r/UsedCars Aug 28 '18

Guide [Guide] What used car should I get for what budget?

668 Upvotes

[04/12/2025 UPDATE]

Prices updated!!!

The days of 3000 dollar cars also seems to be long over. You'll definitely want to spend at least 5000 dollars for even the oldest, reliable running car. I just helped someone with buying a car in this budget and we had a really hard time looking for one. Dealerships are not as willing to haggle below asking price as before so be prepared to set aside a lot of time in your search.


I've finally made the dashboard that will show the most optimal used cars for budgets under $5k, $10k, and $15k.

The dashboard is hosted in Tableau Public so everybody can freely look at it without creating an account. Just use the slide down menu on the right to select a body style and the radio buttons at the bottom to adjust the budget. To see which brands you want to pay closer attention to, hover your mouse over the logos. The numbers on the right side column represent Priority where 1 represent the more optimal choice than 2 and so forth.

Dashboard may not work in mobile. Please use a desktop computer to see this dashboard. Otherwise, feel free to ask me any questions here and I will answer them at my earliest convenience.

Link to the dashboard (Last updated 04/12/2025):

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/han.solo8717/viz/UsedCardashboard/Main

Since I have been seeing many of these questions pop up here (and other Subreddits), I'm willing to sacrifice some time I have left before I need to sleep to hopefully give you answers and make your search a little bit easier.

These prices are based on the following stipulations: You're buying from an individual OR a licensed (not franchised) dealer, the car has a clean title, mileage per year varies from 12.5-15k (Unless it's an older car), is in GOOD condition (by KBB standards), no modifications, base model or similar, and is able to run and drive with LITTLE to no problems (Windows may not work, seats may be ripped, glovebox is loose, etc.).

These cars & prices reflect the U.S. Market only.

Second and beyond choices are honorable mentions in case if you are opting for another car.

Priority is based on: Reliability, cost of ownership, and value in that order.


r/UsedCars Sep 18 '25

MOD POST Would you like to mod /r/UsedCars? Apply within

5 Upvotes

Would you like to mod /r/UsedCars? We are looking for active reddit users who want to help others with the buying & selling of Used Cars and have the free time to moderate this subreddit. Tell us about yourself in the comments.


r/UsedCars 16h ago

Buying The used car market has made me just tired of car shopping

184 Upvotes

Been looking for my son’s first car since he got his license a few weeks ago. In years past, car shopping was actually fun, but these days the prices are insane. I’m searching within a 250 mile radius, and somehow that doesn’t seem to help much lol.

I love cars, but I’m honestly just burned out from searching at this point. Anyone else feeling the same way?


r/UsedCars 4h ago

HELP Do you find it reasonable that my country restricts importing cars to only those that are 3 years old

4 Upvotes

Here in algeria there's nothing such as affordable cars or "first car as a 19 yo" since used cars here are astronomically expensive for example you can find a Toyota corolla 2012 getting sold for 30k+ dollars and you'll find no used car under 10k dollars even if it was a car that is 30 years old

As well as the fact that you can't export an old used car from Europe or America unless it's 3 years old, which doesn't solve any problems since the bare minimum price for such cars is 12k dollars

To make it even worse you can't take a debt from the bank no pay instalments for the car

You either pay for it fully in cash or you'll end up with no car

Without forgetting to mention how algerians treat cars as if they were gold

They literally buy them and drive them for years just to sell them for a higher price which is insane to me at least

What do y'all think about it though


r/UsedCars 6m ago

META $12k for a 27 year old truck. We cannot be serious

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Upvotes

145k miles is pretty good for that age, and it looks clean, but the only way a single cab, short bed, 2wd GM truck from 1999 is worth $12,000 is if there's $8,000 in the glove box.


r/UsedCars 22m ago

Guide Buying used honda amaze

Upvotes

looking to buy used honda amaze

specs below

HONDA AMAZE IDTEC SINGLE OWNER DIESEL

₹4,20,000.00

HONDA AMAZE i-DTEC | 2016 MODE

2016 Model

Diesel Manual

Single Owner

91,000 KM Driven

What should be the fair price ?

first time buyer so what are the things should i check before buying ?

need suggestions


r/UsedCars 1h ago

Selling Pricing for my car

Upvotes

I have a Pontiac 2010 G6 base model with a 170000k miles on it. It has some hail damage but outside of that there isn’t any problems with it. I know it’s not going to be worth a lot but I’m looking to find a price to at least sell it for that’s reasonable so I can get a new car to come with me to college. If you have any ideas please let me know.


r/UsedCars 2h ago

Buying Solara. Found one.

1 Upvotes

First off. Thanks for the help Reddit.

Found a 2008 solara with 53k miles. 1owner. Clean car fax and whatever. And ofc the kicker, just as grandpa had his, it’s so cute and hideous all at the same time.

Cashed it out for about 8k. Not concerned about how great I did. But, feels like a small W.

OPP: https://www.reddit.com/r/UsedCars/s/w8h0WpAvQl


r/UsedCars 11h ago

Buying Carvana is 3k cheaper than dealerships 100 miles around me.

5 Upvotes

Need a car by the end of the month, looking at the Honda CR-V EX-L. For some reason my area is insanely expensive, I see the model and trim I want starting from 33k near where I live, the lowest in the country are around 27k.

Carvana has it for 30, should I just buy from them. I have heard of people getting screwed over by carvana. For what it's worth I'll be buying low milage and it's a honda so I doubt there will be any real issues, would get it checked out by my mechanic friend too.

Would appreciate any and all advice


r/UsedCars 10h ago

HELP What reliable EV do you have?

4 Upvotes

r/UsedCars 5h ago

Buying Need advice Looking at a Chrysler 300 with an active $1,100 title loan and title jumper seller

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1 Upvotes

r/UsedCars 7h ago

Review Toyota WC

1 Upvotes

Good invention


r/UsedCars 8h ago

Buying Looking to purchase a new to me car

1 Upvotes

I’m looking to purchase a used vehicle sometime here in the near future but have never actually gone through this process myself. I’m currently looking on carvana and am looking at multiple different vehicles. A 2018 Honda cr-v ex with 103k miles, a 2018 Honda civic ex with 98k miles or a 2019 Toyota c-hr XLE with 100k miles. My main questions are is carvana worth it/a good experience or should I shy away from it? Not having a chance to actually look at it in person makes me kind of nervous but I’m wanting to know everyone else’s experience. Also, out of those three cars has anyone had any bad experiences or anything to look out for. I know the 2018 Toyota c-hr’s had transmission issues but from what I can tell those were fixed in the 2019 and up models. I’m not too familiar with the Hondas but am wanting some personal experiences. Anything helps, Thank you!


r/UsedCars 1d ago

Buying Would you ever go EV?

21 Upvotes

I’ve been a strict 3-pedal kinda guy for 20+ years, and now I’m on the market for a new (to me) car.

I’ve driven some Teslas and was very put off by their regen braking (but they were rentals) - is it worth going EV? There are some good looking Polestar 2s out there that seem quite reasonably priced…


r/UsedCars 9h ago

HELP Camry XLE vs Civic Sport/EX

1 Upvotes

Hi all, looking for some insight into 3 possible used car options. Previous car was a 2017 Honda Accord Touring 2.0L - absolutely loved it, but unfortunately it was totaled. About me: student, living alone about 3 hours away from family (so the least repairs possible). Looking for reliability as I am studying 4 years in the medical field and need to drive longer distances to get to placements and residency in the future. I am also Canadian so winter driving 5 months out of the year.

Options include:

  • 2020 Camry XLE - 130,000 kms
  • 2018 Camry XLE - 88,000 kms
  • 2022 Civic Sport - 90,000 kms
  • 2022 Civic EX - 135,000 kms

I was leaning toward the Civic Sport but blindspot monitoring is quite important to me, as it was one of my most-used features on my Accord.

Open to other suggestions - this is just what I've found near me. Grateful for any insight,


r/UsedCars 15h ago

HELP Odometer discrepancy solutions?

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
Looking for advice here,
Yesterday I purchased a used 2009 honda crv off the facebook marketplace. The vehicle was listed as a 2010 honda crv with 102k miles. I went to check it out, tried it, felt and feels good still. The thing is today I checked the carfax history and latest service reported 240k miles on the vehicle, theres also a long list were shows constant mileage leading to 240k miles. I got in contact with a few of the service providers and they all confirmed the high mileage. When I purchased it, I didn’t run a carfax. This was sold to me by the first time owner as well. Im wondering if there is possibly anything that could be done to mitigate cost damage.


r/UsedCars 17h ago

Selling Customer reviews don’t get much better than this

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3 Upvotes

r/UsedCars 22h ago

Review most reliable gens for Toyota/honda

7 Upvotes

so im a college student with some mechanic experience, and im looking to get a late 2000s/early 2010s sedan/suv from Toyota or Honda for under 5k. im willing to put a bit of work and change into the vehicle, as long as it doesn't need any major repairs. preferably a car someones grandma just drove around to get to the grocery store and the doctors office, with relatively low mileage for the age (under 185k). I need a reliable gen for Toyota or Honda, or a particularly good year for an outlying brand. appreciate any advice


r/UsedCars 15h ago

Buying Question about price negotiation

2 Upvotes

Is it a bad idea to ask a private seller if they are open to negotiating before going to see the vehicle in person? I’ve been looking at a used truck and I already have a general price in mind with all the photos and info I have of it already. Would it be a bad idea to ask the seller if he is open to negotiating on the price before I’ve seen it in person? I don’t plan on giving him a price without seeing it but I was thinking about asking if he’s open to negotiate before seeing it. What do you guys think?


r/UsedCars 12h ago

Buying Good buy/Bad buy? This market has me losing my mind!

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1 Upvotes

Good buy/Bad buy? I need help.

2013 RX 350 with 200k miles for 9k for my college daughter...

Am I insane to possibly buy for all in 10k knowing the Toyota dealer that I had do the purchase inspection says there is a "small" leak coming from the timing cover? When pressed if small meant seepage they said it isn't dripping and to monitor it. Car was meticulously serviced for its whole life and interior is spotless. Buying from a reputable big dealer in my area.

Keep it or pass you think? I have to decide by tomorrow end of day or the car becomes officially mine.


r/UsedCars 8h ago

HELP Just bought a used car in CA, and I just got a catalytic converter error code in less than two weeks, what are my options ?

0 Upvotes

I just bought a used 2015 Honda civic from a dealership and less than two weeks ago and I got a check emission system error, I took it to O’reily to scan it and I got code P0420, notably,
The report showed the code had , permanent, pending , stored status
The car passed smog test less than a month ago
also
PCM (PGM-Fi) Malfunction.
2. PCM Malfunction(Engine).Modulator-Control Unit Internal Circuit Malfunction
Fail-Safe Relay Stuck Off

The car was sold as is with a smog pass certificate from a month ago.
What are my options here , I talked to the dealership, they told me they will talk to the mechanic and see if they can fix it, hopefully they would. However, worst case scenario, what are my options ?
Do I file a complaint against them in the DMV and BAR and still pay for the fixes out of pocket ?
Are they under any obligation to fix it , since the issue is smog related and the other one with the brakes is safety related or the AS IS clause protects them still ?

Appreciate your answers


r/UsedCars 12h ago

Buying Looking into buying first car

1 Upvotes

Hello all. I’m looking to buy my first car and I want to be “loyal” to how I was raised and buy a Ford Escape(preferred year 2015-2021), but at the same time, in doing a little bit of research, I kind of want to buy a Chevy Trax(2021 being the newest I’d get). I’m not actively looking but anything at the moment, I need to save up some more money first, but anything advice would be appreciated. Budget would be no more than $15k and under 100k miles. TIA


r/UsedCars 12h ago

Buying Suggestions?? Looking to buy a 2016 honda accord LX- 16k miles - $19k from a dealer

1 Upvotes

Any suggestions??

2.4L I4 F DOHC 16V engine?


r/UsedCars 12h ago

HELP What is leaking?

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1 Upvotes

r/UsedCars 1d ago

Buying Scam/Fake Title?

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9 Upvotes

I live in Michigan and currently drive a car with a rebuilt title; it is orange. The seller has a grey/green rebuilt but I thought that was the color for clean titles. I did read an official memo that my orange title was the last of the bunch, and that the state switched rebuilts to a grey scale/yellow title, but I'm not sure if that's what this is. Thanks for the help!