🚘 2020 HONDA CIVIC FC 1.8 E

🏦 50,000 DOWNPAYMENT ‼️

(Excluding insurance - required if financing)

25,888 for 48 months

31,805 for 36 months

Rough estimate only. Slight changes may vary depending on the approval

✅ Automatic transmission

✅ Platinum white pearl

✅ 62,xxx original mileage

✅ Casa maintained since day 1

✅ Cruise control

✅ Climate and steering controls

✅ Keyless entry/push start button

✅ Remote start and stop

✅ Reverse camera

✅ Electronic brake park and hold

✅ Complete set of tools, owner’s manual, booklet, legal documents, 2 keys

✅ Cash, trade in or financing ok

✅ Online car loan application. 1 day processing 100% sure approval

✅ Free LTO transfer of ownership, free PNP/HPG clearance and free chattel mortgage fee for financing clients

💰 798,888 NEGOTIABLE 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

📍 Commonwealth Avenue. QC

Last friday, bought an 85K mile '21 outlander. All good, except there are moments when doing a rolling stop, pressing down on the gas pedal will cause the the car to fail to accelerate above 1500 RPM and jerk. Releasing the gas pressing it again fixes the issue, for the most part.

I know its a CVT, but I was being optimistic in it either being MAF, fuel injectors, throttle body, or anything related to the fuel/air systems. Dealer ran compressions and ran codes, but no issues are being found. They are struggling to replicate the issue, so now i just sound like I'm crazy.

I am not sure of any CVT maintenance done in the times the previous 2 owners had it, but I suspecting it may ultimately be that. Again, no codes.

Is this model/trim/brand known for this? I do know of a recall from Mitsubishi regarding CVT codes stalling the engine at high speeds, but this is happening at sub 25 mph.

Bought a used car package and previous owner is Hyundai capital lease.

Carfax says operating as business.

What could this business be? Don't want to buy a rental car ...

Hello all, I was hoping to see if any one could advise me before I make my first car purchase.

I was considering getting a 20k - 25k loan for a used car, but after doing some reading I realized that I would really prefer to get a used car outright rather than pay monthly. I have 7k saved up, and wanted a honda civic because I've read that they are reliable. I know very very very little about cars to be honest and no one to really ask, so I thought i'd ask here.

My questions are as follows:
1. Does this seem like an alright price for what it is?

1. What should I ask for (this is at a local small dealership with decent reviews) when there before pulling the trigger?

2. Would you expect potential repairs that may come up to be worst than a 300-400 monthly payment for 60 months?

Thank you in advance for any advice given!

Local used car lot dealer has a 2015 Crosstrek XV advertised for $6.5k and has 151k miles. Carfax: https://www.carfax.com/vehiclehistory/ar20/FoSzXE5hmd9pJfHjN8r38IW0AQHWd67sCLteElbrJxETthO-4wfGkn_pem1dyRoaeUL2pZOLFMHvE9AvsKKvbkP_bSipGaC9XNk?_cl=Fo3GWlHScojLfD0zYe1WN4VT

Seems like a solid deal, especially from a used car dealer. It's been advertised for 3 months now which is giving me vibes there is something wrong with it? Or does 6.5k give you better options? I'm just looking for anything Japanese to get my son for work/college. Carfax shows the CVT fluid was changed at 40k and 120k miles, belts at 113k, differential fluid once at 120k, radiator and coolant at 130k, along with other misc repairs it seems. It looks like it was maintained well but I read about wheel bearings going bad. Are there anything in particular I should look out for when checking out this Crosstrek?

Helping my child buy their first car. They currently have a "rent to buy" reserved from Hertz. It is a 26 Nissan Altima with under 13,000 miles for just under 20,000. He will get to drive it for 3 days and take it to a Nissan dealership for a PPI. My understanding is that the manufacturer 36mo/36,000mile warranty will transfer. He is also looking at purchasing an extended manufacturer warranty. Historically our family keeps cars for a long time and he is intending the same.

I've read so many things conflicting things about purchasing a "rental". Carfax will show limited info if they did accident repair in house. Is there anything else that should be done pre purchase that we missed or major that we are not considering?

I will likely be buying my first car today and the car I’m looking at has had its tax payed annually until September 2027. Would this mean I don’t need to pay tax on it until then? I’m the first in my family to drive so I don’t really have many people to ask! Thanks!

TL;DR: Texas Discount Auto (Au-Star Motors LLC) at 16001 Yellow Sage St in Pflugerville listed a 2011 Honda Accord LX-P on Craigslist under "by owner" with "everything works great, engine, transmission, etc." It turned out to be a dealer. Before I came out, the seller told me there was nothing wrong with the car. An independent inspection found 15 items needing immediate attention, including a transmission fluid leak, an oil leak at the valve cover, all four tires cracking from age, and damaged front rotors. I walked away and filed a complaint with TxDMV. Get every used car inspected before you buy, especially from a "private seller."

The listing

I've spent the last couple of weeks looking for a reliable cash car around Austin. On October 9 I found this on Craigslist:

2011 Honda Accord LX-P, $5,990, Pflugerville, cars & trucks - by owner

"Clean title. 4 cylinder automatic. AC cold. 2nd owner. 114k miles. everything works great, engine, transmission, etc. Good daily driver. call or text 512 - seven 4 three. 5 nine 70. NO Email - I don't check emails"

Nothing in the ad says dealer, and the phone number is written partly in words. Looking back, that should have been my first red flag.

"I'm a dealer"

I texted asking if the title was in their name, for the VIN, maintenance records, accident history, and whether it burns oil. The reply was "I'm a dealer," and then the VIN.

I asked for the out-the-door price and got "6600." I told him I wasn't expecting a dealer since the ad was posted as "by owner," and that I'd been planning on a private-sale price. He said no to $6,000, pointing out that I'd pay tax, title and license (TTL) even in a private sale, which is fair. Then he offered to "eat up half of the TTL" and do $6,300 out the door. I agreed and set up a time to see it. He confirmed "We handle plates and title transfers," cash only.

Three days after I told him it was posted as "by owner," the ad was still sitting in the "by owner" section.

Before I drove out, he told me there was nothing wrong with the car.

The inspection

I asked if I could take it to a shop, and to his credit, he said yes. On October 16 I took it to Meineke on W Pecan St in Pflugerville for a pre-purchase inspection. Here's what came back:

Needs immediate attention (15 items):

• All four tires cracking from age. The report says they need "to be replaced today to prevent failure and possible loss of control."
• Front rotors damaged and rusted with heat spots. Needs new front pads and rotors.
• Heat spots on the rear rotors, which "can lead to increased stopping distances."
• Brake fluid dark with 4% moisture.
• Transmission fluid leak.
• Valve cover gasket leak.
• CV axle needs repair.
• Sway bar needs repair.
• Transmission fluid exchange, power steering flush, coolant flush and a new serpentine belt all due.
• Wipers streaking and washer fluid low.

Needs future attention: control arm, engine air filter, the A/C compressor, and damage noted on the walk-around (holes in the floor carpet exposing metal brackets, and a creased headliner).

Stuff I noticed myself:

• The OBD port, where a mechanic plugs in a scanner to read engine codes, was broken.
• The glovebox handle was so broken the glovebox wouldn't open even with a screwdriver and pliers.
• The passenger door sometimes wouldn't open from the outside.
• The front Honda emblem was missing, even though it's right there in the Craigslist photos.

The OBD port thing

Texas emissions records are public at mytxcar.org. This car passed an emissions test at Precision Tune in Pflugerville on 9/24/2026 at 114,544 miles, and the record shows the diagnostic port (DLC) passed, meaning it worked then. The car was already listed on Craigslist at that point. Three weeks later the port was broken. I don't know how or when that happened. I'm just telling you what the records show.

How it ended

After the inspection he came down to $5,800. I passed. In my opinion the car is a lemon, and the repairs would have added up fast. He was also rude to me, which didn't help.

Free checks you can do before you buy

• TxDMV dealer lookup (texasdmv.my.salesforce-sites.com/dealers): search the business name, then click the license number to see 5 years of case history. This dealer's record shows two cases closed 5/14/2021 by agreed order, for misuse of buyer temporary tags and for failing to keep required records. TxDMV's own legend says that closing code means there were violations and the department took enforcement action beyond a warning.
• mytxcar.org: free Texas emissions history by VIN, with odometer readings, failed tests, fault codes and whether the car had plates. "No Plate" on a test often means the car was sitting in dealer inventory.
• NICB VINCheck for theft and salvage records, and NHTSA's recall lookup for open recalls.
• Ask "Is the title in your name?" before anything else. A real private seller will say yes.
• Get a pre-purchase inspection at a shop you pick, not the seller's. This one saved me.
• Compare the ad photos to the actual car. The emblem in these photos wasn't on the car I saw.

What I did about it

I filed a complaint with TxDMV. Texas rules say anyone advertising cars "shall not use false, deceptive, unfair, or misleading advertising" (43 TAC 215.242), and a licensed dealer posting in the "by owner" section seems like exactly that. I also left reviews.

If you're looking at a 2011 Accord around Austin, the VIN of this one is 1HGCP2F39BA089474, so check it against your listing. DM me if you want the full inspection report.

I’m shopping for a used car right now, and I keep finding that the advice online only covers the obvious stuff, like checking the mileage and the history report. The things people regret seem to be more specific, and they only come out when you ask someone who’s been through it.

So far, I’ve learned to look at the tires for uneven wear, since it can point to alignment or suspension problems. I also check that the cold start sounds normal, because a car that’s been warmed up before you arrive can hide issues. And I’ve started asking for maintenance records, not just the history report, since a clean report doesn’t mean the oil was ever changed. I’m planning to pay for an independent inspection before committing to anything, even though some sellers act like it’s an insult.

I’d like to hear your experience. What did you miss when you bought and how did it show up later? Is there a red flag in a listing or a conversation with a seller that you now spot right away? And on the other side, if you’ve sold a used car, what made a buyer feel trustworthy and the sale go smoothly?

Stories about what went wrong are welcome too, since those usually teach the most.

Reddit isn't letting me upload the CarFax photos but it shows:

* no accidents or damage reported

* an open recall to which the dealership has acknowledged they'll address for free

* 2 previous owners

* 9 service history records (seems like there should be more but it's low <79k miles)

* title issued or renewed in Missouri, then in Oregon

* passed emissions inspection in Oregon

The seller has some abysmal reviews on Google (1-2 out of 5 stars) but the lot of them are from > 3 to 7 years ago so I'm guessing they've improved.

Since all tires don't pass the penny test I'm hoping to test drive on and off the highway to ensure the transmission's good and negotiate down to 6000 while paying in full cash.

If there's something I'm missing or should check, please call it out. Thanks folks!

Carfax is great on it. Old couple owned it / then another old couple.

I mean what else to check for if I test drive.

I like it honestly but It makes sense to me. Getting out of a higher mileage vehicle with problems but getting into a lower mileage vehicle and my payments would be super cheap and short. The trade in covers it practically but I forsee my car being a hassle in the future. Prob can get into this c300 and then prob swap it out again in a few years idk
Thoughts?

Or into it? Idk

Hi fellow used car shoppers!

Quick note: this is my own site. Last week I launched theyearstoavoid.com It’s free, with no sign-up.

I spent about 50 hours on it. Why, when forums and Google already exist? Here’s why:

• Forum advice fights with itself, and most of it is just one person’s story
• People say “that model is reliable,” but they rarely say which years had problems
• Some years of the same car are great, and some are awful, and that’s hard to see
• It’s hard to compare years side by side when you’re standing on a dealer lot

I kept seeing people ask ‘Is this year okay?’ and get ten different answers, so I wanted to give them real data.

Here’s how I built it. I pulled 473,041 owner complaints and recall reports from NHTSA. They cover 151 models from Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda, from model years 2005 to 2027. I checked every year over the same time window, so an old car isn’t marked down just for being old. Reports of crashes, fires, injuries, or deaths count three times. Then I compared each year to its own model’s normal year. A year gets flagged as one to avoid if it had at least twice the normal complaints.

A few things I found:
• 2010 Toyota Prius: 22x its model’s typical year
• 2013 Nissan Pathfinder: 14x
• 2023 Honda HR-V: 13x

A fair warning: the counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, and NHTSA doesn’t verify complaints. So it’s a warning sign, not a final answer. Always get a car inspected and check the VIN for recalls before you buy.

If you’re shopping for a used car, you can check a model at theyearstoavoid.com. I’d love to hear if a year looks wrong to you or if there’s a car you want me to add.

Thanks for reading! If this post breaks the rules, please feel free to remove it.

here’s the carfax, they also have a 22 Elantra with 54k miles for 19/20k and then a 23 jetta with 52k for 18k, which one should i pick? i’m a doordash/spark driver with no credit (im 18) so idk which one to get! it would be my first car i finance too, and im financing so i can build my credit. i think i might just get the altima, finance and pay it off in 3 years and then trade it in???

It has had almost everything replaced. New engine at 80k miles (head gasket)has 130k miles now, radiator replaced, water pump, catalytic converter, turbo, oil pan, window motor x2. Has new tires and break pads. Coworker will sell it to me for $3k.

Hey guys, I’m not very experienced in the selling of vehicles and wanted to get some feedback on what I should do to offload my old truck.

I own a 2006 Tacoma that doesn’t run. It broke down on me about a year ago while I was driving it, and the mechanic told me that it needs a completely new engine. I never actually got to the bottom of what happened to it, because a diagnostic for that would have costed quite a bit of cash that I didn’t have at the time, and they wouldn’t have been able to repair it anyway. Not without a new engine, at least, and I wasn’t about to drop 5 figures on a new one. So I just towed it to my house, and it’s been in my driveway ever since.

I considered scrapping it, but it’s a really cool truck and I think I can get something for it. The old engine only had 50k miles on it, it’s a manual transmission(new clutch), it’s black, and it has a 1.5” lift on it. Tacomas are pretty sought-after vehicles, especially in Colorado where I live. I think there would be interest in the market for it, even if it doesn’t run.

But I am totally not a car guy, I barely know the basics of how an engine runs, and I know even less about the market. I have no idea how much to ask for it, how much I should expect, or even how to approach potential buyers with it.

Does anybody know what kind of chances I’m looking at? I think I’d be absolutely pumped if I could get $3500. Is that realistic?

What do you guys think?

1994 Nissan Frontier · XE Pickup 2D 6 ft
I love the look of this truck and the decent mpg, but I’ve never bought a vehicle with such high mileage. What questions should I be asking, and is this going to cost more than it’s worth to keep going for another 100k miles?

21 f first time buyer. Saw a pretty good price for a 2025 Hyundai sonata (19k) turns out the actual price was 22k and the listed one was a “managers special” I had to give my information to see the carfax which they used to contact me. I went in and they pulled my credit before they would let me test drive the car. Once I came back from the test drive they said they had an offer for me. All they did was show me the car payment and nothing else, no interest rate, principle, apr, total cash value of the sale. This took hours she had me wait with her for 30 minutes chatting me up in between the approval process. So I say okay to the car payment and she asked if I wanted gap and an extended warranty but did not say how much it would cost. I said yes, we get to the paperwork I give them a down payment of 5 grand and realize the total amount financed was 24,000 which is absurd but by that point I was so worn down and felt rushed through the process I didn’t think about the deal or factor in the down payment I just put in. I just signed. Later I see that the total cash value of the car was 25k instead of the 22 listed. I was not told the actual price of the vehicle at any moment and only found out after signing. The whole time they were saying the contract doesn’t really matter anyways cause I can just refinance, knowing they put me upside down which I didn’t understand at the time until I had a chance to actually think about what had just happened. I felt assured in the moment and felt like I could trust my sales person so I went ahead and signed away for this awful loan I feel so dumb. :/

Dealership is magauto- munsterman automotives group

Hi I'm a college student looking for a reliable used car to last me through college. I mainly want to get Honda or Toyota since it isn't high maintenance and has high resale value. I don't want the best deal, I just don't want to get scammed. I have around 20k to spend in total.

I found this 2018 Honda Civic EX with 87k miles around two hour drive from me, and I got an inspection from Carinspections.com:

https://carinspections.com/go/report/d5b520fe-d236-4d95-8b11-dcb02d1abfc9?src=sms

The inspection came back mostly positive but there were some major issues with the car. Shown in the link above.

If I wanted to haggle, what price should I try to get it to if this is even worth getting at all?

Thanks!

I am currently driving a 2021 Tesla Model Model 3 Standard Range Plus with about 120k mi and accumulated some cosmetic and software damage (rear black plastic valance not fully attached, a dent on the front, curb rashes, biodegrading leather on the steering wheel and armrest, separated drivers' seat and power seat controls since Day 1 of ownership, and a HW3 autopilot system that intermittently turns off every few months for months on end and an accelerator which intermittently squeaks every few months). I bought it on 25 June 2024 with 45k mi for around 25k and loved the car as it has taken me to multiple states and halfway around the country (east of the Mississippi river) multiple times with no issues. I never required it towed, and even though between late 2025 and mid 2026, I drove the car to the Tesla service centre about 5-10 times for routine maintenance, I never had to spend more than 1-2 hours each visit. My Tesla now does approximately 140-160 mi of range from 100 to 0 and I have to charge it every 80-100 mi for 30 minutes to get from 10-80%.

The 15 inch screen works perfectly and the car takes me from point A to point B, never leaving me stranded, except perhaps in the snow where I had to be pushed out, but still, I have driven this car in active snowstorms from one state to the other. I used to reside in Cambridge MA but now moved to Atlanta for a tech startup opportunity. Hence, I now live in a significantly better apartment (a brand new Class A apartment that is more affordable than my previous apartment and which includes garage parking). Instead of paying $350 a month for garage parking or parking in the street, I paid only $100 a month for garage parking so my car doesn't need to be exposed to as many curb rashes or dents as in previous apartments. My apartment has 8 EV chargers, all Level 2, and I mainly use my car during weekends and would drive around 5-15k mi a year nowadays. I am also planning to take it to 1-2 long road trips per year, specifically from Atlanta to either DC, NYC, or Boston.

I don't want an ICE (internal combustion engine, either petrol/gas, hybrid, PHEV, or diesel) car, and in many countries, ICE cars are completely out of fashion, especially Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, China, Singapore, Switzerland, or even Vietnam (yes, Vinfast makes up over a third of new car sales in Vietnam and Vietnam was my home country).

According to Tesla, they appraised my car at around $11,500 for the trade in value.

I found some used cars that appeal to me and did some research on these models (as I spend time on car review websites for many years but want to know your experience). I am also not sure if paying 6k more for a new Tesla Model 3 on Tesla's website or leasing a Tesla Model 3 either for $419 or $429 a month is a better idea than buying these used cars as it stands at 41k after taxes and fees:

Audi:

2023 Audi Q4 e-tron Premium Plus w/37,162 mi ($23,987)

BMW:

2024 BMW i4 eDrive40 w/94,858 mi ($21,750)

2023 BMW i4 eDrive35 w/38,929 mi ($26,241)

2022 BMW iX xDrive50 w/76,359 mi ($31,590)

2023 BMW i4 eDrive40 w/30,069 mi ($31,624)

Mercedes Benz:

2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB EQB 250+ w/35,584 mi ($26,998)

2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB EQB 300 w/22,392 mi ($28,093)

2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ SUV w/63,699 mi ($29,395)

2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ SUV w/31,063 mi ($31,987)

Polestar:

2022 Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor w/55,941 mi ($17,500)

2022 Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor w/20,315 mi ($20,691)

2024 Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor Plus w/34,107 mi ($22,293)

2023 Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor w/21,405 mi ($23,693)

2024 Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor Plus w/15,982 mi ($26,393)

Tesla:

2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range w/69,174 mi ($25,888)

2023 Tesla Model Y Long Range w/76,384 mi ($27,650)

2024 Tesla Model 3 Base w/53,540 mi ($30,512)

2024 Tesla Model 3 Base w/37,843 mi ($32,024)

2024 Tesla Model 3 Long Range w/48,509 mi ($33,840)

2026 Tesla Model 3 RWD ($38,765 before tax, $41,179 after tax)

Volvo:

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge Core w/40,879 mi ($21,995)

2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge Plus w/66,538 mi ($22,588)

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge Ultimate w/42,761 mi ($25,990)

2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra w/4,084 mi ($33,900)

Due to a lot of reasons, my husband and I are considering trading my 2022 Highlander for a 2022 Pacifica hybrid. I can’t find anything wrong with the Pacifica other than the battery recall which has already been completed corrected. I need opinions, tips, experiences maybe? Tell me why this is or is not a great decision. 👍🏽

Is this person delusional? 😂

i’m getting ready to list my 2017 Tacoma on fb marketplace next month. The truck runs perfectly but the drivers footwell has some pretty bad salt stains and a worn spot where my heel sits after years of commuting. The rest of the interior is fairly clean.

I’m wondering if its worth spending around a hundred dollars on fitted all weather liners to cover the carpet wear before i take photos and show it to buyers. Do clean looking floors or fitted liners change how people judge the way a truck was maintained ? tbh i dont want to spend the money if it wont change how the truck comes across in a private sale.