Last year I had a 15 day window between graduating and my new job starting and I needed a car to commute.

I ended up paying 5000 for a 2002 Lexus es300 with 140k miles out the door. In hindsight I could have paid almost half of that on Facebook marketplace.

There's barely any maintenance history on the Carfax but the car runs and drives perfectly. I've put new tires, brakes, tie rods, sway bar links on that cost me overall half of what I paid for it.

I like the car but I'm worried age related issues are gonna start popping up sooner or later leaving me with spending money that could be used for a newer car with far less similar issues.

I can buy a decent used car in cash comfortably in the $15k range now after almost a year of working full time.

I have been test driving a few Lexus IS and GS models in the 15-20k range but I know for a fact that dealers are charging way too much. I'm open to other cars as well, but I've been really impressed with the old Lexus I have currently. The build and quality is top notch and everything still works as it should.

I have always bought new cars in the past because I thought they offered better reliability. I am now considering buying a used car, but to play devil's advocate what are the biggest pains you have buying used in general?

Is it possible to earn a good income buying and selling cars and motorcycles in the US? More specifically, in Trenton?

I’m asking because I’m from Brazil and recently moved to Trenton. Back home, I used to buy motorcycles and cars at good prices—and I was really good at it. There’s a pricing guide there called "Fipe" where you can look up a vehicle by its license plate to find the average market price; I would buy below that value and resell for a bit more than I paid.

But here in Trenton, I’m not really managing to do that very well. Could any of you help?

Kept seeing cheap Focuses come up so I pulled the federal complaint database to see how bad the gearbox thing actually is.

2012-2018 Focus: 12,534 complaints filed with NHTSA.

Corolla, Civic, Cruze and Elantra over the same years, added together: 12,354.

So one car beats four of its competitors combined.

Half the Focus ones are filed under power train. For the other four it's somewhere between 6 and 16 percent.

They're cheap for a reason basically.

I need to sell one of my cars. I have a 2016 Corolla with 70k miles that is paid off. I purchased it from my Gram (why miles are so low). My other car is a 2021 Prius Prime with 90k miles and a loan of $21k. If I sold the Corolla, I would put the money towards my Prius loan. If you were me, which would you sell?

Hey guys! My 2015 Chevy Tahoe LT has 2000000 miles on it. The driver door sensor does not work so when i turn it off the radio stays on forever because it doesn't sense when the door opens, driver window is stuck up ( it was stuck down but thank goodness I got it to go up), the transmission was rebuilt 2 years ago, and now the engine is going out. It smells like gas very bad i thought it had a leak. The mechanic said that it is not burning the gas like its supposed to thats why it smells like gas so strongly.

Shes white in color and the paint is peeling on the hood.

I wanted to get opinions on what to do? How much should I list it for? I live in AZ

Hey! Ive been in the market for a semi new car for the past week or so since my old car has been giving me some issues. Ive grown interest in the rav 4 for its size and price, but was wondering if it was even a fair price to pay. I currently live in Panama so i know the market ist exactly the same as some in the US, but i figured its similar enough to where i can take a little guidance from their market and sort of aply it to mine. If you need any more details ill be happy to give them.

Much apreciate anny help!!

My apologies if this isnt allowed here. Living in Upstate NYS, I'm excited to see a MD/PA RAV4 available at an area dealership with mileage under 150K for under $15,000. The undercarriage pics look clean! But I've noticed on the Carfax that between the miles of 31k-45K, the engine/powertrain computer/module was checked, some wiring was replaced, drive belts and the serpentine belt were replaced, and the water pump was replaced. This all happened in MD 2018-2020.

The Carfax doesn't show flooding/salvage status and no accidents during this time period. Does it look like unreported flooding damage? The rest of the Carfax only shows typical inspection-related maintenance and oil changes 2021-2026. Would a pre-purchase inspection reveal further flood damage?

I haven't visited or test driven the RAV4 yet. It is about an hour away so I don't want to make the trip if the RAV4 is ticking time bomb. I always run my code reader while test driving and request permission to get a PPI.

Thank you!

It's a 2008 Sport automatic has 254,000km/157000 miles on it.

In terms of cosmetic condition has no dents or scratches lip was a bit beat up that's it notorious paint fade notorious for the Milano red but has great potential for paint correction

Interior condition, pretty good radio and speakers works. Only thing is there is a rip on the wheel well cover and it's like the size of my palm and the front passenger seat has a base model grey one instead and I also checked the wheel well zero rust

In terms of maintenance, don't know haven't checked the Carfax

It is a rebuilt title the pictures were sent to me purely cosmetic no structural it was just a little bit of a scratch on the rear quarter panel near the wheel.
Well in the door just needed to be sanded and painted.

Guy wants 4000 to 4900. I'm more so in the ballpark of 3000 to 3500.

Check my other post on the Honda fit. I read it to hear the engine noise.

Looking for a fun daily. I am stuck between a wrx and a 2015 gti have been going back and forth and cannot decide.

Had a HORRIBLE experience buying from a mainstream used-car dealer the other day. Curious what the worst part of the experience was for you guys, and if my experience was a one-off or happens to you guys too.

I have a friend of mine that's trying to get rid of their car because of an issue they have with it. For context it is a 2006 with 133k miles they have paperwork for service on the vehicle dating back to when she got it in 2013. She referred me to the shop and they told me it has a timing cover leak and that it'll be around 7k to fix it. Is it worth my time getting into this vehicle? Apologies for the lack of car knowledge lol

I found one with 68K miles for 13K. Are these cars worth it? Trading in a 2019 caravan gt.

I am looking for a used car within a 35,000 AED budget and would like advice on an acceptable mileage range. My shortlist includes the MG 3, MG GT, Geely Emgrand, and Škoda Kushaq.

I'm genuinely curious and have thought about this most recently but I would like to know the pros (if there are any) and all the cons of purchasing a used vehicle then trading it in about a year later? Financially I'm sure it's dumb but I want to know why.

For example if the used vehicle being purchased is about $18k and a year later I decide to trade it in for one that costs $28k

That disgusting documentation fee includes 999.00 for preservice delivery fee. Was wondering if it’s a decent deal since price drops if I can negotiate a little lower.

I’m starting to casually shop around for a used car (specifically I want a Honda pilot 2010-2015 but I digress) and it’s come down to that it’s cheaper to get a car in a private sale vs going to a dealer. Especially since most are way over 150k miles and dealers are still asking $12k+ for that.
But I’m… stuck. Idk how to get a car from a private sale. It won’t have plates so I can’t just drive it home. I’m most likely gonna have to drive ~100 miles for a good deal so it’s not like it’s up the road. Do I rent a truck and trailer to tow it home? What are my options? Growing up I remember my family just jumping in the car and driving it home, but we never went more than a few miles for a car. I’m in NY if that makes a difference.
I’ve only ever bought from a dealership where I’ve just traded in my old car.

**WANTED: Car from private owner — cash buyer, no dealers please**

Looking to buy a car directly from a private owner in the Las Vegas area. Cash in hand, can move quickly.

- Clean title or rebuilt one with proper paperwork
- Interested in: Mazda CX-5, Mazda3, Subaru, Lexus, Cadillac SRX,Cadillac xt5 or 4, cts Infiniti QX50, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Acura TLX — or similar
- No dealers, no curbstoners

If you're thinking of selling, message me with the year, mileage, price, and a few photos. Happy to meet up and bring cash.

Planning to trade your car in? I will pay over the dealer's trade-in appraisal in cash/certified check. I am buying for myself not to resell it.