New Car Advice

Years ago, I had sold a car to carmax for about $6K. Two weeks later, it was listed at $10.5 K on their website.

I did try with two other dealers, and on craigslist. Could get get any where close to carmax's offer.
 
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I live in Reno.
If you drive much during the winter months I’d recommend an AWD car.

My son lives in Reno and snow skis often. He frequently visits the Lake Tahoe area. During the winter there are times when snow chains, or AWD, is required, particularly driving over Donner Summit. It’s very convenient not having to chain up a non-AWD car.
 
If you drive much during the winter months I’d recommend an AWD car.

My son lives in Reno and snow skis often. He frequently visits the Lake Tahoe area. During the winter there are times when snow chains, or AWD, is required, particularly driving over Donner Summit. It’s very convenient not having to chain up a non-AWD car.
I’ve been here almost 30 years and used to have spiders which snapped onto the tires in place of chains. Your son might want to get them if he’s frequently in the mountains in winter. That’s no longer a concern for me.
 
I’ve been here almost 30 years and used to have spiders which snapped onto the tires in place of chains. Your son might want to get them if he’s frequently in the mountains in winter. That’s no longer a concern for me.
The spiders are a good convenient solution for non-AWD cars. My son gets in 50+ days per season at the ski resorts, so he has an AWD and a 2nd set of snow tires and wheels. Therefore no need to stop and put on chains when chain requirements are in place.
 
I appreciate the ratings since I didn’t want to pay for consumer reports.
[Mod Edit]

Will Rogers: " There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to piss on the electric fence for themselves."
 
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Maybe throwing out various ideas, in a discussion forum, isn't such a bad thing after all... :)
Good point as long as it's brief and requires less that 10 seconds to read I think you should be ok. 😉
 
@TT, did you really say this? You don't want to pay a few dollars, really a pittance, as part of a multi-thousand dollar purchase? Really? Really:confused:

Will Rogers: " There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to piss on the electric fence for themselves."
condescending, rude, and crass? A trifecta!
 
condescending, rude, and crass? A trifecta!
Sorry, didn't mean it that way at all. My thought was to get the OP to re-examine her decision to avoid a trivial cost when making a very non-trivial decision. Actually I think many of us cheapskates have a tendency to be a little penny wise and pound foolish.
 
I did consider the Impreza but I don’t know anyone that has owned one long enough to know its reliability. It rates the same as the Corolla on Edmunds.
We bought a 2018 Subaru Impreza for our son that had been used as a loaner and had about 8k miles on it at the time. It’s still running great, though I don’t know the mileage at this point. Never heard of any problems with it.
 
The savings of buying a used Toyota or Honda don't seem like much. It sounds like you decided on new, and that's a sound idea, IMO.

My son has had an Impreza for 13 years with very few problems. I'm on my second Subaru and have been pleased. Just a tale from one person, but my last two Hondas had too many issues so after many loyal years I quit them. And one problematic Toyota, way back in 1991. Of course both make great cars, and I just had some bad luck so I'd consider them again but I'm good with my Subaru decisions.

Great suggestions about the thorough test drives. My dad would make up his mind about a car and you couldn't get him to look at anything else. Got burned once when my aging mother really struggled to get in and out of their Accord.

I totally get the color thing. I love the Geyser blue in the Subaru Wilderness editions and every time I go to my car in a garage or parking lot I love it all over again. Same cannot be said for the bronze I settled on of two previous cars. A little BTD thanks to great returns on my retirement money.
 
Qs,
Someone else made a suggestion beyond Toyota/Honda, and the OP is now not only open to but leaning toward another brand of car (Subaru).

Maybe throwing out various ideas, in a discussion forum, isn't such a bad thing after all... :)
My friend has a Subaru Impreza and I had been considering it because I have rode in it but didn’t originally mention it because I saw on Edmunds that it was listed below the Corolla.

I changed my mind when a few people said consumer reports listed it higher. I didn’t see the point of paying for CR when Edmunds was free.
 
Sorry, didn't mean it that way at all. My thought was to get the OP to re-examine her decision to avoid a trivial cost when making a very non-trivial decision. Actually I think many of us cheapskates have a tendency to be a little penny wise and pound foolish.
People keep suggesting hybrids, electric cars, suvs, etc none of which I’m interested in if this is what you’re talking about. I hate driving SUVs.

My parking space is small and I have to avoid hitting a wall on one side and a poll on the other side 🤣. My financial situation is greatly improved but I still need to be conscious of my budget.
 
Koolua, I have thought about your advice to keep my car and haven’t ruled it out. A friend of mine did that figuring she would be dead or not driving.

Fast forward and she’s 85 and most things are broken and she can’t roll the windows up and down and has to get into the driver’s seat from the passenger seat. So she buys a car and is still driving at 93. She is sad that she waited so long to get a newer car.
 
Koolua, I have thought about your advice to keep my car and haven’t ruled it out. A friend of mine did that figuring she would be dead or not driving.

Fast forward and she’s 85 and most things are broken and she can’t roll the windows up and down and has to get into the driver’s seat from the passenger seat. So she buys a car and is still driving at 93. She is sad that she waited so long to get a newer car.
Yes, when to buy a "new" car is definitely a crap shoot. I wouldn't want to deal with a totally clapped out car like your friend. I have enough money to buy just about any car I want. But as long as my car is reliable and reasonably comfortable, I'll hang onto it. It's a very personal choice - especially when money is not a huge concern. I understand about your tight parking space. One of our two spaces is a bit tight and DW dinged the fenders on our old Honda CRV (now gone) tying to park.

Best luck with your search. Keep us posted.
 
I know OP isn't interested in a hybrid but does it even make sense for her use? The Corolla sedan gets 32 city/ 41 highway vs 53/46 for the hybrid. The price premium is about $1500. When if ever would she earn that back
 
Yes, when to buy a "new" car is definitely a crap shoot. I wouldn't want to deal with a totally clapped out car like your friend. I have enough money to buy just about any car I want. But as long as my car is reliable and reasonably comfortable, I'll hang onto it. It's a very personal choice - especially when money is not a huge concern. I understand about your tight parking space. One of our two spaces is a bit tight and DW dinged the fenders on our old Honda CRV (now gone) tying to park.

Best luck with your search. Keep us posted.
One of the negatives about waiting until my car needs a big repair to replace it is car prices are predicted to greatly increase if tariffs are installed. Also once my car has an issue I won’t be able to sell it for a decent price. These low mileage older Corollas are easily sold locally.
 
One of the negatives about waiting until my car needs a big repair to replace it is car prices are predicted to greatly increase if tariffs are installed. Also once my car has an issue I won’t be able to sell it for a decent price. These low mileage older Corollas are easily sold locally.
I definitely think now is a good time. No need to hurry but, as you saw with your friend, if you wait too long, you’ll need a new car in the last couple years of your driving abilities. Get one now and enjoy it.
 
As a cranky 74 year old, I refuse to acknowledge any time limits to my driving abilities or car-buying finances.

I bought my new Mustang just over a year ago and now my F-150 is nine years old with almost 100k miles on it.
So I'll likely upgrade to a new F-150 in a year or two, no rush...
 
Koolua, I have thought about your advice to keep my car and haven’t ruled it out. A friend of mine did that figuring she would be dead or not driving.

Fast forward and she’s 85 and most things are broken and she can’t roll the windows up and down and has to get into the driver’s seat from the passenger seat. So she buys a car and is still driving at 93. She is sad that she waited so long to get a newer car.
So I know that some Toyota dealers offer a "Try-Before-You-Buy" program where they'll let you rent one of their showroom or new loaner vehicles to see if you like it. Someone posted earlier that you're in the Las Vegas area, so I looked it up on the Toyota website and alas, there are no participating Toyota dealers in Las Vegas. However, if you're up for a little drive, Toyota claims there is a participating dealer in Lake Havasu City. Maybe they'll want to work with you on renting a Corolla.

The Toyota website: Toyota Rentals

Here's their info from that site:
location1

1

Anderson Toyota​

Leadership Award
Rental Performance Mobility Award Winner
6510 Showplace Avenue
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86404
119.21 Miles away
Phone: (928) 764-2886

Try Before You Buy
Service Rentals
Business/Leisure Travel Rentals


Dealer Website | Get Directions
Contact Dealer

Unfortunately, it seems Honda does not offer any rentals at their dealerships, at least not that I could find. You might have to go to a rental facility for one of those.

And this is just my 2¢ on Subarus: If you do not need AWD, I'd steer clear of it. More things to go wrong, more friction leading to less MPG, and with AWD vehicles, if you have 10K or more miles on it and you blow out a sidewall on a tire hitting a curb, you'll have to replace all 4 tires, even if the other three are still in decent shape. AWD systems prefer to have all four tires having equal wear and most manufacturers claim that replacing only one or two tires on an AWD vehicle can cause unnecessary wear and tear on your drivetrain.

Hope this helps.
 
If you're now open to makes other than Honda and Toyota, the Impreza would be good to consider. Best to stay away from Hyundai.
 


And this is just my 2¢ on Subarus: If you do not need AWD, I'd steer clear of it. More things to go wrong, more friction leading to less MPG, and with AWD vehicles, if you have 10K or more miles on it and you blow out a sidewall on a tire hitting a curb, you'll have to replace all 4 tires, even if the other three are still in decent shape. AWD systems prefer to have all four tires having equal wear and most manufacturers claim that replacing only one or two tires on an AWD vehicle can cause unnecessary wear and tear on your drivetrain.

Hope this helps.
Subarus’ maintenance schedule also has more items and more frequent items due to the AWD if I recall correctly. That’s additional cost and hassle.
 
The 2025 Corollas look really nice, and the website shows many colors, and two tones.
Good luck in your search, TT and enjoy your new car!
 
And this is just my 2¢ on Subarus: If you do not need AWD, I'd steer clear of it. More things to go wrong, more friction leading to less MPG, and with AWD vehicles, if you have 10K or more miles on it and you blow out a sidewall on a tire hitting a curb, you'll have to replace all 4 tires, even if the other three are still in decent shape. AWD systems prefer to have all four tires having equal wear and most manufacturers claim that replacing only one or two tires on an AWD vehicle can cause unnecessary wear and tear on your drivetrain.
We had to do this a few times. Some folks believe this isn't necessary, but it is what Subaru recommends. I loved my old Outback, which I owned for 20 years, and I love the current one (seven years and counting), but after my last four tire replacement a few years ago, I decided I wouldn't buy an AWD vehicle again since we don't need it where we live.

OP: $5K doesn't seem like enough compensation to settle for a three year-old car with 30K miles on it rather than a new one. Moreover, if your next car will be your last one, why not get the nicest one that meets your requirements if you can afford it?
 
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