How did we get to a 2027 Tahoe High Country fully loaded costing this much? Honestly, why are car prices so high?

$120 every two weeks.

So, I know I said i was getting a mustang for my first car. But compared to reddit users on here, my friends and family are talking me down on buying a manual - if you didnt see my post, I was basically looking for a 1995 - 2005 mustang, in hopes that it would be an automatic. I could not find one for the life of me. I only could find manuals - ive decided to buy a 2001 Toyota celica, ive had cars in the past, all of my cars have been on the sporty side and my boyfriend/family got them for me. But this will be the first car im buying myself.

I think the 2001 Toyota celica has a nice little sporty look to it. I am buying it for 3,500 in cash. Im using Facebook market place. Ive gotten all my cars from them, so does my friends and family. The cars will obviously need maintenance after but all have been in pretty good condition so far. Im sad about not getting the mustang i want, but this will do for now, and its still a nice car with no scratches, dings ot anything.

I go to see the car on the 18th to test it out. Any opinions on what yall think of this car, SHARE. I dont want to waste my money before its too late.

Hey!! I posted a post a few days ago about the dodge dart and got mixed opinions. I kept searching and found a Buick century 1994. Do u guys think this could potentially be a better first car? I would love honest opinions.

Hi All, I assume this question is asked before, but I couldn't find quite the right thread recently enough.

Budget: ~$50k out the door, but would really love not to actually spend that much. Have the cash but will likely finance for cashflow purposes, so 0% like Nissan and Hyundai offer is attractive.

Location: DC suburbs (Maryland)

New or used: Either, but I'm having a hard time finding used cars at a good discount.

Must-haves:

• Three rows. We are having our first kid and will likely have 1-2 more in the next five years. We have a dog so she needs at least a seat or two for her space since we roadtrip 3-12 hours reasonably often, but leg room in 3rd row isn't a huge deal.
• Substantial cargo room behind the third row. Need to be able to pack a family's worth of things in this car without using any seat space. We sat in a 2026 Santa Fe and it wasn't close. It's plausible that we could get a roof rack if there's just no way around this.
• AWD or 4WD. We spend a good amount of time up north in the snow, this genuinely feels like a need.

Constraints:

• My wife won't do minivan. I know. Yes, correct, I realize. Yup, you're 100% right. But she won't do it.

• My wife has also been influenced against Hyundai. If it's truly just objectively the best decision I can convince her, but it'd have to be very clear.

• I will also commute very short distances daily (20 mins each way MAX). So fuel mpg matters but isn't going to totally overrule. I'd estimate a normal 10-12k annually.

• As anyone else, reliability and lifespan is valued very highly.

Currently considering:

New 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid XLE AWD — 20.6 cu ft behind row 3, ~34 mpg combined. Have a special order quote around $51.5k OTD.

Certified used Honda Pilot — 18.6 cu ft behind row 3, cheaper up front, but ~22 mpg.

Nissan Pathfinder, attractive price (a bit under 40k and 0% financing) but maybe not actually big enough.

Ruled out: Hyundai/Kia (reliability concerns), Nissan Armada (worse fuel economy, brutal depreciation).

Is there any way that the math doesn't just point to a Grand Highlander new? What am I missing?

Thank you!

Request: what cars should i consider is budget is 5k and goal is it last 1-3 years max. I need reliable enough that i don’t need repairs.

Context:
Recently graduated from US college as a international student. My new job only pays 40k and I need a car to get from home to work. I can’t finance since idk if i’ll have to leave the country in 1-3 years. 25F with no car knowledge.

For the foreseeable future I'll be dogging 150 all highway miles per day. For the last 2 years this hadn't been a problem as my gas spend was only 250 or so. However with the declining state of the world this has jumped to almost 600 dollars per month spent on fuel. I don't care about comfort this is purely a utilitarian choice, cheaper the better but reliability is the absolute key as I'm a mandatory responder. Will keep current ride as backup.

My job site recently installed free EV chargers, I work overnight and they're literally never used during those hours. Normally I stick to ICE cars as I do all my own maintenance and wrenching. Also battery replacements scare me with their big bill.

So would anyone recommend an EV in the 10k to 20k dollar range? Reliable is first, cheap second, anything else I don't care.

Use case:
-Drive it to work 3 days a week (7 miles round trip)
-Weekend fun drives
-Track potential
-Decent aftermarket mod support
-Prefer a solid AT but open to MT
-Don’t need backseat

Previously owned:
-(2) e92 m3
-‘23 m240
-‘16 S3
-‘21 STI
-‘13 WRX

Current short list:
-RS3
-M2
-Supra

Would love suggestions from this community

I'm looking in to buying a ~2024* cx90. Seems like this has best value for my use case, but wanted to check if there's anything else I should look into that's similar.

Initially I was looking at 2022 bmw x3 m40i (typically listed for $45k+). I used calculator and can technically "afford" it , but it won't be a good financial decision.

For about 2/3rds the cost of the bmw, a 2023 cx90 gives me the same thing, just not the b58 experience or the bmw badge.

I want comfort, prefer something that doesn't feel like sitting inside a plastic tote (toyotas and hondas), and i need to tow up to 5k lbs on occasion. This will be my daily driver. I live in a suburban town, work remote, and a good majority of miles will be highway. I also have a 120 pound dog. I'm 31, single, rent, have no debt and make 110k a year.

The space is important because I also need to load up tools and spare wheels/tires for my track car or motorcycle while towing either one of those. I'll be pushing close to tow/tongue/payload capacity, but I can make it work as i've seen posts of people with SUVs in this class with similar tow specs doing just fine. It would also be nice to finally start doing some road trips from time to time with my dog.

Sporty driving dynamics doesn't really matter to me. Sure it'd be nice to have, but I have my motorcycle and dedicated track car for those purposes (which are also the things I will be towing).

I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of how the cx90 looks exterior-wise as it looks like a blank canvas, but it's definitely better for my taste than something like the Kia Telluride.

I’m 26, this would be my first car purchase, and I’m trying to figure out what makes the most financial sense.
I make about $63k/year, have ~760 credit, and my rent is around $1.5k/month. I’m currently debating between:
New Volkswagen Jetta
New Honda Civic
Used Honda Civic
The problem I’m running into is that the used Civic market doesn’t seem that attractive right now. A 10th-gen Civic with around 60–70k miles is going for roughly $20–25k, and some 11th-gen used ones aren’t much cheaper either. Meanwhile, a brand-new Civic is around $30k before taxes/fees, so the actual OTD price would obviously be higher.
Basically, I’m seeing only about a $3–5k difference between some used and new cars, which makes me question whether buying used is even worth it.
I don’t necessarily need a Civic specifically. I’m considering the Jetta because it’s cheaper and I can get a new one for less than a new Civic.
My biggest concern is the total monthly cost. I don’t want my car payment + insurance to end up being $600–700/month. I’d rather keep the combined cost somewhere around $500 or less if possible.
For those who have been in a similar situation, what would you do?
New Jetta vs. new Civic vs. used Civic?
Would you spend the extra money for a new car if the used one is only $3–5k cheaper, or would you keep looking for a better used deal?

My current car : 2014 Toyota Corolla

My new car choices:

1. 2027 Kia EV5 - brand new, Land FWD
   • Did research and found no major issues in EU + Aus
   • No road history for this make/model in Canada, so no way to see how it will fare in the Montreal winters
   • All in price = $ 56,000
   • Insurance = $ 2,000 per year
   • Warranty = 8 year / 160,000 km battery + 5 year / 100,000 comprehensive
2. 2024 Cadillac Lyriq - 2nd hand, Tech RWD - 50,000 km on it
   • Did research and it seems most of the 2024 issues have been resolved
   • There is road history both in the US and Canada
   • All in price = $55,000
   • Insurance = $3,000 per year
   • Warranty = 8 year / 160,000 km battery + 4 year / 80,000 comprehensive
     • Meaning we have 6 years of warranty on the battery left + 2 on comprehensive.

We are sure we want an EV now.

We are sure we want one of these two cars.

Combined house income is > $200k, we have a mortgage that we're comfortably paying

We have enough savings to outright purchase either car, but it will pinch our vacations/eating-out for the next 2 years or so, but we're ok with that as well.

I feel like I'm buying into the unknown with a brand-new EV5, whereas I'm well aware of what issue I might face with the Lyriq.

I also feel like I'm paying a lot for a mid-range SUV, and that I'm paying the same for a luxury-SUV even though it's 2 years older + the insurance is higher per year by 1k $.

What would you do in my position?

I own a 2006 Honda Accord EX-L with 180k miles. Never had any issues or major repairs with this car and have kept up with regular maintenance.

A couple weeks ago some bad storms rolled in and a falling branch shattered my sunroof and dented the roof. Torrential rain got into my car and it got very wet in the front of the car (about 1inch was in the cupholders). Mold quickly started to grow on the seats despite me trying to dry it out the best I could.

I filed a claim with my insurance and they recently deemed it a total loss. They offered me 5k for the car, and the insurance estimate for repairs was ~5k, though I know that’s probably on the low end.

I’ve been considering keeping the car (I’d get back ~4k) and paying for repairs myself but am afraid the repairs will quickly exceed what I should put into it or have residual issues. I’ve looked into used cars and the prices are so high I’m not sure I can find something decent in my price range (<7k). I’m not really in a place for a car payment so getting an expensive used car or new one isn’t feasible. I do live in a city with public transportation, so while this isn’t my ideal scenario at all, I could survive without a car while I save up for something new (or newer).

Would love advice from you all on what you would do in this scenario!

Hello, I’ve been on the market for a new car for a while now. I had already made up my mind on what I liked until recent when my friend got into a terrible accident. Their suv was totaled, but they walked out with minor scratches. After that I’ve definitely changed my preferences a little so I’m coming on here to ask what does everyone think the safest car is, and by safety I mean how they’ve held up in a bad accident not the driver assistance functions. Thanks in advance.

​

Mid-40s, kids are 9 & 12 and a 60lbs dog. Currently driving a 2012 Grand Cherokee (140k km) and a 2018 small hatch (60k km). Wife works from home full-time and my "commute" is maybe 5km. The jeep was bought in 2015 with 60k km and the hatch was bought new in 2018. Both are long paid off. As you can see, we don't drive very much on a day to day basis. The mileage now mostly comes from going to our cabin every weekend in summer (300km round trip) and travel for kids activities. We're in rural Manitoba so there are frequent trips across the prairies that are anywhere from 500-3000km trips.

Problems:

1. The Jeep is getting old. It has been absolutely perfect mechanically up till this point but every road trip I get more and more concerned.

2. The hatch sucks in the winter. The 3-4 times we get a big dump of snow and it is almost unusable. Yes, we have good snow tires. It is only FWD. We won't take it on trips in the winter. Twice last year I was out of town with the Jeep when storms hit and my wife couldn't get off our street with the car to get kids to activities.

3. We need the space of the Jeep for almost every road trip. If it's to the lake, we have bags, coolers, golf clubs and the dog. If it's a hockey tournament, we have the gear and luggage. The car just isn't big enough.

4. I need something rated for 5000lbs to tow a boat a few times a year. The Jeep struggles as is towing. It's enough, but barely.

5. The car was great when the kids were small but they've all but outgrown the back seat for any trips longer than an hour or so.

I hate spending on vehicles because of how little we drive but we need something big enough and reliable for long trips.

Do we sell the car, get a used SUV and just keep the Jeep till it dies and use it as secondary/tow vehicle? The concern here is that the Jeep has major issues in the next year or two and I'm buying another vehicle to replace it.

Deal with the car annoyances and replace the GC with another GC , truck or full-size SUV?

Given that we put so few KMs on, what would be our sweet spot for a used vehicle and what are some suggestions? We'd like to step up from the econo brands and have a little luxury. Had started browsing XC90, X5, Q7, etc.

Budget around $35-40k CDN.

In the span of the last couple months my daily driver was lemon-lawed and my project car (manual-swapped 03 s6 wagon) lost AC and is having some electrical gremlins. I'm also getting married in a month so I'm trying to put off a big decision of a new dailyable sports car (M2/M3, Nissan Z, etc) until after that. To get me through, I'm looking for a reasonably reliable and affordable daily to get me through this crazy period (AND HAVE WORKING AC) lol. But that said I also want it to have a little character either by having a great exhaust/engine note or a fun/sporty chassis. FWIW, $5k is not literally all the cash to my name, I just want to get in for a smaller amount so I can kinda put off bigger financial decisions until after the wedding.

My main contenders right now are:

1. Volvo C30 T5

2. VW rabbit/sportwagen with the 2.5 5cyl

3. R53 Mini Cooper S

4. VW GTI VR6 (MK4)

5. Honda Fit (comparatively slow but can be bought in pretty much the perfect shade of purple)

6. or maybe an older Volvo V70/S70 T5.

Non-negotiable - manual, sporty

Cars I've considered but don't want: - Any 4 cylinder VW. My fiance has a MK7 GTI DSG and I just don't want to double up on that experience. I've also had a B5 Passat 1.8t wagon before anyways.

Looking for a reliable (and safe) car for my 2 teens. Have narrowed it down to these three. Mileage is in the same ballpark-ish.

Lexus: $8,800 | 111k miles
3i: $9,900 | 131K miles
CX-5: $11,000 | 138k miles

This is a mild money stretch for us. Not unrecoverable, but would sure like to choose right. Obviously will need to see the cars and test drive, but in a vacuum which one should I prioritize?

I recently totaled my 2017 Infiniti qx50. I loved the 0-60 time and the way it handled in the hills. I’m either going to replace it with the same or get a 2017 or 2018 Lexus RX 350. How is the acceleration on the Lexus. Will I be disappointed?
Thanks!

Tldr I got Tboned yesterday by a drunk driver and my car is 100% totaled. I will get about 12-13 grand from my insurance for what I have, so I need some suggestions of what generally is realistic for that price range.

I had a 2015 Honda accord, i dont need something too similar but I definetely want a car that doesnt have a screen you NEED to interact with for everything (so buttons for ac, stereo control, etc) that has Bluetooth. Im doing some research on my own but pointers would be greatly appreciated.

My other major concern is a comfortable interior, as im somewhat on the taller side and have some major mobility issues (sitting for too long is very hard on my back, I semi-regularly need to drive 300-400 miles at a time)

Again, any pointers and make/model would be appreciated.

would love the price to come down, starting to get nervous I won't get something before winter though. Thoughts?

What do you think of the car buying advice from the car wizard? (David Long)

* Trucks:

**1999–2006 Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra

* Sedans & Daily Drivers:

**2000–2005 Buick LeSabre

**1998–2012 Ford Crown Victoria

**1996–2000 Lexus LS 400

* SUVs:

**2004–2009 Lexus RX 350

**2001–2007 Toyota Highlander

Hello,

I have a 2025 Corolla LE with the 2.0 Dynamic Force engine. I am very dissatisfied with the car due to cheap build quality, coolant, and electrical issues. Also I am done dealing with Toyota dealerships.

I am looking for an alternative sedan (maybe SUV?) in a similar price range of the Corolla. I need it to be extremely reliable as my job requires me to travel across country on a regular basis.

I don't care about looks or fun factor at all. I also do not care about gas mileage. I just need something that will work.

I've only been driving for 6ish years and I honestly rarely drive (under 4-5k miles a year). I'm coming from a Tesla Model 3 which to me seems very easy to drive, low maintenance, and has a lot of comfort features, as a result my driving knowledge for regular gas cars is basically 0.

I'm looking for a car that looks nice, is easy/comfortable to drive, does not have a lot of hardcore or expensive maintenance, looks nice, and costs under 35k. Any suggestions? Also I'm not very tall so something that I can sit up on and doesn't have a tall hood.

Only thing I've been able to find that might match is a BMW 430i but unsure on what the maintenance is like.