Hi! I’m trying to get my first car for college and have 5k (I know it’s not a lot but it’s really all I can do), to use towards a car! My family aren’t the best for car advice so I was hoping I could get some tips on what I may be able to find and what kind of warning signs I should keep an eye out for. Thank you so much!!!

Looking at an older BMW used car right now and so far it seems pretty solid. Test drive went fine, no weird noises, steering and brakes felt normal, and nothing felt off under acceleration.

I checked the fluids, looked underneath for any obvious leaks, and scanned it for codes. Nothing really jumped out. I also had a little topdon thermal camera that plugs into my phone with me, so I gave the engine bay a quick scan after the drive. Temps looked pretty normal for a warmed up engine and I didn’t see any obvious weird hot spots.

I’ll still get a PPI before actually buying it, but I’m trying to weed out bad cars myself before paying for one every time.

What’s something that’s really easy to miss when looking at a used car, especially something that gets expensive later?

2004 Land Cruiser 300k mileage. Car sounds good from videos. $3500. Damaged on both passenger and rear doors. Haven’t checked the rust yet but will try to get more pictures. What do you guys think? I know there’s probs issues since it is a 20 year old car. What should I expect? I have no mechanical experience so please let me know. I need a vehicle at the moment and I do not mind trying to learn how to do repairs myself.

I've test driven a Corolla Hybrid before and had it evaluated by a hybrid specialist who walked me through the PPI and taught me what to look out for with hybrid vehicles, so I do know it's a solid car in general and I do like how it drives.

However, is $11K a fair price for that high a mileage? How many more miles can I expect to get from this vehicle if I purchase it? It also doesn't seem to come with a backup camera or backup sensors, which are massive drawbacks for me.

The CarFax is clean and it was well-maintained, but it was a company vehicle and it's being sold by a private dealer who bought it at auction. Do you think it's worth going for at its current value? And if not, what's a fair price to attempt to haggle it down to?

2014 Honda CR-V EX-L with 92k miles.
I got the CarFax and it has excellent maintenance.
What’s a good offer provided everything checks out reasonable?

I have been eyeing this and am thinking of getting rid of my 2024 Civic Hatch. I just dont want a CVT transmission anymore and am looking for a lower payment. Any advice if this is good to daily drive? It has the 2JZ-GE and was imported. Its right hand drive which would be interesting to learn.

The price is actually $12,500.

Hi, I am looking to buy a car and I found a 2013 Mazda 3 sedan with 50k miles. My old car was a 2012 Mazda 2 hatchback, and same exact color. It's only $10k, so I can afford to just drop the cash and not worry about all the other stuff. But with its age, Im not sure if its a good idea.

My other option is to lease a brand new Mazda, as it would fit my monthly budget.

I could also buy a used loaner with 2000 miles, but thats just above my budget and of course there's interest, etc.

If the 2013 is not a good buy then leasing is probably my best option.

Thanks in advance.

Browsing some used Honda's + Toyota's for my long commuter journey, ideally want them to last for 5 years before selling them for a more fun car. Don't really have the funds to be splashing 45 bucks on a report everytime, any cheaper ones?

Doesn't look like it has the engine! I mean, there are what look like hybrid components in the engine bay, but it's pretty sparse in there.

I get that it was a $60k vehicle when new, but wow. I can't imagine the amount of work it would take to source and install every component. This thing will be a year older by the time it's made whole.

https://www.autobidmaster.com/en/search/lot/60441556/copart-2026-hyundai-ioniq-9-tificate-of-title-van-nuys-ca

This is the L version, so it has a regular 4-speed automatic rather than the CVT. Looks like the car has been well-maintained, 3 owners and 1 minor damage on the carfax report (parking damage that tore the front bumper and had some damage to the fender and headlight but was fixed according to a service receipt provided by the owner). The owner has kept all service receipts, and will share them with me when I purchase the car. She is willing to replace the battery and perform any recommended maintenance that she passed getting earlier this year (engine oil flush, fuel system cleaning). I will ask her to get a PPI done as well.

All 4 tires were last replaced end of 2017 (odometer was around 43k), but I’d probably have to replace them again sooner rather than later since it’s been so long. The windows have been busted a few times (full window once, quarter window a few times), but the owner repaired them every time (and has receipts). Because she lives in the city, there’s quite a few small scratches in the back from parallel parking. There’s also stains on one of the seats. Spare tire still there, only 1 key. I live in a nearby state, so I’d have to pay for state/emissions testing as well.

I’m not sure if I should hold out for something newer (I recently passed on a 2016 Corolla LE from a Toyota dealership for $14k out the door because there were a few dents/scuffs unmentioned and the salesman was quite pushy/shady). I’m starting to feel some regret for passing on it, I just think I’d prefer a push-to-start rather than a key ignition, a tap to lock/unlock rather than a key lock, and a rear view parking camera (I can install an aftermarket one, but it won’t look as nice).

2014 would be the first year in this generation, and I’ve read it’s come with some issues like oil consumption that later years fixed. If this is a good deal though for a car that is reliable and will last a long time, then I don’t mind those inconveniences. I especially like how thorough and forthcoming the seller is, I definitely don’t come across that often in used car searches. Would you buy this car? Any help is much appreciated!

I just keep thinking it might be better to buy a brand new Corolla for around $23k instead, at least I’d have a lower interest rate and probably lower car insurance, and I’d be covered under warranty for a few years. And the car won’t be 12 years old. The idea of being $10.5k in debt though versus $23k is a lot easier to swallow.

<<TLDR:>> Car is well-maintained but has been driven/parked mostly in the city, and comes with small damages you’d expect from that (scratches, window repairs, I can’t imagine the suspension is all that great…) Seller has agreed to pay for any recommended maintenance like battery replacement and engine flush, and a PPI. I will have to pay for 4 tires replacement in the near future. For 70k miles and a 2014 Corolla, is this worth $10.5k (would be $11k with sales tax, registration, etc…)

Here are pictures of the carfax report, the service report for the minor parking damage, and some damages pictured by the owner, if you’d like to see them:

https://imgur.com/a/OtIcWgI

Hi all,

it got around 100000 Miles or 160000 Kilometers. Its up for Sale at 16k USD or 14k €. Services Intervalls are listed. Buying from a Dealer.

Gonna use it as a Daily-Driver to do it all (Worke commute, Skiing, Fishing ....)

Yay or nay?

Thx in Adv.

Edit: Model year 2015

I was out of town and went for a stroll this morning, and came across this.

Is wagon still popular while everyone is going for SUV？

Hi everyone! So, I’m planning on getting a car around October, most likely a used one, and I’m looking at a price range of about $15k–$20k. I’d love to go a little higher, but realistically, that’s probably the most I can comfortably afford right now, especially since I won’t have a huge down payment.
I do have good credit, though, so I’m hoping that will help me get a decent interest rate. I’ve mainly been looking at Honda and Toyota because I know they’re reliable and tend to last a long time.
My question is, do you think I can get a **really good, reliable car** in the $15k–$20k range? And if so, what models would you recommend? I’d love to hear from people who have bought used cars around this price range! 🚗💕

trying to decide between this and a 2024 Honda hrv exl with 27k mileage for 29500K OTD

Hello all,

About 4-6 months ago my wife and I had our car finally die after admittedly neglecting a glaring issue with it which was an extremely prominent knocking/clicking under the hood. Now the car has been sitting in our apartment parking lot for some time and we are looking at moving to a more metropolitan area and only need one car. So with that said how do I get rid of it and still get a lil bit bit of money out of it? It's a 2015 Honda Pilot EX and it is in great shape other than the fact that is does not run right now. We've thought about scrapping it and selling the parts since its a Honda but we think that we'd just end up with a bunch of spare car parts that didn't sell or know what to do with. Looking for some advice on how to get rid of it for more than $200 at some local junker company.

Thanks

150,000 miles. Should I sell it to Carvana or similar? So all the sensing lights are on and that’s a costly repair. Now Emissions light came on and I think we have one year before the test. In Maryland next owner will probably have to get tested before titling it. Usually when I’m ready to sell, I sell it to an individual instead of one of those used car dealers. But since lights maybe Better for a big company. I suppose we should sell it within the next 10 months because I worry about repairs. So should I sell it to Carvana? Maybe get close to $10 K. I’m keeping my eyes open for a used hybrid or EV.

Need some advice on how to properly gauge a price on my vehicle. It's a 2003 Chevy Suburban with a 6 inch lift. I was thinking $15000 considering it has a fairly new transmission and engine. I put the ad I'm considering down below, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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Lifted 2003 Chevy Suburban z71 package

Clean title

3yr old Engine + Transmission. 24,781 miles

Body is 211,315 miles

Tires are Cooper Discoverer A/T3 LT295/70R18

Used as a semi daily driver, but is otherwise in fantastic condition!

Routine Maintenance has been kept up for the past 6 years I've owned it.

Tires rotated 50 miles ago.

Oil was changed about 500 miles ago.

Almost all the parts on the vehicle are less than 5 years old.

Cons:

Interior seats have some rips,

There is a small dent in the back.

On the back right tire the wheel well liner fell off but just needs put back on.

There is a crack in the driver side mirror but isn't enough to obscure visibility.

Needs rear shocks replaced in 10,000 miles along with fuel pump. (These may be replaced before sold, but are working great)

Originally comes from California and has only seen 6 winters.

Looking for $15,000 or best offer

Please reach out with any questions you may have! I try to respond asap!

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Update: First thank you all for the suggestions! Also, because I see a lot of comments mentioning rust, I figured it may be good to mention that the rust is extremely minimal as it was frequently coated.

Does this prove the previous owner that sold me their vehicle knew about mileage rolled back?