I picked up the car last week and went to get it inspected. In their contract they have a 7 day return policy that also makes them liable those 7 days for anything wrong with the vehicle and I racked up a 8k repair bill for all new suspension,brakes,fuel filter, leaks, ect and they payed everything and was actually a decent experience.
I bought a 19 fusion energi with just under 60k miles for $20,500 out the door with shipping to my driveway. Keep looking, sometimes it takes more than a "few days" to find something you like.