r/cars • u/AutoModerator • 4d ago
What Car Should I Buy? - A Weekly Megathread
Any posts pertaining to car buying suggestions or advice belong in this weekly megathread; do not post car-choosing questions in the main queue. A fresh thread will be posted every Monday and posts auto sorted by new. A few other subreddits worth checking out that will help your car buying experience are /r/WhatCarShouldIBuy, /r/UsedCars and /r/AskCarSales. www.everydaydriver.com may also be helpful.
Make/Model-specific questions should be asked on Make/Model-specific subreddits. Check the AutosNetwork for a complete list of those subreddits. Also check out our community-sourced Ultimate car buying wiki.
For those posting:
Please use the following template in your post.
Location: (Specify your country or region)
Price range: (Minimum-Maximum in your local currency)
Lease or Buy:
New or used:
Type of vehicle: (Truck, Car, Sports Car, Sedan, Crossover, SUV, Racecar, Luxury etc.)
Must haves: (4x4, AWD, Fuel efficient, Navigation, Turbo, V8, V6, Trunk space, Smooth ride, Leather etc.)
Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc):
Intended use: (Daily Driver, Family Car, Weekend Car, Track Toy, Project Car, Work Truck, Off-roading etc.)
Vehicles you've already considered:
Is this your 1st vehicle:
Do you need a Warranty:
Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: (fluids, alternator, battery, brake pads etc)
Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: (engine and transmission, timing belt/chains, body work, suspension etc )
Additional Notes:
For those providing suggestions: Facts are ideal in this thread, especially when trying to help out a new car buyer. Please help out buyers with sources and reasoning for your suggestions.
For those asking for help, be sure to thank those who take the time to offer you advice (especially those who lead you to a purchase.) A follow up thank you and the knowledge that their advice led to a purchase is a very warm fuzzy feeling.
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u/NineAsiansAtSubway 3d ago
Is a bmw m340i xdrive or c43 amg an upgrade over a tesla model 3 dual motor?
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u/Aware_Initiative9792 3d ago
Location: NY
Price range: $30k give or take
Lease or Buy: Buy
New or used: Used
Type of vehicle: Sedan, Crossover, Small SUV
Must haves: AWD, Fuel efficient, Smooth ride
Desired transmission: Auto
Intended use: Daily Driver
Vehicles you’ve already considered: I’m looking at Mazda CX-5 & CX-50, AWD Camry, Corolla Cross and, Subaru Legacy
Is this your 1st vehicle: No
Do you need a Warranty: indifferent
Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: yes
Can you do Major work on your own: no
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, I had a beloved ILX that recently gave up on me. Hoping to find something I love as much.
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u/nick1158 23h ago
My girlfriend, her brother, her father, and myself are also in NY and all of us drive a Mazda CX5. We are all happy with them and highly recommend
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u/BillWaltonshair 3d ago
Location: Maryland
Price range: flexible but around $40k
New
Type: SUV or Crossover
Must haves: AWD, backup camera, fuel efficiency and apple car play
Daily Driver
I haven’t done much research but have glanced at the RAV 4 and Subaru Forester
Not my first vehicle
Not willing to do any maintenance/repairs myself
Note: I will not consider Kia or Hyundai due to my previous Hyundai being stolen. I have managed to go a year without a vehicle but now I kinda want to treat myself.
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u/latenitekid '22 Mustang GT 6MT 3d ago
Location: Louisiana
Price range: <$400 a month with 0 due at signing
Lease or Buy: Lease
New or used: New
Type of vehicle: Prefer a small SUV, but will consider a sedan
Must haves: Apple CarPlay
Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Auto
Intended use: Daily driver, few times a year a 350 mile drive which makes an EV a tough choice although I've heard the lease deals are great
Vehicles you've already considered: Mazda CX-30, Ford Escape (I have a $1,250 bonus cash offer for owning a ford already which helps (I think, idk if it applies to leasing))
Is this your 1st vehicle: No
Do you need a Warranty: N/A
Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Yes
Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: No
Additional Notes: Even including the 350 mile drive a few times a year I only drive about 7,000 miles a year so i'm not concerned about going over a mileage limit
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u/DIRECTCURRENT59 2d ago
You could consider a model 3 or Y. They have lease deals going on right now, and while they don't have over 350 miles of range, the supercharger network is pretty extensive around Louisiana, although it does depend where you go.
You can check this map to see if there are chargers where you want to go.
Keep in mind that the model y has 320 mi of range and the model 3 has 363 mi of range, for the cheapest options. It depends on if you think the model y is too big for you, but the model 3 had a recent refresh and people say it feels pretty nice inside now.
Just make sure you uncheck their "gas savings" to get the real price of the lease. Both should be right under 400, but I don't know your exact location so it depends.
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u/ShastaMite 2d ago
Location: Texas
Price range: Maximum of 35k USD
Lease or Buy: Buy
New or used: Either
Type of vehicle: Sports Car or Sedan
Must haves: AWD, Reliable, Decent Handling
Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Either
Intended use: Daily Driver and Weekend Car
Vehicles you've already considered: RC/IS 350 F Sport AWD
Is this your 1st vehicle: No
Do you need a Warranty: Preferable but not neccessary.
Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Yes
Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: No
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u/IRBLT 1d ago
Location: UK (happy for wherever in the country)
Price range: Anything under 5k, ideally 4k and below to include insurance
Lease or Buy: Buy
New or used: Used
Type of vehicle: Happy with any, probably lean to a Compact / ‘generic’ car
Must haves: Again flexible, ideal world 5 doors but would not make a difference in purchase
Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Manual but happy with both
Intended use: commuting 2/3 days a week and general social driving n
Vehicles you’ve already considered: Seen a lot of 208s and Focuses (happy if they’re a good car but not ruled any out)
Is this your 1st vehicle: no
Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Yes
Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: N
Additional Notes: wrote off my Seat Ibiza upsettingly a couple weeks ago, paid out 5k so have that to spend. Travel to work (80 miles) once a week and will travel to shops etc every other day. Ideally looking at 4k and below due to getting insurance and setting some aside but open to spending all. 25 year old now 1 years no claims after crash
Thanks so much!
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u/saeed-knight 1d ago
you can get old honda accord or civic or some newer mazda 3 models or maybe older mazda 6. i also saw some lexus is models at that price. but overall try to stay away from anything with 1l 3cyl ford ecoboost engine or some cars with peguet prince engine
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/saeed-knight 1d ago
one of the best options is Mazda for sure. also mazda is putting out a new cx50 model which is hybrid and has the exact drive train as toyota rav4. so you can get a mazda with rav4 hybrid system which is really nice
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u/mojomen132 1d ago
Feel like a ford focus RS would fit you perfectly, gem of a car.
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u/69lambchop 1d ago
I had a Volvo c30 previously which is the same chassis as the focus - I think it’s too small for me personally but appreciate your comment
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u/Chicken_Zest 1d ago
"would occasionally run premium if it's recommended". Such a weird comment. Just avoid cars that need premium.
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u/69lambchop 1d ago
Some modern turbos communicate a tolerance for regular but encourage premium for towing. Just because you haven’t encountered doesn’t make it weird lol
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u/Far_Door7167 1d ago
Location: UK -North Yorkshire
Price Range: max £25k
Lease or Buy: Buy
New or Used: Used
Type: SUV
Must haves: 4x4, fuel efficient, boot space
Desired transmission: manual or auto, we don't mind
Intended use: workhorse (carrying furniture, DIY materials, family car, daily use, dogs, etc)
Vehicles considered/considering: Discovery 4, Rav4, Land Cruiser, Freelander, etc etc (nothing had hit perfect yet!).
Is this 1st vehicle? No (see notes below for previous vehicles)
Do you need a warranty? No.
Minor work? Yes can do
Major work? No.
Additional notes: LM
We're going back & forth with our car strategy.
When we lived in Spain, we had a Toyota RAV4, 2006 manual, petrol. 130k km on the clock, great workhorse, loved it. Had it for a year or two.
Last year we moved back to the UK so bought another Rav4, 2006 (but the newer model), but this one was automatic. Loved it for a year but the gearbox gave up in August and we had to sell it for parts. Gutted (and I think we were unlucky - bought it from a friend and didn't check it over first properly. Learning moment.
We've always preferred the idea of buying cheap second hand and old, and just driving it for life until it wears out (but ideally a good few years, not just one year!!)
However, I realised that a old Rav4 in the UK is expensive to run compared to newer cars (road tax, insurance, permit parking) as old cars are disincentived. And also just less efficient than newer cars.
Now, we're moving from London to North Yorkshire and will be in the countryside and need a car on a daily basis. We have a dog and are very outdoorseyso the car will get muddy on the regular.
We both much prefer the boxy style of a more utility vehicle, such as an (old) Defender, or Discovery 4. Or Freelander. But, they cost a lot to run, right? And maybe something like the Discovery is just a bit big for everyday use? (We only have 1 child now, planning the next).
Other options we're thinking about is a new Rav4 (2019-) with hybrid but we're not so keen on the design (most new cars are just ugly!). Or we know that Skodas are good, or Volvo's (but Volvo's just feel a bit corporate?!)
Any ideas what we should go for? What car & age range fits us? Something that is:
- 4x4
- fuel efficient
- long lasting
- cost effective to run (tax etc and maintenance costs)
- boxy / utility design
Thank you!
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u/DXNNIS6 1d ago
Location: New England region, United States
Price range: 60K max
Lease or buy: buy w/ trade-in and down payment
New or used: either or, would like to save $$ by finding a used with lower mileage
Type: AWD Sport/Luxury Sedan
Transmission: Auto, no CVTs, also would be a daily so no manual.
Must haves: AWD, something with 300+ horsepower.
Use: daily driver
Vehicles considered: Acura TLX Type S, Lexus IS 350 F sport
1st car: no
Warranty: would like one
Can I do minor work, yes. Major work, some.
Struggling to make a decision upgrading to a AWD sport sedan. I live in a heavy winter region when it’s the season, would like a sedan that has power and can satisfy my thirst for some fun when I need it to, but also be good in the winter, as to why I’m looking for AWD. I can afford new or used, would prefer used to save some money. Would like to hear opinion on Acura/Honda or Toyota/Lexus reliability as of late, which is better.
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u/scycron 1d ago
Lexus IS is on a very old platform with an outdated engine and transmission and lacks tech but is extremely reliable. The Acura TLX Type S is going to be a lot faster with more electronics but less reliable than the lexus. You could also consider Audi as they make robust AWD systems like an S3, S4, RS3, but they will be more expensive to maintain. Subaru is out of the question as they use CVTs. Honestly just test drive all 3 brands.
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u/Phornado 17h ago
Location: Florida Price range: $800 or less Lease or Buy: Lease New or used: New Type of vehicle: Car & SUV Must haves: Realible Sporty car Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Auto Intended use: Daily and Work Vehicles you’ve already considered: Lexus NX, Jeep Wrangler, BMW 3 Series, BMW X3 (2024 model only).
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u/yahmed 13 Jetta, 16 Passat, 04 Sienna, 24 Sienna, 14 528i 17h ago
Vancouver Canada, ~800/month finance new or used EV or Hybrid for daily driving.
I currently have 5 cars: -13 Jetta: current daily for wife that I wanna replace. Recent engine rebuild and new engine has ~130k km -16 Passat: holding it because my dad uses it for uber -04 Sienna: for roadtrips and rough use, loaner for friends and family -24 Sienna: family car -14 528i: my car after dad took the Passat, work in progress
My wife just needs something reliable and low maintenance that she can take to work (~25 km, 3-5 days a week). Preferably something with more safety features (jetta has none)
The Jetta is working fine but after the engine exploded last month she is not very keen on continuing to drive it. I will most likely be selling it on marketplace for ~$10k for down payment. All cars are paid off so can adjust the financing if needed.
Current plan I’m thinking is to lease something cheap or ride the jetta for a year and order a highlander which has a 12-18 month wait and then buy that.
Thoughts and advice welcome
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u/alecraffi 17h ago
- North Jersey USA
- Price Range: Sub 20,000
- Buy
- Used
- Pickup Truck
- Front and rear seats, so crew cab or extended
- Auto
- Daily driver + moving larger items, furniture plywood, etc.
- I can do minor work
I found this listing on carfax and wanted to see what people think.
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u/mrjbacon 8h ago
•Ohio, USA.
•Max $27k hard-line budget out the door, will need financing.
•Buying: used.
•Sport sedan, mid- to full-sized.
•Must have RWD or AWD, quiet and comfortable highway cruiser but capable around winding suburban streets, less than 75k odo, good service records.
•AT or MT.
•No warranty necessary, but nice to have.
•I currently drive a FWD 2010 Lincoln MKZ and love it, but I want something sportier, quieter (road/wind noise, squeaks and rattles), and with a bit more grunt.
•Daily Driver, Family Car.
•Have considered Genesis G80, Audi A6/A4 (wagon), MB E-Class, Chrysler 300, Lincoln MKZ/Continental, Lexus GS. If the last-gen Mazda6 had been available with AWD I'd buy one of those.
•Will not be my first, nor my only vehicle.
•Can perform most maintenance and service work that doesn't require an engine-pull, engine-trans split, specialty tools, or paint work.
Additional notes: the extraneous noises I'm getting while driving my car are starting to wear on me. When I bought the car in 2015 it was quieter, but it's showing its age now with all the squeaks and rattles, especially at idle speed. The wind and road noise was always there, but I didn't care quite as much back then because I just turned the stereo up louder. Now I can't stand it, it's driving me insane.
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u/King_Khoma 2015 Corvette Z51 | 1971 VW Karmann Ghia 4d ago
Location: South Florida
Price range: 100,000
Lease or Buy: Buy
New or used: Used
Type of vehicle: Sports Car
Must haves: Fun engine.
Desired transmission: Auto
Intended use: Daily Driver
Vehicles you've already considered: C8 corvette, older Nissan GTRs, Kia Stinger,
Is this your 1st vehicle: No
Do you need a Warranty: Yes
Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Yes
Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: Yes
Additional Notes: Just seeing what are some options I have. Im heavily leaning towards a fully loaded c8 corvette but i already have a c7, and not that im bored of the LT, but just testing my options. I tested some cars like the kia stinger as well but they were not crazy enough for me to warrant purchase.