Car shopping advice? Please help!

[-]

Nessuwu@reddit

What is with this massive fear of getting cars with some mileage, that mileage requirement is ridiculous to me.

[-]

jrileyy229@reddit

Because most people don't work on their own cars. To go to 100k to 200k is expensive with retail shop rates.

[-]

You could pay for someone to do maintenance and it'd still be massively more cost effective than spending more than twice as much on a nearly new vehicle. Buying newer/ very low mileage cars are almost never the more cost effective option.

[-]

jrileyy229@reddit

That's just not true. How many cars have you driven from 100k to 200k?

It used to make sense when a ten year old 100k mile civic was just a couple grand. These days that's 13k. A new one is 26k.

If using repair shops, you're going to spend ten grand to go from 100k to 200k. Doesn't make financial sense..

[-]

Nessuwu@reddit

And let's remember too that the new car will still need maintenance. I don't personally own a vehicle that has gone that mileage as I just got my first car a few months ago at 112K miles for around $10K. I spent $400 to get it inspected, a transmission fluid exchange, and an oil change. It needs a couple other things, but mechanically it runs smoothly and doesn't have any urgent maintenance or repairs that it needs.

Otherwise I have definitely known friends or family that bought used cars that lasted 200K+. I have doubts that any of them spent anywhere near $10K unless it was a more expensive car. My dad owned a Toyota Echo for nearly 20 years, and that thing never broke down and never needed anything more than routine maintenance. I know a guy who owns two Toyotas over 200K. He does do his own maintenance, but none of it would have cost him anywhere near $10K to do at a shop. As long as you don't buy something that's close to needing something MAJOR like a whole transmission or engine, you are massively saving over buying something much newer.

[-]

jrileyy229@reddit

I'm not talking about maintenance... Every car needs brakes and tires fluid and filter changes at more or less the same intervals. I'm also not talking about what was in the past. Current day prices and labor rates. Keep in mind inflation, ten grand isn't what it was 20 years ago.

I'm talking about all the components that were designed to last ten years and 100k... To go from 100 to 200 you're going to replace all of them. Control arms, shocks, wheel bearings, ball joints, fuel pump/EVAP, steering rack, speed sensors and TPMS, etc. If paying retail parts and labor, you're going to spend at least ten grand. It's not all at once, it's going to be a grand or two here and there over the course of 100k miles. You're going to spend significantly more if you need a transmission rebuild or something major.

Again, this is someone who isn't going to go to rock auto and buy a loaded knuckle and swap it in their garage when they need a wheel bearing. A lot of people live in apartments or only have street parking, they don't even have a place to do their own repairs if they wanted to... Most don't anyway.

So you can buy a 2016 civic with 100k miles for $13k and put ten grand repairs into it.... And significant risk of needing a transmission as well.

Or a 2026 for 26k and put nearly Zero repairs into it... and enjoy modern tech and safety, and have a warranty.

Fast forward to 2036...option #1 you now have a 20 year old civic with 200k on it.

Option #2 you have spent a few more grand but enjoyed modern conveniences and have a 10year old civic with 100k on it, which is worth significantly more. The couple grand extra you spent will come back to you

[-]

malsell@reddit

Granted, I am one of those guys that does most of his own stuff, but what do you think you're going to be spending more on between 100k and 200k that you didn't spend on from 0 to 100k? Most modern vehicles can easily survive on basic maintenance. I had a 2001 Toyota Sequoia at 250k with basic oil changes and water pump/timing belt services (3k and 75k intervals respectively) brakes, tires, bushing all wear at certain rates and are generally going to have to be replaced before reaching 100k. Even oldet cars could last if you just kept up the maintenance. (I had a 1994 Ford Explorer that I turned the odometer over 6 times myself). As long as you don't get a Hyundai/Kia (engines), Nissan (CVT) or anything with Cylinder Deactivation or anything European, you can easily go 200k with the basics.

[-]

fancyolives@reddit (OP)

I’m not opposed to a newer car with some miles! Not saying it has to be “brand new” I should’ve clarified. But used cars are priced often the same as new ones in my area. Soooooooo I’m sorta leaning towards brand new car for the same price But if something is a good deal and it has miles on it, I’m not against it!

I bought my Corolla new just because it made the most financial sense. I thought it in November of 2023 and literally the 2024 corolla was LESS than an older one with like 40-50k miles.

[-]

malsell@reddit

It would probably help if I know what instrument(s) you're hauling (guitars, drums and stand up bass all have different requirements. That being said, I would just find an older CR-V or a RAV4. If you need more fuel economy and live where you can charge at home, almost any EV would work. I have been driving a 2017 Leaf for the past two years. Granted, I got lucky and was able to sneak in a battery replacement last year before the warranty expired, but it has been awesome for commuting. It's about the same size as a older Civic Hatchback. the newest version is a crossover and has NAS fast charging. Maintenance is very low and I charge at work for the most part. For domestic (Ford and Chevy) just stay away from turbocharged anything in small SUVs. Stelantis and VW (Audi, Porsche, etc ) just stay away. Same with Mercedes. They've fine up to 60-80k and become a money pit. I have been told the newer Subaru boxer engines don't have the head gasket issues anymore, so those may be ok. Mazda has surprised me, especially considering Ford still owns about 30% of the company. (And yes, I am a Ford guy, but I wouldn't buy any non-V8 vehicle from them newer than 2012 and nothing with a 5.4 Triton).

[-]