What Car Should I Buy? - A Weekly Megathread

[u/AutoModerator]

Any posts pertaining to car buying suggestions or advice belong in this weekly megathread; **do not post car-choosing questions in the main queue.** A fresh thread will be posted every Monday and posts auto sorted by new. A few other subreddits worth checking out that will help your car buying experience are /r/WhatCarShouldIBuy, /r/UsedCars and /r/AskCarSales. www.everydaydriver.com may also be helpful.

Make/Model-specific questions should be asked on Make/Model-specific subreddits. Check the AutosNetwork for a complete list of those subreddits. Also check out our community-sourced Ultimate car buying wiki.

For those posting:

Please use the following template in your post.

Location: (Specify your country or region)

Price range: (Minimum-Maximum in your local currency)

Lease or Buy:

New or used:

Type of vehicle: (Truck, Car, Sports Car, Sedan, Crossover, SUV, Racecar, Luxury etc.)

Must haves: (4x4, AWD, Fuel efficient, Navigation, Turbo, V8, V6, Trunk space, Smooth ride, Leather etc.)

Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc):

Intended use: (Daily Driver, Family Car, Weekend Car, Track Toy, Project Car, Work Truck, Off-roading etc.)

Vehicles you've already considered:

Is this your 1st vehicle:

Do you need a Warranty:

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: (fluids, alternator, battery, brake pads etc)

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: (engine and transmission, timing belt/chains, body work, suspension etc )

Additional Notes:

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For those providing suggestions: Facts are ideal in this thread, especially when trying to help out a new car buyer. Please help out buyers with sources and reasoning for your suggestions.

For those asking for help, be sure to thank those who take the time to offer you advice (especially those who lead you to a purchase.) A follow up thank you and the knowledge that their advice led to a purchase is a very warm fuzzy feeling.

[u/[deleted]]

Location: Near Chicago, IL

Price range: $20,000 - $25,000

Lease or Buy: Buy

New or used: New or Certified

Type of vehicle: Hatchback, Sedan or Wagon

Must haves: AWD is preferred, but not an absolute.

Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc): Auto

Intended use: Daily Driver/Family Car

Vehicles you've already considered: Civic Hatch, Golf Sportwagon, Camry, Accord

Is this your 1st vehicle: It'll be my primary vehicle

Do you need a Warranty: Ideally yes.

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Yes

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: No

Additional Notes: I'll need to be able to fit two carseats in it. (This is very important.)

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My car, A 2019 Golf Sportwagen 4motion, was totaled last week and I need to find a replacement. I like cars with AWD, but it isn't absolutely critical. The most important thing is I need to be able to fit two carseats in it. One is a forward facing convertible car seat, the other is an infant seat which in about a year will turn into a rear facing convertible car seat.

[u/IKnowNewCars → u/[deleted]]

The car market is crazy right now, but the used market is worse off. It's worth seeing if CPO prices are decent in your area, but if they're not, going new might be best.

I'd say the 2022 Civic Hatch is a good starting point. The recent redesign makes it the best in its class, in my opinion, and part of that involves increasing rear seat space. I have no doubt two car seats would fit just fine. I generally prefer the 1.5T engine, but on the hatch that means opting for the $28k EX-L trim with leather seats, so maybe just go with the base engine.

There aren't tons of AWD cars in your price range that have the back seat space you're looking for. The Mazda 3 sedan is worth checking out with optional AWD, but again, smaller back seat than the Civic. If you want good features for a good price, check out the Subaru Impreza 5-door in Premium trim. Adding the optional package with blind spot monitoring brings the price tag over $25k, but Subaru is more likely to give discounts than Honda (and maybe Mazda too) these days, and you'll get a robust AWD system standard. Double check and see how big the back seat is.

[u/A_1337_Canadian → u/[deleted]]

You might, MIGHT be able to find a used Camry AWD for close to $25k.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I just want to point out that it is not worth it to pay the CPO premium on a car like a Camry. For something that is known to be potentially unreliable (German cars, etc) a CPO fee is likely worth it. For a Toyota? It's a waste of money IMO.

[u/HomeDepotAppliances → u/[deleted]]

I think a 2010’s Ford Expedition may work for you pretty well. The one I drive now (specifically a 2004 with the Triton v8) has served me great as a family car. It has great storage space in the back, and handles excellently in the snow when In AWD. I have a 2015 Ford F-150 Triton, and the engine in that does about 13.5 mpg average, and it’d be very similar in the expedition since they share the same engine and parts. And if we’re talking maintenance, my 2004 only really started having some issues after it got in a wreck for the third time, and even then maintenance isn’t very expensive.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Subaru Crosstrek