What Car Should I Buy? - A Weekly Megathread

Posted by AutoModerator@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 23 comments

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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there_is_no_try@reddit

Location: France (Toulouse)

Price range: 7-15k Euros

Lease or Buy: Buy

New or used: Used

Type of vehicle: Car, sedan, Crossover, or SUV

Must haves: 4 doors, decent fuel efficiency, not diesel.

Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Either, although auto would be nice

Intended use: Weekend car, shopping, small road trips, mountain trips/hiking

Vehicles you've already considered:

Citroen C3
Citroen C4
Peugeot 208
Peugeot 308
Renault Captur

Is this your 1st vehicle: Sorta. First time buying, definitely first vehicle in France. I've driven two other cars for over a decade.

Do you need a Warranty: I don't know.

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: A bit capable, yes, but I don't have a garage nor equipement. So I'll have to stock up as I go

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: No

Additional Notes:

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mgobla@reddit

You could get a brand new C3 base trim for €15k.

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there_is_no_try@reddit

Sorry for the double reply, my other comment was erronously removed for including the t-word in a completely benign context

Do you have any input on the quality of the car itself? I don't know much at all about engines. I know it's popular, but is it reliable enough? Would new tr*mp/outclass/surpass used in this case?

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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AutoModerator@reddit (OP)

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Leo_York@reddit

Location: USA, willing to travel anywhere in the country for it or get it shipped

Price range: $100,000-$125,000

Lease or Buy: Buy

New or used: Doesn't matter

Type of vehicle: Sports car or GT Car

Must haves: N/A

Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Doesn't matter

Intended use: Weekend/fun car

Vehicles you've already considered:

Lotus Evora or Emira: My favorite car ever is the 1st gen NSX and car reviewers have said the Evora is kind of its spiritual successor. I think the Emira just looks better but I hate those seats. With the more refined car you do lose a little bit and I like the Evora is kind of feeling like it's fighting you a little more. In the Evora I hate the backseats so I don't know, I'm a coin toss here. I live near a Lotus dealer and a specialty shop so no trouble with getting parts although I get it's still comparatively hard to get stuff fixed.

Porsche Boxster/Cayman: Don't really like the general look of these, but can't deny the driving dynamics. I'm not sure if I want a convertible or not, but I can figure that out later. Also don't know if I should go for the Spyder/GT4 version or if the GTS 4.0 is good enough since I never plan to track it.

Acura NSX 2nd gen: Not super jazzed about this one since it's a hybrid motor but I'd be all over this if it looked more like the 1st gen. I still have it on the list here because of how much I loved the first one. I didn't put that one on this list because it's just getting too old.

Aston Martin Vantage: Just love how this thing looks. I think I'd just feel really happy walking towards it in any parking lot/garage. It's not "known" for being more sporty than some of these other cars, but I don't know that I care that much. It'll have way more power and handling than most people ever need anyway like a lot of today's cars.

Mercedes AMG GT-R: That Mango Green gets me every time and I wouldn't want this car if it had to be in any other color. It looks insane, sounds insane, have a lot of the same feelings as I do about the Vantage.

Chevrolet C8 Corvette: I don't know if I'd want a Z06 or a highly specced Stingray. I really hate how the back of this car looks though. Also I kind of see these everywhere now, but could be convinced.

McClaren GT: I'd probably have to wait a bit for prices to come down but I don't really mind having to do that. Also considered something like a 650S but that just sounds like I'm asking for trouble.

Lamborghini Huracan: Be willing to stretch the budget a bit to find the right example, but I'm wondering if I should just give up on this at this point. The car's out of production, there's a new one out, and unlike McClarens will hold onto its value so I don't know if waiting around for this is worth it. Really hate how the Temerario looks and dislike the fact that it's a V8 as well, so I'm skipping Lambo entirely if I couldn't make this work.

Is this your 1st vehicle: No

Do you need a Warranty: No

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: No

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: No

Additional Notes: 40th birthday present to myself after 20 years of doing nothing but working and saving, I don't mind being made fun of with any kind of midlife crisis jokes haha. Thanks for your help and thoughts everyone!

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superep1@reddit

Personally would suggest a used (depreciated from inflated showroom price) C8 Z06. Bought one for my father, he digs it, a lot. It sounds great stock and especially with the roof off. Just as toned down as the stingray when cruising but has a much more visceral performance peak. Carbon aero package adds a lot of flair to the look. Just my anecdote.

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scycron@reddit

If you want a GT car in similar category to an Aston Martin Vantage, consider a Lexus LC500. Lexus maintenance will be easy. If you want a large engine, Audi R8 v10 or Dodge Viper. Resale value, get a Porsche, 997 Turbo or GT4. Be very wary if you are looking at a Huracan as they were often purchased for rentals and can have odometers rolled back. If you actually like the gen 1 NSX you can just get one, they don't depreciate.

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Leo_York@reddit

Thanks, I kind of want to have something newish

The Lexus doesn't just do "it" for me and I know that's really vague. Like if there were some kind of Lexus Supra, that would be more my thing.

R8 is cool and I've considered it but didn't put it on the list

I wonder if even the 997 turbo is too old, but the 991 I think kind of starts to get to be what I want a 911 to be.

I'll look out for the Huracan. I remember watching a video on YouTube where a guy rented one in Vegas and it had 120k miles on it when he started it so I have no doubt these shenanigans happen when it comes time to renew the rental fleet.

My thing about buying my childhood dream car is the "never meet your heroes thing" combined with something I read on some forum where a guy almost couldn't get his car fixed until Acura could locate 3 other wrecked NSXes to get parts from to make some Frankencar.

Vipers were never really my thing either, I do like fighting the car a bit but even for me that's too much haha.

Really appreciate you taking the time out to respond. 🙂

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mgobla@reddit

I would choose the new Z06 or a Lotus. Test drive both.

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tendstofortytwo@reddit

Location: Ontario, Canada

Price range: <= $27k pre-tax

Lease or Buy: buy

New or used: used

Type of vehicle: compact sedan/hatch

Must haves: android auto

Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): auto

Intended use: only car, but primarily for weekends (I primarily use, and intend to continue using, public transit)

Vehicles you've already considered: 2019+ Acura ILX, 2019+ Mazda3, 2019-2021 Honda Civic, 2019+ Toyota Corolla

Is this your 1st vehicle: yes

Do you need a Warranty: would be nice

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: yes

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: not yet, but happy to learn

Additional Notes:

it's basically down to a 2021 Mazda3 GT Turbo FWD with 40k km or a 2020 Acura ILX A-Spec with 114k km. both are certified preowned, both have powertrain warranties up to 160k km and 7 years from purchase. I've driven the Acura and a non-turbo Mazda3, and I'll drive the turbo soon. I find the Acura easier to drive but the Mazda more fun. the Mazda has newer tech but the Acura has more cabin space. the Mazda has the lower miles but people say the Acura's K24 is bulletproof. the Mazda has more horsepower but the Acura shifts better because of the DCT. the Mazda looks a lot prettier on the dash but the Acura has the red A-Spec seats which are gorgeous. they cost within 1k of each other, with the Acura being cheaper

is there anything I'm missing? any obvious tiebreaker?

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coldskeet@reddit

Location: Houston ,TX

Price range: <$150,000

Lease or Buy: Buy

New or used: Prefered Used but im open to new.

Type of vehicle: Sport Sedan or Wagon

Must haves: Back Seat for kids to ride

Desired transmission: Auto so my wife can drive... manual to keep my wife out of it lol

Intended use: Weekend car / occasional driving the kids to school

Vehicles you've already considered: used M2CS, used M2 Comp , 2025 M2, 2025 M5 Touring, used RS6 AVANT

Is this your 1st vehicle: No

Do you need a Warranty: Either Way

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Yes

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: No.

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mgobla@reddit

2-door, but spacious backseats (much more spacious than M2): Maserati Gran Turismo. You can get a barely used 2024 for $100k, at this price point they are fantastic

You could also get an older Ferrari FF or Aston Martin Rapide (Rapide is a 4-door)

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scycron@reddit

The best manual sedan on the market right now is the Cadillac CT5V-Blackwing. If you want a wagon, I would look at the Mercedes AMG E63 Wagon. Wild card, Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T or Ferrari FF but don't actually.

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death_becomesme@reddit

Location: Los Angeles, CA Price range: <$100k Lease or Buy: Either New or used: Either (Preferably new but I don't mind some used 2024/2023 models) Type of vehicle: SUV Must haves: Smooth Ride, Large Trunk Space, good resale value Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Auto Intended use: Daily Driver/Family Car Vehicles you've already considered: Lexus GX550, Range Rover Sport

Is this your 1st vehicle: No

Do you need a Warranty: Depends

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: No

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: Definitely not

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mgobla@reddit

AVOID Lexus Gx, it does not offer a smooth ride. Ignore irrational truck cultists.

You need a UNIBODY vehicle.

Important: Completely regardless of the vehicle you get, if you want a smooth ride always install the SMALLEST wheels allowed (see owners manual), that's very important, makes a huge difference. Smaller wheel = taller tire with more air inside, more comfortable. Bigger wheels reduce the tire sidewall, that results in much worse comfort, much harsher ride.

Avoid Range Rover, least reliable, annoying to own money pits, insane depreciation.

Regarding Lexus the Tx is their most comfortable SUV, but it is less comfortable than most luxury competitors. If you want something reliable and spacious with high resale value you could still test drive one equipped with the adaptive suspension.

Acura MDX Type-S is more comfortable than Lexus Tx.

2024+ Lincoln Nautilus has a soft suspension. The hybrid version is better than the base engine. Look for a used one, do not buy this model new bc of its initial depreciation.

Subaru Outback has a suprisingly good suspension, smooth ride and spacious at a much lower price point. If you drive over big potholes or offroad the "Wilderness" trim might ride even better than other trims.

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scycron@reddit

If you care about resale value on a luxury SUV, the only real contender is Lexus. I would look at the GX550 firstly and then a Lexus TX and see which you prefer. I would assume the TX would be more comfortable since it is not on a body on frame truck platform but the GX550 probably retains value better and is just cooler.

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Previous-Food-431@reddit

Location: West Coast USA

Price range: under $20k

Buy

Able to do minor and mid difficulty work (brakes, suspension, etc)

I am currently looking for a c4 or c5 corvette, Porsche 944, third gen Camaro or firebird

I like 80s-90s era boxy looking cars with pop ups and I am looking for a fun summer car that I could daily drive but I would not be putting too much mileage on it just driving it in the city

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scycron@reddit

C5 is going to be easy to work on and get parts for while being a really good platform. If you can manage a C5 Z06 definitely do.

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SpritiTinkle@reddit

Location: Southern Louisiana

Price range: $15-22K

Lease or Buy: Buy

New or used: Used

Type of vehicle: Sports Car

Must haves: RWD/AWD, engaging handling, no Fisher Price interior.

Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Manual

Intended use: Weekend drives, Potentially roadtrips on backroads.

Vehicles you've already considered: ND2 Miata, C5/C6 Corvette, Pre-2022 Toyobaru twins, Porsche 986/987 twins.

Is this your 1st vehicle: No

Do you need a Warranty: No

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Yes

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: Probably not

Additional Notes: Transitioning out of motorcycles back into cars but want to keep a fun vehicle with a manual transmission in the garage Wind in my hair would be nice whether convertible or targa but is not 100% required. I owned a 1995 BMW 316i 12 years or so ago which met most of my wishes: Manual, light weight, naturally aspirated. Unfortunately that car was absolutely gutless and had a hard time maintaining speed while going up hills.

Big power is not necessary but would like to have better power to weight ratio than my daily (15.8 lb/hp). More important is good handling and the ability to have fun without having to reach go-to-jail speeds. I am willing to spend another $5-8K up-front paying for standard fixes on older cars (like IMS) and have identified an independent local shop that specializes in older german cars. Doesn't need to be 2000s Camry bulletproof reliability-wise but would rather not get stranded somewhere either. Love the look and feel of older BMWs and Porsches but am not familiar with which older BMW models to avoid and which can be reliable if maintained. I would ideally like something that I can keep going long term with a few thousand miles per year without having to fork over $3-4K+ every year.

ND2 Miata would meet a lot of this while also offering some modern amenities but I will need to sit in one to be sure I fit because I am a larger person (6’3” 230lbs)

C5 Corvette interior is a mess

GR86/BRZ interiors pre-22 refresh feel cheap and the engine seemed loathe to rev while post-22 are outside my budget.

Thanks!

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