Wanting to buy a car... The search for one... maybe not.

Got a 2010 Subaru Outback with 120,000 miles that has been a serious pain and waste of money. We've replaced dozens of part on the engine, suspension, brakes, electrical, and more, and it still has lots of issues.

So I decided to try to look for another AWD car of some sort. Initially I was thinking something that's 5 years old, nor more than 60,000 miles, but hopefully around $10,000.

It seems the only car that meets that is a Chevy Trax. I'm not sure whether to get one or if they are the cheapest option for reasons that taste like lemon.

Anything with those specs that's Toyota or Honda or similar is well over $20,000. At that price a new AWD Corolla would make more sense, but I don't want to pay that kind of money.

I guess I'll stick with the unreliable, can't-get-me-to-work, headache Subaru, as the $1,000 or $2,000 AWD vehicles with a few issues, but still reliable and easy to repair no longer exist, and everything up through nearly $30,000 price range all seem like another scam waiting to happen.

 

Thanks @ColoradoBoo ! That's good advice.

I think the thing that keeps pushing me away from a 6-8-year-old Toyota, Honda or Mazda is that they seem to still be just as expensive as a new one. Even if an 8-year-old one could be had for half the price of a new one, if it's going to start needing major repairs in as little as a couple years, it would seem more cost effective in the long run to get a brand new one. Or maybe I'm over or under-thinking this.

 

So trying @ColoradoBoo 's suggestions, even stretching them a bit more, if I plug in the numbers up to 150,000 miles and 10 years old then I do get a few Honda CR-Vs and even more Mazda CX-5s and CX-3s, all around that $9,999 price, usually halfway across the country, or clear to either ocean.

I do see one AWD 2019 Mazda3 with "only" 90,000 miles. That sounds a bit more reasonable, and it's "only" 10 or 12 hours from here, and in Pheonix.

But, I don't know. I guess it's hard to put an exact "this should cost that" price on cars. In my mind, a car should last until around 15-years-old with about 200,000 miles on it. That's about when the Prius I have now should have been scraped and thrown away. If a car costs $10,000 with 150,000 miles on it and will presumably be close to $0 in another 50,000 miles, then it's not much different than spending $40,000 on a new car, except the new car comes with a warranty, new tires, free car care, etc. I guess the savings are in the insurance and perhaps less interest because the $10,000 car can be paid off more quickly.

 

Nor am I. But then again, this car purchase isn't for me particularly.

You mean the Nissan Versa, slated to be discontunued? I guess the Chevy Trax is still being sold, but it's bigger than ever. Ford Escape is being discontinued too. So there are a couple of Hyudais and Kias that are just about the same price as a Corolla. I've never thought I could afford a new car. Now I'm not sure if I should get a new one, a used one, or if I just can't afford cars anymore.

Before someone pipes in saying "just get a used car, that way you pay way less" I suggest you look at actual used car prices first in comparison with new car prices. They are still very close, even though the COVID shortage is over.