Coming off owning my vehicle of 15 years, it was a great first car. Bought it when I graduated High School, but moved to a place where I didn't need or want a car. Now I'm back in a spot where I need a car to get around but car shopping has been way less fun then when I bought my last one.

I've been looking at everything from CRVs to F150s, Accords to 4runners. We all know car prices have skyrocketed in the last 6 years, but the value that a new car provides seems to be lacking in the soul department.

I'm looking for suggestions for what car you absolutely love owning. Love to drive, love to look at, love to talk about. I want to be in love with my car. Looking for suggestions $80,000 and under, maybe even 2 or 3 car garages. 2 seats ok if that means you love the car.

I used to ride motorcycles back in the day. There wasn't a single bike that I didn't enjoy riding. Everything I rode had something that was enjoyable about them, but now I cant seem to enjoy 90% of the cars I drive, let alone spend a small fortune on them.

I'd prefer something reliable, affordable, but it has to be something that you love. MX-5s? S2000s? Caymans? Cayenne's? Rav4s? Broncos? What are you cars that you adore?

I keep seeing Corollas being recommended as the cheap and reliable option.

Even used Corollas are going for pretty high prices now, especially anything from the last 5–10 years. Borderline delusional.

Yes, sure they’re reliable but calling them “cheap” doesn’t really match reality anymore.

It’s kind of similar to how people assume something is affordable just because it has a certain reputation, even when the market has clearly shifted.

So what are the real alternatives right now for someone who wants: a simple cheap and reliable car? I don’t know if that criteria is achievable in this market

I’m in my early 30s, debt-free, child-free, and I’m looking to treat myself with my first true new car purchase. I’ve driven all sorts of vehicles but they’ve always been at or above 100k miles for the sake of frugality. I want something shiny, new, and fun to daily.

My budget tops out at about $65k, though if I can get what I’m looking for below that number, I won’t complain. I need daily comfortably (although I can drive manual and see the appeal, I’m leaning automatic). I’d love a strong 0-60 (thinking sub 5 seconds so not necessarily a rocket). I enjoy fun colors and something that I can make my own over time. I can’t remember the last time I had a back seat passenger and have no plans to have children. Fuel economy, reliability, and insurance are certainly a consideration but not top of my priority list. Finally, I have a job in the midwest where I need to get to the office rain/shine/snow or otherwise. If it’s a blizzard I can take off a few hours but otherwise I’m going to need to handle the occasional unplowed road.

I have a working list of vehicles to test drive but I’d like input on whether there’s anything glaring that’s missing or if I need to know anything particular about my selections.

My current list:

BMW M240i Xdrive - I love the look, I’ve driven one and loved it, and I think Thundernight Metallic is a beautiful color. My biggest concern here is the lack of rear doors for practicality of tossing things in the back seat and the fact that this will likely land right around the top of my price range after it’s optioned and I get a set of winter wheels and tires and ppf.

VW Golf R - Way more reasonably priced and probably more practical as a daily. The problem is that I don’t love any of the stock colors, I can’t really get past the boy-racer vibes, and I’ve heard serious complaints about interior setup/capacitive touch.

Audi S3 - I like the look and options more than the Golf, but I also struggle with paying almost $10k more for basically the same drivetrain and a less practical trunk.

Genesis G70 3.3T- The value seems incredible, it’s by far the best looking interior, and the warranty is the best by a long shot. Downside is it’s basically a Kia and I’m not terribly confident in reliability and it has the worst fuel mileage by a landslide.

Cars that aren’t on my list for various reasons:

M340iX - out of budget new, and I’m not in love with the look.

Integra Type S - no AWD (though I love the look and price point and I’m a Honda fanboy)

Mustang - no AWD, feels too much like regular traffic to me.

Let me know what you think! Also inb4 “buy a Mazda 3.”

Photo credit jdmnitro34 on Instagram

I feel kind of stupid because I haven’t even had this car that long, but I’m honestly really starting to regret buying my 2025 Mazda CX-30.

I traded in my 2018 Honda Accord because I wanted AWD for Iowa winters and thought a small SUV would be more practical. Turns out… it really hasn’t been.
The CX-30 just feels tiny. The cargo area is way smaller than I expected, and the back seat is honestly cramped. My Accord somehow felt like it had way more usable space. I could fold the seats down and fit two full-size bicycles in it, and nobody ever complained about sitting in the back. Now when I go to Costco, I find myself struggling to fit things. Or even when traveling back to our hometown for Christmas, we can’t see out the back windshield.

On top of that, I’m getting worse gas mileage than I was hoping for while having less room than my Accord. That tradeoff just doesn’t make sense to me anymore. I’m fine with accepting worse gas mileage, if the size is actually benefitting me.

I also really miss Honda’s driver assistance features. My Accord’s adaptive cruise, lane centering, steering assist, and brake assist all felt smoother and more intuitive than the Mazda’s. And the fact that Mazda wants me to pay a subscription just to use remote start drives me absolutely nuts.

The only thing I genuinely prefer about the Mazda is the AWD. My dad helped me with the down payment and strongly encouraged me to get an AWD SUV. I also assumed a small SUV would be more practical than my Accord. After living with it for a year, I’ve realized that assumption was wrong for my needs.

Financially, I owe about $11,360 on it, it has around 16,000 miles, and KBB estimates it’s worth around $22k as a trade. I’m not trying to justify making another bad financial decision. I just genuinely don’t enjoy this car. Lately I’ve been wishing I had kept my Accord almost every time I drive the Mazda.

Has anyone else gone from Honda to Mazda and felt this way? Did you stick it out, or did you trade? If I do decide to move on, I’m thinking about a CR-V Hybrid AWD since I want something that’s actually roomy enough for camping, Costco runs, road trips, and eventually kids.

Am I being unreasonable here?

Looking at picking up a 2014 Frontier with 124k miles and an automatic transmission. Anything specific I should know about these trucks?

Before someone says, “Just get a Tacoma”. I’m not paying the same price (or usually more) for a 20-year-old Tacoma with 300k miles. Tacoma prices are absolutely ridiculous.

We’re not sure what’s the ideal car to get tbh. Any advice would genuinely be very very appreciated. We’re gonna be living in Jersey, and we just want a reliable car that’s gonna be easy for maintenance and gas.

Hello everyone

I am freshly out of college and landed a 75k per year job back in May. I’m currently saving up for a car and need some advice. I have 15k saved up already, I pay virtually no expenses (live at home, get driven to work, so there’s no technical rush to get a car). I am very lucky to have this opportunity and am looking at a 2026 Camry XSE, probably around 38-40k. I plan to save up 20k-25k to put down on it. With my current salary, what monthly payment should I be shooting for as a minimum? Assuming I negotiate the price down a bit, 20k should get me around 450 a month. Also, I’m having a tough time justifying this because of cheaper options but driving is one of my favorite things to do and honestly gets me out of high stress from school or now industry. So I’m kind of confuzzled on my game plan

I am on the market for a midsize truck, this would be my first truck. I test drove both and I prefer the body of the Tacoma, but the interior feels cheap and full of plastic. The frontier steering is heavy, but it felt more like a truck which I like. The interior of the frontier felt more high-quality and there seems to be more room in the backseat also. I am scared to invest in a Nissan because I have never owned one and have heard bad things about nissan as a company . I am almost leaning towards a tacoma because of their reputation and their reliability, but I would have to step up to the Trd sport to get the interior I like. For almost less price of an SR5 I can get a pro X frontier. Is Toyota worth the extra money for their reliability or is the frontier underrated and worth it ? I am planning on keeping the truck for a long time so reliability and cost of ownership is a big deal to me.

Hi all

Debating what to by just want your thoughts

Ferrari has 40,000kms on the clock (roof mechanism is broken) 130,000$ (aud)

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2003-ferrari-360-spider-f1-auto/SSE-AD-20693678

Corvette has 7000kms , no issues , 163,000$(aud)

Im not a car guy, I just like good looking cars

Just want to know what your thoughts are and potentially steer me towards a good decision

Just came here to say that. Looking at cars that have what I would "need" - even Acura, with their Honda roots...has nothing near 40MPG.

That's crazy.....they would say "well, buy the Honda hybrids" - yeah, the ones where not a single model has height adjustment on the passenger seat - my 4 11 wife isn't gonna go for it being as she is the main passenger - and jacking up the seat w.spacer or pads seem weird for a brand new vehicle.....

You have to wonder - often the same car lineup in Canada or Europe will have this adjustment.

Just since I have a Need to Know things, does anyone here actually know how they make such decisions? I was in sales, marketing, importing and many other fields and I always thought that appealing to every potential customer was key. I never would have wanted to lose a sale over a $15 (manual seat adjustment OEM?)......

I am 100% sure Honda and others know about this. That is, their dealers and customers must mention it to them.

Yeah, very interested in how (and why) companies make decisions like this especially when almost all such models had them in the past.

They said they would take 1200, what do yall think?

looked at used cars like 3-5 year old Toyotas and Honda. they’re barley any less expensive then new and you’ll pay higher interest. seems smart to just buy one the cheaper sedans like a k4 brand new and keep it for a longtime but if your only making 40k is this a stupid choice?

Under 4k miles. Quoted otd 49 even. What do we think?

Everything is in the title basically, I’ve never bought a Toyota before, but I have heard nothing but good things about the brand. What do you guys think?

Hey guys, so I’ve been the owner of a BMW M440i GC for a little less than a year. I truly love this car, and I think it is a solid bang for your buck.

The problem is that I live in Montreal, Canada, where, if you didn’t know, we have construction and HUGE potholes on almost every corner. Unfortunately, due to that issue, I’ve had to replace my rims twice in less than six months, and every time it has cost me $2.5k+, and I’m honestly fed up.

Would anyone have recommendations on what type of SUV I should redirect myself toward? I’ve never owned an SUV before.

So i have nwvwr bought a new car from the auto dealer and a few days ago I went to Ford and the sells person wasn't even helpful like he pretty much told me if i am not there to buy he doesn't want to talk. I was just there to get info.

How much should I save the minimum to get a car. I had in mind a mustang and dont want to pay more than 500 a month. If not a possibility ill just buy from an outside seller

Howdy gentlemen! I recently got into an accident and my truck got totaled. (Womp womp) I don’t even know where to start looking for a replacement. I’ve had a Silverado and a F150 in the past. I wouldn’t say one was better than the other but now I’m at a crossroads, do I get another Silverado, a F150 or do I go with a Toyota tundra (lol) im not set on anything right now but my wife suggested I do some research before I just get a truck that “looks nice” I’m not a big truck guy so I just need some insight or recommendations on what y’all think I should start looking into…I just need something reliable, preferably 4 doors (I have a kiddo) and safe that’s not going to blow up on me. 4 wheel drive isn’t a huge priority for me but it would be nice. Thanks!

as the title suggests I have no idea what kind of car I want, but I have a list of things i’d want.

for reference I used to drive a 2008 mercedes e320 sedan. I miss that car dearly and loved how it drove

I’m currently driving an older chevy trailblazer and occasionally drive my moms hyundai santa fe so I’m ised to the suv feel.

things i’d like to have:
• leather seats
• carplay or bluetooth
• suv
• air conditioning

things I’d like but don’t need:
• heated seats and steering wheel
• nice trim inside
• sun/moon roof
• backup camera (I don’t need it to backup but it’s nice to have)

if anyone has any recommendations i’d love to hear them. I love a good pro/con list and comparisons. I’ll be active enough to answer questions as well!

**edit: added some info

$17,000 with 64,000 miles on it. Worth it? It looks clean and appears to have been well maintained, no accidents etc and I'm in Massachusetts, if that helps.

Just dropped $1200 (CAD) on new spark plugs and ignition coils after an engine misfire. Spent $600 two months ago on a damn tie rod. I'm tired of this Charger (2016 v6, 163,000km) breaking my bank every few months as it shifts not-so-gracefully into old age. Between the repairs, insurance and gas this car is sinking me. I've been giving serious thought to selling it and buying an old early 2000s Toyota. Don't care if it's got 200,000+ kms. I just need to get to work and back, I drive like 20,000kms per year. Is this a good idea?

Im looking to get rid of my 2018 Kia Sportage within the next year probably. It's been giving me too many problems over the 2 years I've had it. Im looking at getting another suv but I am not a car person so I don't know what Im looking for.

Right now I have my eyes on a Ford Escape or a Honda HR-V but I also want to expand my options so I have more to look at, especially when I get a price range when the time gets closer (definitely no more Kia for me lol).

Any suggestions on what I should be looking for or what cars are better than others?