I have $20k to spend. What should I buy?
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Anonymous
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Family of 3, including a toddler in a rear-facing car seat. No more kids on the way. I'll be driving approximately 50 miles a day perhaps 3-4 days a week. Primary considerations are price, safety, reliability. Don't care too much about looks but have a job where it would be good to project a sensible, down to earth but successful image. Not opposed to a low mileage, well-maintained used vehicle.
Any suggestions for what to buy? |
Anonymous
| Enterprise or other car rental places have good prices. Many of Car Max are former rentals if you look at the history. I'd get a AWD mid sized SUV. |
Anonymous
| A Honda CR-V. |
Anonymous
| With a toddler in a seat, I'd look at a taller car rather than a sedan - CRV, one of the Subarus, etc. Once the kid gets bigger, the lower cars become less of an issue as you don't have to buckle/tighten them in. |
Anonymous
| With only 3 of you, you could fit into almost anything. I would look at a used but pretty new Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, or Subaru Outback or Subaru Forester. |
Anonymous
| Something that gets good gas mileage. Maybe a Prius? They are quite roomy and have good trunk space for strollers, etc. |
Anonymous
| Honda Fit. Perfect for a family of 3 and easy to park and great mileage. |
Anonymous
| If you go on CarMax, you can enter the make/model and then set up parameters- year, cost, etc. Great way to see what you can get for $. |
Anonymous
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If you’re looking for an SUV, and you want it to be low-mileage and reliable, I think you’re going to need to spend more than 20. If you’re planning to finance it, there isn’t a huge difference in monthly payments if you go up to 25-30 and choose a longer term loan. You’re probably looking at a used vehicle.
My top recommendation is to finance it through a credit union, not the dealer, if you’re buying used. You’ll get a better rate. I just bought a low mileage Ford Explorer for 30 from Carmax and am very happy with it. Carmax also offers a 150k mile warranty. |
Anonymous
I would do this or a Prius with your commute and family size |
Anonymous
| Im going to go a little outside the box and recommend a used Mini Cooper. They look snazzy, but are solid cars for the price. A 4-door countryman is really as big as any other small sized 4 door car. Fun to drive, decent gas. |
Anonymous
No. This is a tin can on wheels. Do a CRV or Hyundai Santa Fe. |
Anonymous
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Honda HR-V.
I love mine. All of the benefits of an SUV (get the EX model), but nice and compact for city life. |
Anonymous
| VW Jetta sportwagen aka VW Golf station wagon. Drives like a car with lots of space to haul stuff. |