Trying to help a 23 year old female find a reliable used car. She does not have a lot of money and can only afford 8-10k on whatever we can find. Car will be used for transportation to and from work, which would be 5-10 miles one way. What direction can I help her look?
Reliable Used Vehicle Options
- Thread starter captno4
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For the price range you could get a decent Corolla.
When it comes to long term reliability it is really hard to beat Toyota especially today, Honda is the only other option I would recommend for long term reliability but I only recommend sticking with 4 cylinder Honda's.
When it comes to long term reliability it is really hard to beat Toyota especially today, Honda is the only other option I would recommend for long term reliability but I only recommend sticking with 4 cylinder Honda's.
I'm a Toyota fan. But. Good luck finding a good one in that price range. On the good side, a penalty box will work, as the drive is too short for the downsides to become pesky. On the downside, Toyota has made some bombs that will be in this price range (Prius in the 2010 era, anything with a 2.4L 2AZ-FE, probably something else that is down this price now).
At 5 to 10 miles, the car doesn't have to be all that great. I mean, miles per year isn't that high. I think you might be better off avoiding the Toyota tax, finding something that isn't too beat, spending half the budget (while leaving the other half for repairs and upkeep), and running that into the ground instead--while saving for something better. Like a new Toyota.
I'm shopping myself but the used market is terrible right now. I'm not sure how much I want to travel to find my next beater, and I'm becoming dubious about finding one, as the market has been constrained for a while. Supposedly prices are coming down, but only slowly, and IMO won't recover, not when new is pricing itself into ridiculous, which means demand on every lower priced used car is going to stay high. Rising interest rates means people will buy cheaper cars in order to "tote the note" and so...
At 5 to 10 miles, the car doesn't have to be all that great. I mean, miles per year isn't that high. I think you might be better off avoiding the Toyota tax, finding something that isn't too beat, spending half the budget (while leaving the other half for repairs and upkeep), and running that into the ground instead--while saving for something better. Like a new Toyota.
I'm shopping myself but the used market is terrible right now. I'm not sure how much I want to travel to find my next beater, and I'm becoming dubious about finding one, as the market has been constrained for a while. Supposedly prices are coming down, but only slowly, and IMO won't recover, not when new is pricing itself into ridiculous, which means demand on every lower priced used car is going to stay high. Rising interest rates means people will buy cheaper cars in order to "tote the note" and so...
A 2016-2017 Camry for under $10k? What dream world are you living in?
For under $10k the best Toyota you will find is going to be a 2010-2011 Corolla with over 120k miles on it, still a better car than most anything else you will find in this price range. It is not uncommon to see Corollas that are 20+ years old with 250k+ miles on them. I would stay away from a Honda in this price and year model range, they can get expensive to keep on the road when they get up-there in miles.
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23 and does she live in VA? She close to @AutoMechanic by chance?
Corolla or a Civic. You can't go wrong.
Suzuki DR-650.
Well about an hour south of him but she has a boyfriend.
Zee09
$200 Site Donor 2023
Agree with the above and I will add a Mitsubishi Outlander or Sport version.
My GF was in a similar situation a couple years ago, ended up buying a Mitsubishi Mirage from Carvana.
She has a 24-ish mi commute each way. it's been very reliable, considering the age/mileage(2014/94k mi), and the couple minor things that haven't been fixed yet, but her dad says he will "get around to them"
1) Starter doesn't always engage, makes that joyous ringing/clang of death and she leaves for work about 3am....
2)recently one of the heat sheilds has started rattling....
She has a 24-ish mi commute each way. it's been very reliable, considering the age/mileage(2014/94k mi), and the couple minor things that haven't been fixed yet, but her dad says he will "get around to them"
1) Starter doesn't always engage, makes that joyous ringing/clang of death and she leaves for work about 3am....
2)recently one of the heat sheilds has started rattling....
Can you still get a 2013-2016ish Escape with the 2.5L for around 10k, My dad paid $9500 for his in early 2021 but I think the market has gotten more ridulous in 2.5 years.
In my area yes, especially the Fusions but I’m in the rural Midwest so maybe not everywhere.
Has anybody mentioned TOYOTA?
Where I live rust isn't a thing.
Where I live rust isn't a thing.
That is a little over 4 hours north of us and I doubt she will want to travel that far. However, that is another one I will put on the list. Thanks for the suggestion and thanks to everyone else on their suggestions too!
My step daughter has an older suzuki vitara. They aren’t that popular, which may help low pricing. It has been dead nuts reliable, and we are a honda/toyota family - it has been just as good, if not slightly better. It does drink oil, and it Never comes home with oil on the dipstick, and she’s run it dry at least once, and it keeps going. I would not hesitate to recommend one if it’s been cared for.
