Cash for clunkers took many of the lower priced cars and so the people out there looking for a newer car had to step up a level.
That was 6 years ago…there should be no after affect from that now.
@MikeInNH
I Agree
I also agree that this could be geographical. There’s no shortage at all of late model, low miles cars in that price range in my neck of the woods.
I also agree with Bing about looking at rental type vehicles and CPOs. I’ve purchased many of both in about the range we’re talking about and never got a bad one. Homework is key and granted that some color choices and/or options could be slightly narrower (or better on options).
My last CPO had more bumper-to-bumper and drivetrain factory warranty (time-wise) than a new one!
I’ve bought new cars and slightly used cars. Somebody please remind me again why I wasted money on new ones?
CSA
Experience goes a long way, Al. I’ve had good experiences with all the GM cars I’ve owned, but your poor experience speaks loudly to you. If your experience was in pre-2000s Chevys, you might consider them again. I’ve owned 3 Fords, and all of them had flaws that made me sell them before I normally would. The last one was a 1997, and after 20 years, I might give them a test drive again. Still, like you, I have a long memory.
You might also consider a Ford Escape or Mercury Mariner from around 2008/2009 in addition to CR-V and RAV4. And more than brand, condition is king when looking at vehicles that are over 5 years old. The SUVs you look at will likely have more than 100,000 miles on them, and a negligent owner can do a lot of damage in that time. You might consider finding the best one in your price range no matter what brand it is. If you insist on Toyota or Honda, you might adjust your price up if you can to get a newer version with lower mileage.
I also agree that this could be geographical. There's no shortage at all of late model, low miles cars in that price range in my neck of the woods.
When the cash-for-clunkers was in effect people weren’t trading in 1-2 yo cars. Most were getting rid of 8-20yo cars. Add 6 years…would mean for the cash-for-clunkers to have any impact would mean people are looking to find 14-25yo cars. I wouldn’t consider those cars to be part of the OP’s search criteria.
Anymore, people are financing car purchases for 5 and 6 years!! They can’t sell them if they don’t own them…The used cars on dealers lots are mostly lease returns and rental fleet turnovers…
Is the cost of replacing air bags greatly increasing the potential for totalling a car damaged in a collision? A 6+ year old car with $2,000 in body damage might be quite profitably repaired and sold at a profit but if the air bags deployed the car is scrap.
And also, is Car-Fax making lepers of cars based on public perception of collision damage categories?
That Hyundai Elantra Touring is a pretty fetching vehicle. Hatchback but not micro-teensy like most hatchbacks. Consumer Reports says that it probably would be reliable, another big site (I forget which) said that it wouldn’t. I’m a little skeptical about Hyundai just because it’s a budget brand.
Here’s what’s gonna happen: I’m going to spend weeks researching and test driving, no clear winner will emerge, and one day I’ll just get fed up with the whole exercise that whatever car I’m sitting in I’ll just break down and say I’ll take it. Just to get it over with.
Right! Car production plummeted during the time of the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies and the recession. Together with the Cash for Clunkers program it simply created a void in the popular size car market.
The same happened during WW II, no production from 1942 till 1946, and low production in the 30s due to the depression. My dad paid $725 for an 1941 Chevy in 1950 which was the same price the car sold for new. There was some inflation, of course but it took till the mid to late 50s for the used car market to stabilize.
Hyundia is a budget brand ? Lets see a Mercedes C Class starts at about 38000 - a Hyundia Azera starts at about 34000 - a Hyundia Equus is 61500 . So Al you might want to drop your snobbish attitude and look at the vehicle for what it is and does.
If faced with keeping either a Mercedes Benz or a Hyundai for 10 years I would take the Hyundai. It would likely be far cheaper and more reliable to own.
a little skeptical about Hyundai just because it’s a budget brand
I’m with the others here. You’re thinking about the Hyundai of 25 years ago. Today Hyundai makes a very fine car. Sure, they make base-line “entry level” cars, but so does every other car maker. A Hyundai Genesis or Azera is a fine luxury sedan, the Sonata is a great workhorse family car, and Elantra is durable and practical, and the SUVs are decent cars as well. I have yet to have a customer who regretted buying a Hyundai.
Those Mercedeses, I think they have Chrysler-like reliability ratings. It’s a low standard to compare a car with.
Well, I drove a Mazda3 and a Hyundai Elantra Touring (hatchback) today. They’re like the micro-hatchbacks but not so micro.
The Mazda drove beautifully, keeping up with traffic without the engine screaming like a hysterical enraged (censored). It rode flat like a roller coaster car. On the other side, the A pillar seemed to be in my face and the dashboard was kind of garish.
The Hyundai was a low-mileage job at Carmax, but it felt kind of loose and I don’t believe the mileage. Either that or it was driven hard all its life. Or its construction is thinner. But the ride was appreciably smoother, and cornering was fine. The engine was a little strained keeping up with traffic but way way less than the pocket-size cars were – it was almost as good as the Mazda. Top gear was higher than 5th in my stick Subaru, which is a plus. The economical dashboard/console design was much easier on the eyes. I just need to drive a couple more, because the one I drove seemed to be all shook out. But it was a nice car.
Of the two, which do you prefer and why? Not that you will buy either, but this can hall you decide what is really important for you.
I’m in Winston-Salem, NC and recently bought a 2012 Mazda 6 for around $11k from a dealership a few months ago. It’s relatively high mileage (was a rental) but is in great shape. My budget was in the neighborhood of $10k and it took me many weeks to find a car that worked. I first started looking at Honda’s and Toyota’s, but wasn’t impressed with what was available in my price range. Then someone turned me on to the 6 and it ticked all my boxes, plus depreciates more quickly than the other Japanese cars. They’re quite a bit less common, though, so it took me awhile to find a good one.
“Of the two, which do you prefer and why? Not that you will buy either, but this can help you decide what is really important for you.”
They are almost polar opposites but I could go either way. The Mazda certainly felt sturdier, but that big telephone pole A pillar would probably grow to be a major annoyance. The Hyundai was more comfortable, and I’m old, and I’m a Taurus, so that’s big. Really, I could go either way. I’m just happy that I could find two small-but-not-too-small cars with a back that opens up.
Believe it or not, the hillbilly dashboard design in the Mazda might push me away. When a decision is this close, it’s things way down the list that make the difference.
I am a Taurus too!!
When I am at a loss, I take my wife. She will sit in both cars and then say car “X” was more classy. I would probably notice the same, but am too deep into car specs and gears/etc to notice.
Hillbilly dash — What does that even mean?
Well, just look at your dash, VOLVO…(JUST KIDDING)…
Al, if you are looking for a bargain, go into a more rural area. We attended my nephew’s wedding west of you and stayed in Lincolnton. I walked to lunch from the hotel and passed a Chevrolet dealer. There was a nice looking C6 Corvette on the lot and I stopped to take a look at it. A salesman came over pretty quickly and tried to sell it to me. I said I was from about 6 hours away and wasn’t interested. We did talk for a while and I asked about the attractive price. He said everyone in Lincolnton wants a pickup and cars sell poorly. You might find a deal in the country in a dealers on line inventory. If you find one you like, drive out and take a test drive.
I wondered where they got the name and thought clearly it was not from Abe. General Lincoln in the Revolutionary war. Another vote for narrowing the search a little on line.