r/UsedCars • • Aug 28 '18

Guide [Guide] What used car should I get for what budget?

665 Upvotes

[04/12/2025 UPDATE]

Prices updated!!!

The days of 3000 dollar cars also seems to be long over. You'll definitely want to spend at least 5000 dollars for even the oldest, reliable running car. I just helped someone with buying a car in this budget and we had a really hard time looking for one. Dealerships are not as willing to haggle below asking price as before so be prepared to set aside a lot of time in your search.


I've finally made the dashboard that will show the most optimal used cars for budgets under $5k, $10k, and $15k.

The dashboard is hosted in Tableau Public so everybody can freely look at it without creating an account. Just use the slide down menu on the right to select a body style and the radio buttons at the bottom to adjust the budget. To see which brands you want to pay closer attention to, hover your mouse over the logos. The numbers on the right side column represent Priority where 1 represent the more optimal choice than 2 and so forth.

Dashboard may not work in mobile. Please use a desktop computer to see this dashboard. Otherwise, feel free to ask me any questions here and I will answer them at my earliest convenience.

Link to the dashboard (Last updated 04/12/2025):

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/han.solo8717/viz/UsedCardashboard/Main

Since I have been seeing many of these questions pop up here (and other Subreddits), I'm willing to sacrifice some time I have left before I need to sleep to hopefully give you answers and make your search a little bit easier.

These prices are based on the following stipulations: You're buying from an individual OR a licensed (not franchised) dealer, the car has a clean title, mileage per year varies from 12.5-15k (Unless it's an older car), is in GOOD condition (by KBB standards), no modifications, base model or similar, and is able to run and drive with LITTLE to no problems (Windows may not work, seats may be ripped, glovebox is loose, etc.).

These cars & prices reflect the U.S. Market only.

Second and beyond choices are honorable mentions in case if you are opting for another car.

Priority is based on: Reliability, cost of ownership, and value in that order.


r/UsedCars • • Sep 18 '25

MOD POST Would you like to mod /r/UsedCars? Apply within

6 Upvotes

Would you like to mod /r/UsedCars? We are looking for active reddit users who want to help others with the buying & selling of Used Cars and have the free time to moderate this subreddit. Tell us about yourself in the comments.


r/UsedCars • • 5h ago

Buying Good deal?

Post image
5 Upvotes

They offered to add extra 36,000 mile warranty and keep it at the same price. I plan to buy today or tomorrow.


r/UsedCars • • 22m ago

Buying Good or pass?

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

Help me out guys, looking for a good reliable used Toyota that won’t break down anytime soon.


r/UsedCars • • 7h ago

Selling 2001 Suzuki Jimny 4x4 76k MIles (Reliable)

Thumbnail
gallery
7 Upvotes

Hey guys! If not allowed please remove.

I live in Plano Texas.

I bought 3 of these little cars recently and have decided to sell this one. I am not a dealer just an enthusiast who couldn't make up his mind, LOL. I LOVE these cars and you will too! :)

Specs

  • 2001 Suzuki Jimny JB23W 660cc 4x4 Manual 5 Speed Transmission
  • A/C Blows ICE Cold!!
  • 76k Miles On It
  • Clutch feels fantastic
  • Land Venture Version. - Basically it has cool green interior and the gold trim on the outside.
  • No Rust to speak of. There is some on the exhaust like any car has and little specs being a 25 year old car like on the oil pan but nothing concerning whatsoever. I don't buy rusty cars. :)

To this group, I'd take $7k cash for it. I am currently doing the paperwork to get a title for it so it will be ready to go. If you take it with all it's import paperwork and do that part yourself, I would do $6300.

Here's what I know about it.
- I have been driving it for two weeks daily. All over DFW. It does 65mph pretty well as a crusing speed. The air conditioning works super well which is a must for me. When I first got this one, I was worried it may not be capable of keeping up with traffic but the turbo and manual transmission make a huge difference in the performance. Still a small car but a fun daily driver none the less.
- It's from Japan. I bought it from a place in Houston and had planned for it to be my daily driver but I found another one that was an auto transmission.

I know most people prefer the 5 speed and this one is a good one. Hopefully I can give someone a good deal on it.


r/UsedCars • • 20h ago

HELP Dealer won’t let me take it to a pre purchase inspection, I think I’m going to walk

75 Upvotes

I negotiated a good price on a sensible 2020 used Camry with 100k miles. It seems solid to me but I’m not a mechanic. A one hour inspection is $189 which seems reasonable and the mechanic said he often does inspections for the nearby dealer.

Anyway, the salesman agreed to the price but said it’s as-is. They do a blah blah inspection and I don’t need to do one.

Is there any alternative but to walk away? I’ve never had someone say I can’t take the car to the nearby independent mechanic for an hour.


r/UsedCars • • 26m ago

Review Dealership

• Upvotes

I bought a car from a Used Car Dealership in a different state. The Dealership SAID it passed their state Inspection. Took it for inspection in my state failed inspection. Back rotors and brakes failed on both sides. What are my rights as a buyer.

Also I signed As is sale.


r/UsedCars • • 30m ago

Buying Worth it?

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

Located in Alberta, Canada. Any advice appreciated. I don’t thinks it’s worth $7800 CAD but want to know what others would pay for it.


r/UsedCars • • 51m ago

HELP do I keep my dreaded 17 versa?

• Upvotes

Essentially I'm going through bankruptcy and they want 11k for my 2017 Nissan Versa SV which initially sounds ridiculous but here's some backstory.

Bought it from family two years ago and it was poorly maintained if at all. Last December transmission went out and by the grace of god despite being at 85,000 (slightly over warranty) they changed the trans free of change + the alternator and belt. Since buying I've been regular with the mechanic and I know the cvt fluid needs to be changed (nearly at 105,000) so it isn't in the worst shape BUT something is wrong with the shift gear and I have over ride it to leave park and the mirror is busted lol.

We all know the car market is cheeks and with my bankruptcy and no down payment I'm cooked. This is my first car and I'm not a car person ( I was kinda forced to buy the Nissan smfh) so I'm just genuinely looking for advice on what yall would do.


r/UsedCars • • 1h ago

Buying What sedans have good active cruise control?

• Upvotes

I'm searching for a sedan that has a pretty beefy active cruise control system. Distance, lane centering all that jazz. Any recommendations? I've been looking at Subaru 2020 and up but I'm seeing conflicting info online about whether their system is true lane centering or just lane keep assist (complete wheel control vs gentle suggestive departure nudges)

I rented a Tesla with autopilot and again a Corolla and loved the car doing all the heavy highway lifting for me.


r/UsedCars • • 1h ago

Buying What would you do?

• Upvotes

Planning on purchasing a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. I have two options and am trying to figure out what the smartest move is.
Same exact car just different mileage and price points.

Option #1 50k Miles- $20,900

Option #2 68k Miles - $18,990

Basically wondering if the 18k mile difference is really worth an extra 2000 dollars. Appreciate any advice.
Thanks!

Edit: Or would you buy a 23 accord with 100k miles for around 20k?


r/UsedCars • • 11h ago

Buying Buying a used car in the GTA (Toronto) has become impossible

4 Upvotes

The market is now so saturated with scammers and curbsiders that you will never know what you're getting and who you're getting it from.

If the vehicle has low km for the year it's now more likely to have a rolled odometer than it is less likely.

On top of that, if you're buying from a normal person (non scammer or curbsider) and they bought the car used in the past few years, there's a real chance they bought it will a rolled odometer from a scammer.

This extends to dealers as well. The dealers in the GTA act just like curbsiders.

If it's a normal person selling a reasonably priced, low km, one owner car, then guess what, there's 1000 curbsiders that messaged first and you will blend right in with them one you ask for information.


r/UsedCars • • 7h ago

Buying i’m looking to buy an equinox that is about two or three years old and I feel kind of clueless

2 Upvotes

I currently drive a 2012 equinox that is more of an upgraded equinox. It has a bigger engine and a seat package and trim.

I bought it brand new and I have really loved it. I’ve maintained it with oil changes in a few repairs and it’s still running really great and I hope to pass it on to my teenager for his first car as he’s learning the rope still and getting his license soon.

A test drove a few other cars and came back to the decision that I want to buy a used equinox

I’m looking at buying something no older than a 2022 and I’d like something that is not the very base model something in the middle and I want to get a good value

So I guess I’m going to buy it at a car dealership and I found one so far that I like, but I’m just so confused about the whole car buying process because it’s been so long

I mean, I went online and looked for some cars and how does that go? Do I have it delivered? If I like it it seems kind of weird to not actually test drive the car that I’m going to buy.

I don’t really have a strict budget, but I guess I’d like to stay under 27,000

Any tips on the car?

How do I know if I’m getting a good deal and one thing is since I save so much money by driving this car so long I’m planning on purchasing it in cash with a check from the bank

It’s still a whole lot of money for me and will take almost all of my body, but this is what I plan to do

I did see online that you shouldn’t tell them you’re paying cash but how does that go? Will they give me a cheaper price if I finance am I supposed to do like a switch and bait? Don’t tell them and then say yeah I’m paying cash.

Anything to look out for equinox

The only car I like so far is a 2024 Chevrolet equinox RS and I don’t know if it’s overpriced or not. Do I go to Kelley Blue Book?

This particular car was a lease with no accidents reported on the Carfax. It has 23,000 miles and it looks like after taxes and fees I would be paying around 26,000.

How do I know if that’s a good deal and I would like to get a tow hitch thing because I use that to haul a small trailer that holds stuff like lawnmowers


r/UsedCars • • 5h ago

Selling Private car sellers, what’s the most frustrating part of selling cars?

0 Upvotes

Hello!

I am a second-year computer science student, I’m curious in finding out potential issues with the current used/private car marketplace in hopes to develop a software that could make your lives easier, in the world of Facebook marketplace scams it’s somewhat difficult finding a reputable vehicle.

I’d like for anyone with extra time on their hands to please answer these questions:

For sellers: What part of selling a vehicle is most time consuming in your experience?

What are the most frustrating or repetitive tasks you deal with?

What software/platforms do you currently use for buying/selling cars and what issues do you have with said platforms?

What’s one problem you wish had a solution to?

If you could fix one part of your sales process which could have the biggest financial impact?

Thank you!


r/UsedCars • • 7h ago

Buying Buying a 2002 trailblazer.

1 Upvotes

The woman selling it to me, apparently has sentimental value for it. It has 300k miles and apparently never had transmission issues, is that possible for a trailblazer with that many miles? Chat gpt says they usually need rebuilds at 200k, it's rare to find one at 300k with a healthy trans.

Engine is strong, oil changes done every 4,000k miles on the dot apparently.

it needs a control arm replacement, front end.

price: 600$

Should I take the risk?


r/UsedCars • • 4h ago

Buying Paranoid to buy used

0 Upvotes

In March I bought a 2004 Honda CRV off marketplace after searching for so long. Lo and behold the car came with a mountain of issues that presented itself a month in. I’ve had to pay for a whole new exhaust system, all new tires, new battery, new alternator, etc. I got fucked over basically and now I’m selling it for a fraction of what I paid + repaired.

Of course I can’t afford a nice new car so I have to buy used again. I’m paranoid to buy off marketplace but I’ve got family telling me used car dealerships won’t really be any better so to take my chances. I want an old corolla and I’ve been on the lookout. Kind of confused on where I should go / what I should do


r/UsedCars • • 8h ago

HELP Fix a $1,000 AC compressor or bypass it?

1 Upvotes

I have a 2008 Dodge Nitro 3.7L 4WD with a manual transmission and ~150,000 miles. KBB says about $2,000, but I’ve seen some listed at $4–5k (maybe I'm delusional, but $2k seems low).

Earlier this week, my AC compressor seized. Calling around, I've been quoted about $1,000 to fix it. A bypass belt is about $30.

I just started my first real job after college. I have about $8k saved, and selling the Nitro would get me a ~$10k budget for a reliable used car. I’m moving across the country in April, so I plan to sell the Nitro in the next couple of months and buy something reliable before the move.

My thought is I should just bypass it. I'm in Wyoming, and since it's October, I probably won't need A/C for a while, but I'm still worried about the defroster functionality if I bypass the compressor.

Some other problems my car has: For the most part, my car is in decent shape, but the airbag light is on (I suspect the clock spring, but I haven't scanned it yet). Both multifunction switches are flaky; they work most of the time, but sometimes my turn signal will act up, or my rear wipers won't turn on. A faulty low tire pressure light is on, and the paint is sun-faded. All of these, except the paint, would be easy fixes for me, but I don't like the idea of dumping money into a car if it is only worth $2k.

Is it worth fixing the AC before selling, or should I bypass it, disclose it, and price it lower? Is it worth it to fix the other issues, or should I sell it as is?


r/UsedCars • • 1d ago

Buying Quaint Used Car Scam

27 Upvotes

Last week I went to Austin to help my dad shop for a vehicle. We went to Down South Auto a little used car dealership off the highway because they had a decent selection of trucks in his price range.

Well, the game these guys liked to play was to take the fender well guards out and spray paint the frames with black paint. I went inside and asked them if they had the fender liner's to put back in and the owner said "for some reason they all seem to come in without them"

Well my dad went looking for a bathroom, it's a small little building so he looked around back and saw some fender wells sitting on the ground behind the building.

Honestly we just had a good laugh and left. Some mexican dude was there translating for several buyers and the sales guy was busy dealing with him. I guess that's more the clientele they are looking for.

The funny part is, they really didn't need to hit the frames with some paint. They were not even rusty, these were all 8-10 year old Central Texas trucks.

Just an old school swindler I guess.


r/UsedCars • • 11h ago

Review Buyers do not care about pristine carpet as much as people claim

1 Upvotes

Kept heavy deep-dish rubber liners in my car for four straight years because forum advice swore it was the best mats setup to protect car resale value when trading in. Pulled them out yesterday to vacuum the interior before listing it private party. Sure enough, melted slush had still crept over the shallow outer lip along the plastic door sill trim where salt crust dried into the edge fibers. When a buyer showed up today, he completely ignored that ninety percent of the factory carpet looked untouched. He immediately pointed at that one white salt line by the door sill to try knocking two hundred dollars off the price. Makes me wonder if higher wall trays like 3w would have actually stopped that sill leak, or if obsessing over perfect floor coverage just to preserve the car for the next guy is mostly a trap if winter brine always finds the seams anyway.


r/UsedCars • • 6h ago

HELP Undisclosed salvage engine

0 Upvotes

I recently bought a used VW Golf at a smaller used dealer. I understand the mistakes I made along the way in this story , which was to not get a PPI among other things, but I don’t want to get into all that.

What happened is the car had decent CarFax, with 60k miles and “cosmetic damage” as the only flaw (rear bumper is cracked— which now looking at it is definitely worse that I originally thought). But I did not care about the cosmetic stuff and am happy to pay for body work. The car ran great on the test drive.

When I took it to the mechanic after purchase, they asked if I was aware that it had a salvaged engine. In fact the engine head and engine block have two separate serial numbers, so they are definitely from a junk yard and the mileage is unknown. I said no, that was not disclosed to me. I wouldn’t have purchased had I known.

What I am curious about is the dealer’s responsibility to disclose that the engine was salvaged, and if they did in fact break any laws or if I have grounds for compensation here. I signed as-is , and of course understand where I was stupid.

But still — if I can prove the dealer knew, and did not disclose, what options do I have? I am in Oregon.


r/UsedCars • • 1d ago

Buying Any Hidden Gems (non-Toyota/Honda) for Under $15k?

22 Upvotes

Searching for a used car under $15k. Aside from basic safety features and an automatic transmission, I don't really have any preferences in terms of trim or type. It will get very little use: mainly in-town errands. No commute, few road trips. I know Toyota/Honda are the gold standard for reliability, but I was curious if there's a specific year/make/model from another carmaker that might be worth looking at aside from Mazda. A couple of dealers in town have a 7-month comprehensive warranty and/or a 100k Powertrain warranty, so I can take a little bit of risk driving off the lot in terms of a sudden issue. Thanks in advance.


r/UsedCars • • 14h ago

Buying RAV4 V6 30k km Since Oil Change

Post image
1 Upvotes

Hey guys, looking at a 2008 ZR6 RAV4 but the owner hasn’t had an oil change in 30k km (it currently has 78k km and was last done 40k km) Got a pre inspection mechanic to check out as much as possible and they said everything looks ok but obviously there’s only so much they can see.

The guy is an older gentleman who used it on highways only 120km per day when used

I’ve attached a photo of the oil but it has undergone an oil change and filter since

What should I do to make sure I’m not potentially buying a full lemon? Idm spending $1k for a fix up


r/UsedCars • • 14h ago

Buying What do yall think about this 2008 Subaru

Thumbnail
gallery
0 Upvotes

I am showing the descriptions but what do yall think based on the description box and the miles? Is the offer price decent? Even tho im noticing it went down after 5 months to 4k .


r/UsedCars • • 20h ago

Buying Finance $7-10k?

2 Upvotes

So I currently have a Silverado 2500. Need it for our hobby farm.

Daily driver is a 2010 cobalt. Has done me well for 5 years, paid $3k cash but almost at 200k, and is rusting out quickly among other issues.

Have always had a truck and been buying beater cars every 3-5 years for a daily driver. Thinking about breaking that trend and buying a decent used small SUV. 4wd would be nice (Wisconsin winters) and our 2nd child is due this winter so 4 doors is a must.

Anyways, found some decent options in the $8-10k range. I’d be willing to put $2-3,000 down. What is my best option to finance $5-7k for a used car?

Everything I’m looking at is less than 10 years old and under 100k miles. Credit score is around 725.

Are lenders willing to give smaller auto loans like this? In this economy I’d prefer to take a loan and pay it off way ahead of time than drain our savings and pay cash.
Thanks!


r/UsedCars • • 18h ago

Buying C300 worth it?

0 Upvotes

I’m looking at a 2009 C300 4matic with 166,000 kms for $5,500 CAD. Always maintained with no major issues, I went and checked it out & looks flawless just am a little nervous about buying as I haven’t bought a car myself before. Does it seem like a good deal or should I keep looking?