Best car purchase?

[Padukacat]

I have another kid turning 16 at the end of May and the agony of a car purchase in the middle of a pandemic is bearing down on me. For the boys we set a limit of 10k and bought something we felt would get them through college. Both were salvage title cars from my friend who has access to that. Fast forward to today and those don’t exist and certainly not at the price I got them.

So…we may give the daughter our Honda Pilot with 120k and try to find my wife a vehicle. I really don’t want to spend a fortune in this market so I’ve about decided a new Honda Accord is as affordable as many used cars. Honda seems to have not increase cost considerably like some manufactures and they hold their value. It has a nice combo of looks and functionality and at 35k for a new vehicle it’s almost a bargain these days.

Anyone have any recommendations or insight.

[Darrell KSR]

Cars and houses are tough buys right now. Daughter just bought a new Hyundai Palisade, don't know what they spent but nice car. She sold her car (inexpensive Kia) to a separate place for $500 less than she paid 6 years and 90,000+ miles ago. I told her she should have held out to get more than she paid, and I think she could've, but she's pregnant with twins (any day to two weeks from now) and didn't want the hassle.

Honda is a good reliable car that holds their values well. I have two CRVs (2007 and a 2016) and a 2009 Odyssey. The Odyssey had some unusual problems and a blown motor that we replaced, but we hope to have it a number of more years. But that's us. I'll drive it until it just won't anymore.

[bigsky]

A base level new small to medium Toyota is the best value purchase right now. One of the Last year’s models “depreciated” on the lot. I would guess the same for Honda. Maybe even Mazda, I don’t know we do not have a dealer here.

[blueboss]

I just bought the wife a new 22 Nissan Altima SV, as I totaled hers on one of the bridges going over the creek a few weeks ago.

You may have seen the post on another thread, but I was involved in a violent crash when a dumpster roll off truck hit me.

The car was pretty mangled, he hit me in the left rear, spun me around and broadsided me sending me spinning airborne into a temporary divider wall. I walked away without a scratch (thanks mom). When it came time to replace it the wife said what should we get, I told her whatever she wanted. She started bringing up Honda and Toyota, and I said look at the car I crashed and I walked away from… easy decision.

You’re right about new verses used prices right now…after the insurance settlement I was able to replace the 2015 without not having to add much money. I tried getting her the top level with all the nic knacks and do-dads, but she was happy with the all that came in the SV package win/win.

Since I crashed her car I was willing to get her whatever she wanted, and with her being extremely sensible she saved me a lot of money. I thought for sure she’d stick me for a Benz, or a Lexus or something.

Dealers have some inventory, but if you don’t like what they have (color, do-dads etc) and you have to order be prepared for a wait.


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[kingcat]

The 2022 Hyundai Venue (https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/venue) is probably the best deal you can get. And they are loaded and dependable.

A high-riding hatchback with an SUV feel.
Lowest cost to own in its class.

[KentuckyWildcat]

I have another kid turning 16 at the end of May and the agony of a car purchase in the middle of a pandemic is bearing down on me. For the boys we set a limit of 10k and bought something we felt would get them through college. Both were salvage title cars from my friend who has access to that. Fast forward to today and those don’t exist and certainly not at the price I got them.

So…we may give the daughter our Honda Pilot with 120k and try to find my wife a vehicle. I really don’t want to spend a fortune in this market so I’ve about decided a new Honda Accord is as affordable as many used cars. Honda seems to have not increase cost considerably like some manufactures and they hold their value. It has a nice combo of looks and functionality and at 35k for a new vehicle it’s almost a bargain these days.

Anyone have any recommendations or insight.

PM sent as well

[KSRBEvans]

I've always had good luck with used Camrys. Reliable and last forever.

[MickintheHam]

It is a bad time to buy a car of any type. I ordered a new one and am hoping it will be here by spring.

I don’t know how you can do much better in its price category than a Honda Accord. We bought one with 17,000 miles coming off lease at a great price. My wife drove it for 6 years and then gave it to my daughter when she turned 16. It got here through college and a year of work.

I used to love Nissans, but no more. My last Maxima went through 3 transmissions. My neighbor’s Pathfinder was a transmission nightmare. That was a number of years ago, but I don’t know that anything has improved. If you are interested in a Nissan product Google Nissan transmissions and see what results you get. If you buy one make sure you have a transmission warranty for the life of the car.

[CitizenBBN]

Can never go wrong with Honda IMO. Have had 2 accords and a CRV, loved them all. Gave the last accord to step-daughter b/c super reliable and safe and easy to drive.

Just sold a CRV. It was fairly rough, was used by a horse owner more as a farm vehicle, 90K+ miles, still got just under $10K for it. Seriously. part of that is that Honda's are desirable, part b/c you can't buy crap for a car these days so people are desperate.

New comes with all the warranties and new features. Used usually is a better economic decision IF you can get a good used one. That's always the trick, and more of one now.

I'll sell you a 2011 Mustang though, and I also have an 82 Vette coming up for auction. Both are ideal for a 16 year old. :) (NOT!!!!)

[blueboss]

I’ve heard Nissan did have a transmission problem with their CVT (continuous variable trans.) technology. I think they’re on their 3rd version and it’s receiving good reviews.

I guess I’ve been lucky, my wife has had a 2013, 2015, and now a new 22’ Altima with no issues. Maybe we haven’t had one long enough for the problem to arise, plus she puts very little mileage on them, I think we bought the 2015 in 2017 with 13k on it and it only had 40k on it when I crashed it.

I have neighbors that buy Hondas, I don’t know if it’s them and how they drove them, but they had one (Accords)that burned oil, and another with some kind of transmission issue. They’ve now got two Civics (mother and daughter) that they’ve had for about a year with no issues, plus they’re pretty sporty looking too.


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[bigsky]

I've always had good luck with used Camrys. Reliable and last forever.

Literally an auto owning strategy up here, buying used Camrys and driving them to death. My last Camry popped a head gasket and I still sold it to another used Camry guy who put a used engine in it. A 98 with sunroof and remote start and gold trim. I’d be driving another but I have a free Yaris that costs nothing to drive around town.

[Padukacat]

Thanks everyone.

[blueboss]

Thanks everyone.

What did you end up getting?


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[Darrell KSR]

One thing that has gotten better over time is cars. That's the good news here.

We live in a disposable society where too many things we buy today don't last. Cars are the exception. When I was growing up, when a car approached 100k miles, it was worn out.

Today, even less expensive cars routinely go to double that. Perhaps more. Have a Honda Odyssey and two Honda CRVs I'm planning on keeping to 250k and a Lexus SUV the same. The Hyundai probably to 130k, and then pass it along to someone who will get another 70k out of it. Have a Jeep that is currently at 230k and drive it about once a month as a spare car.

And those are the rules these days, and not the exception.

Some of us may have a bad experience with one, or there was a run on a bad model of some car, so there are no guarantees. But the odds are pretty good you'll make a good choice because there are many a lot of good choices these days.

[kingcat]

One thing that has gotten better over time is cars. That's the good news here.

We live in a disposable society where too many things we buy today don't last. Cars are the exception. When I was growing up, when a car approached 100k miles, it was worn out.

Today, even less expensive cars routinely go to double that. Perhaps more. Have a Honda Odyssey and two Honda CRVs I'm planning on keeping to 250k and a Lexus SUV the same. The Hyundai probably to 130k, and then pass it along to someone who will get another 70k out of it. Have a Jeep that is currently at 230k and drive it about once a month as a spare car.

And those are the rules these days, and not the exception.

Some of us may have a bad experience with one, or there was a run on a bad model of some car, so there are no guarantees. But the odds are pretty good you'll make a good choice because there are many a lot of good choices these days.

Speaking of those Jeeps, they are a good buy right now but again, one needs to make certain the tranny's are right and then be prepared to change around 200,000. Lots of them out there still going strong for good reason.

As for the motors, the six and eight cylinder guys are good for 300k and up with proper maintenance.
I'd still avoid the four bangers though.

[KentuckyWildcat]

One thing that has gotten better over time is cars. That's the good news here.

We live in a disposable society where too many things we buy today don't last. Cars are the exception. When I was growing up, when a car approached 100k miles, it was worn out.

Today, even less expensive cars routinely go to double that. Perhaps more. Have a Honda Odyssey and two Honda CRVs I'm planning on keeping to 250k and a Lexus SUV the same. The Hyundai probably to 130k, and then pass it along to someone who will get another 70k out of it. Have a Jeep that is currently at 230k and drive it about once a month as a spare car.

And those are the rules these days, and not the exception.

Some of us may have a bad experience with one, or there was a run on a bad model of some car, so there are no guarantees. But the odds are pretty good you'll make a good choice because there are many a lot of good choices these days.

With my current run of luck, I'm struggling to agree with you here. And at 100,000 miles, I could fix my own 65 Mustang and 82 F150 :D

[Darrell KSR]

With my current run of luck, I'm struggling to agree with you here. And at 100,000 miles, I could fix my own 65 Mustang and 82 F150 :DYes, it's sorta like me needing a new engine on my Honda Odyssey just over 100k. If you get some bad luck, doesn't matter much what everybody else is experiencing.

Bought a used engine, but I've had two repairs to our 2009 Odyssey purchased new that have run about $10k.

FWIW, that was my mistake - I almost NEVER buy new. The universe was against me knowing I went against the grain.

[kingcat]

My daughter has an 06 Honda Odyssey they have driven well over 400k miles on the same engine.
Still going strong, although they have bought two slightly newer models. One in perfect shape cosmetically and the other mechanically with low miles.

They will create one for them, and one to sell. He (son-in-law) owns a successful automotive shop of course and is a certified BMW and general automotive tech. That helps a bit.

[Darrell KSR]

My daughter has an 06 Honda Odyssey they have driven well over 400k miles on the same engine.
Still going strong, although they have bought two slightly newer models. One in perfect shape cosmetically and the other mechanically with low miles.

They will create one for them, and one to sell. He (son-in-law) owns a successful automotive shop of course and is a certified BMW and general automotive tech. That helps a bit.

That's the experience that you hear more often than not, notwithstanding my bad fortune with my 2009 Odyssey. We ended up purchasing a used motor with 80,000 miles on it to put in and saved several thousand dollars. That was my compromise on whether to put more money into it, but everything else worked perfectly and it still looked brand-new.

We had one other thing occur with some sensors or something that ended up being about $3000 (but that included going ahead and changing the timing chain early or something like that) but otherwise, it has been very reliable and we hope to have it at least until 250,000 to 300,000 miles. That's 200,000+ miles on the "new" engine.

[Padukacat]

What did you end up getting?


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I’ve got 6 months at least so this is a slow play. The wife won’t do a new accord which seems bargain. I’m gonna wait and see if the used car market can correct some before I have to buy. She turns 16 on May 31st (daughter not the wife...) so I have time. As for new luxury cars I find the Hyundai Genesis brand a good look and price but I honestly don’t want to spend that much on a car, maybe the next one.

[VirginiaCat]

This is just a crazy market. My 2019 Denali is worth more today with 30K than I paid for it. If you can wait or share cars, I would suggest to do so.

My son just had his 3rd little one. So a 7 year old, 18 month old, and 4 month old. Their current Kia cannot accept 3 car seats/boosters but buying even a 10 year old 3rd row car now is just too expensive so no family trips for them and they are arranging child care at home with each other around well baby visits etc.

We plan on handing down my wife's car to our daughter. We have some time as she turns 15 this September. But it appears we will not be getting my wife the vehicle we had hoped unless something major changes in next 12-18 months.

[Catfan73]

This website has a car depreciation calculator. It may not be very accurate now though with the supply and demand issues: https://caredge.com/depreciation