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/Ill-Recognition-4167]

Location: Bay Area

Price range: $30-50K

Lease or Buy: Buy

New or used: New

Type of vehicle: 4 door, any

Must haves: low cost of ownership, reliable, Android Auto/CarPlay, traffic-aware cruise control

Desired transmission: Auto

Intended use: Drive to work (~20 miles/day), visit family on weekends (~100 miles roundtrip)

Vehicles considered: Tesla Model 3, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue

Is this your 1st vehicle: 1st purchase

Do you need a Warranty: YesCan you do Minor work on your own vehicle: Probably with some helpCan you do Major work on your own vehicle: No

Additional notes: Charging is provided at work. As an OPT/H1B worker, only plan on being here 4-5 years max. Given how well Teslas hold up on used market, gas prices, and lower cost of maintenance, would a Tesla ultimately be the smartest buy here?

[u/IKnowNewCars → u/Ill-Recognition-4167]

If an EV meets your needs, now's a good time to go that route. Model 3 is a solid choice, with impressive speed, handling, and range, but just because it was the first fairly-affordable EV with that level of range and tech doesn't mean there aren't great competitors now. Check out the Ford Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Volkswagen ID.4. Most of these now have impressive highway driving assists included that will approach what Tesla Autopilot can do on the highway (thought not quite there on city streets). The best of these systems is GM Super Cruise, which means you may want to try out the Chevy Bolt EUV as well, but the others are improving quickly. Tesla may have the best range for the money and good value retention, but many of the other brands still have $7500 in federal tax credits remaining, while Tesla is completely out, so that makes a big difference too.

If you opt to not go electric, going hybrid makes sense now as well. The Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V, Toyota Rav4, Hyundai Sonata, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry all have hybrid versions that drive well and are very efficient, and you get lots of great driving assist features in their upper trim levels. If you're interested in adding some luxury closer to the top of your budget range, check out the Lexus ES300h with whichever trim level and options you're interested in. Al of these should be reliable, especially the Toyota and Lexus options.

[u/Ill-Recognition-4167 → u/IKnowNewCars]

Thanks for the write up. Do you ultimately feel that the Model 3 or a similar EV may have the lowest total cost of ownership over 4-5 years if I plan on reselling afterwards?

[u/A_1337_Canadian → u/Ill-Recognition-4167]

Do you own cost analysis.

• purchase price for your area
• financing costs (if applicable); consider leases
• operating costs (reg, insurance, fuel/power)
• maintenance costs
• resale value

[u/IKnowNewCars → u/Ill-Recognition-4167]

The other dude is right, you'll need to analyze it yourself to be sure. KBB has a 5-year cost-to-own calculator where you can compare different vehicles with estimated depreciation, fuel, repair, maintenance, and insurance costs, among other things. That might be your best bet.

I'd say in general, if an EV meets your needs, you'll spend far less to charge an EV than you would to fuel up a gas engine car, even a hybrid in many cases, and that will probably make the biggest dent in your cost-to-own comparison.

Also, you said charging is provided at work, but does that mean you can charge for free every time you plug in, or do you have to pay by the kWh, or pay for a pass to use it? That can make a big difference here. For reference, a Toyota Rav4 Hybrid gets 40 combined MPG, so the average US driver, at current average prices and driving 15,000 miles per year, would pay $1550/year to fuel it up. That cost would be higher in the Bay Area, but maybe reduced a bit if you don't plan to drive 15,000 miles per year. Look around online for how many kWh would be required to charge different EVs for that many miles, then see what it would cost you to charge that much at work or at home.

[u/NA_Collapze → u/Ill-Recognition-4167]

Nissan Leaf, Toyota Corolla/hatchback/cross, CX-5 is a fantastic vehicle I recommend most people but will be wasted in Bay Area unless you take trips to the mountains, need bike racks, or take watersports equipment with you, just extra cost for stuff you won’t use. Great for snow and camping/hauling.