I can’t give you an equation for mileage vs price, and it seems this often tracks pretty consistently. But one thing we found, having bought cars that were about 3 years old, is that the prices don’t always reflect all the extras, so if you want lots of bells and whistles, you might not have to pay for them. That - at least for us - was where we felt like we got a “deal”. While it’s easy to add features $100 at a time when you’re buying new, when you’re buying used, you get what you get, and few buyers want to pay up for every feature the original owner wanted. So they often don’t!
Also, strongly recommend you check the carfax report to see if the car was ever in an accident.
A year ago, we owned 2 2010 vehicles and that was starting to make us nervous that we didn’t really have a fully reliable vehicle. So we replaced the one we liked the least. Now we have a 2022 and a 2010. Our 2010 is a Honda Odyssey with 220,000 miles on it. I’m getting $1k of work done next week. I really have to think about putting the money into it, but it’s still not a lot or frequent and I’d really like the van to get through 2 more years until the youngest graduates. But I’ve started trying to figure out what we will replace it with.
We had always bought new, because we were often able to get a friends/family discount. Last time we decided to do used. It wasn’t a ton cheaper - maybe $3k, but we took our time and found a 2022 with just $14,000 miles on it and under warranty still. It’s been great with no issues, so $3k saved is good enough.
We’ve never been keen on risking purchasing a used car, though my parents did so a lot. Since college graduation 40 years ago we’ve purchase six new cars. And one used (when my husband wanted to splurge for an Audi, from a dealership for used foreign cars). I do think much can depend upon the car you want. My daughter (and economics major) used to say she would never buy a new car. But then she decided she wanted Suburu… and in Colorado they used ones demand such a premium that she decided to buy new. (During Covid she almost sold it, since she would have gotten what she paid for it.)
Great tips! I will consider whether a used car can get me more ‘extras’ than new, when the time comes to buy. And will be sure to look at Carfax report (thinking certified pre-owned Honda might be safest…).
As of now - I will keep saving my money, consider trying out/renting an HR-V, and be prepared for some potentially quick decision-making , should any extra-big auto expenses arise.
We had a over 10 year old Nissan with about 220K miles that had never needed a repair until one day our son was driving and it basically died. Luckily he had left the highway because it was making noises and was on a side street. So waiting until it dies can be a bit tricky.
The downside to waiting until the car literally died was needing to replace it immediately.
No time to compare prices. To replace it, I bought a Honda Accord. Great mileage (almost 39 mpg with mostly highway driving) great safety features and comfortable. I drive over 70 miles round trip 3 to 4 times per week. We paid more than we normally would have as it was during the pandemic.
As someone else said, I have never found that a recent model used car was cheaper engough than a new car with less upgrades. And during the pandemic no used cars were to be had.
Family bought a preowned and certified Honda years ago it did fine.
But, I guess I always want the latest safety features. Several friends have an HR-V and love it. They use it for driving on the highway going to ski resorts.
@mom2and - 220k miles - that’s pretty great! I hear you on the worry of “when,” though. Had a Ford Suburban just completely stop on the highway years ago (with my young kids in car) - never want to experience that again!
@rockymtnhigh2 - my dream second chapter is to move to a beautiful mountainous state and camp, hike, adventure. Do you think the HR-V would do well enough in snow on mountain roads?
Okay - so, today I am making the choice to not replace a vehicle. But have just been informed that I am out $2k for a catalytic converter replacement. Sigh! The car has a Carfax trade-in value of about $3,600. It’s eight years old and has over 153K miles.
It is not a hybrid, and is a small four-door with few bells and whistles. In decent (not impeccable) cosmetic condition. Can’t really haul any furniture in it. But easy to drive and I would love to keep it running to 400K miles if I could. Mostly so I can drive up to see my kid at college for quick visits.
I chose the shop by doing a “reddit my city here” search of “reputable car repair shops.” This one was close enough to the house that my spouse could pick me up from there without too much inconvenience. There are more shops (with online feedback) to choose from further away from where we live.
I did like the vibe of the owner (easy-going and naturally friendly). I believe the price quote is within range of other shops. So hopefully by this time tomorrow, I can have my car back (and not have to rent vehicles just to drive and see the kid).
Hoping this is place is like @mom60’s “trusted independent repair shop.”
Not sure- we have 4 wheel drive cars for that- they can go in high gear 4 wheel and low gear 4 wheel drive.
There is a difference between all wheel drive and 4 wheel drive. I’ve never fully understood it, but most people here for serious driving need high clearance and 4 wheel drive.
Good luck, thealternative! Car stuff has always been intimidating (and uninteresting) to me (and others in my life have handled those concerns). No longer! I’m learning all I can. Good for you- thinking it through and carefully weighing the variables.
We have the AWD version but have never taken it skiing in a Lake Tahoe blizzard, that’s what our big 4WD SUV (Honda Pilot) is for. The HRV is a very light car (and doesn’t have aggressive mud/snow tires as standard), I think it’s fine on plowed slippery roads but I wouldn’t want to try and get it through 6 inches of unplowed snow without putting chains on.
Same to you @Jolynne_Smyth. I, too, am uninterested and intimidated by car stuff because I am into other stuff. However, I did have to do some research here because this is not a great time for car replacement as there are other expenses that have precedence.
The shop guy looked at the car and basically said that finding a similar ride for $3,600 that was running well would be rare indeed. I’d love to be driving a swankier vehicle, but have prioritized other spending the past few years instead.
I am all about pick up! LOL. Our covid car is a Nissan Kicks (the Nissan version of the HR-V) ad the pick up is decent.
We also have a Nissan Rogue (about the same size at a Toyota Rav-4). Bigger and heavier than the Kicks or HR-V, which I like, but not a “full on” SUV. Lots of cargo space (I am also all about cargo space) especially when you put the back seats down.
I always wanted a sun/moon roof, but too cheap to pay for one. (I had previously driven a Jeep Wrangler (often with no top) for 9 years…back when they were $11k new.)
One of the used cars we bought came with a sunroof - and it was kind of “behind” the front seats so it didn’t even really notice it or use it. Not even close to the feel of no roof like my Wrangler.
I know the newer cars have those huge long ones - maybe those are nice?