$ Buying a Car General - Eight thousand dollars for a 2005 Subaru Baja?

[NoReturn]

It's 2025 at time of writing, how are people buying cars these days?
Even used cars are expensive, and dealerships are now offering loan terms where you aren't supposed to pay it off early. Some places won't even sell you a car in cash, they require the loans.
So what are you supposed to do?

 

[monk]

Never at used car dealers, they're ripoffs. Saved searches on multiple online marketplaces at the same time. Only pre-2000 cars. 2000-2010 only specific brands and models. Never post-2010.

 

[Tetopettenson]

i steal them

 

[Mister Fister]

I make a lot of money designing lubricants.

 

[gagabobo1997]

you should've bought a car 10 years ago

 

[Daddy's Little Kitten]

You could walk around. Maybe you'll find a car with a "For Sale" sign.

 

[Brenda Holiday]

Any buy here pay here, especially if the owner is some flavor of middle east. Very trustworthy!

 

[Black Man Underwear]

Used car markets make suicide look like an all expenses paid vacation getaway.

 

[PovertySprocket]

Never at used car dealers, they're ripoffs. Saved searches on multiple online marketplaces at the same time. Only pre-2000 cars. 2000-2010 only specific brands and models. Never post-2010.

Rust is the killer of old cars, my 20 year old Toyota only has 70,000 miles on the clock and is mechanically perfect. But since they salt roads here, I had to weld in new rocker panels and neutralize what i couldn't fix with acid. In addition to the usual crusty brake/fuel line and exhaust falling off.

Pre 2008 is not an option for northerners (unless you get lucky and find some grandpas old car that spent decades gathering dust in a garage).

 

[FieldPiece]

Do not under any circumstances buy a car with the GM 1.4l turbo ecotec engine. It is probably the worst engine ever produced.

A friend of mine who works for a dealer and has a dealer license has basically told me the best used cars you can get barring Toyota or Honda are either Infinitis or a Grand Marquis. Both for similar reasons, they're old lady/man cars and particularly the kind of old people who take good care of their cars.

For trucks if you can get something with a cummins if you can. I don't know shit about trucks really but I work with two guys that have trucks with cummins engines that are above 600k miles and have had literally zero engine problems.

 

[You're MDNWU]

I'm migrating to auctions. The middle eastern scam dealers have all the "nice" and "unique" cars with damage and multiple issues while being overpriced and the used private market is so fucked, people still think their 08 HonYota with 240k is worth $6k.

If I'm going to pay for a piece of shit, it may as well be direct from the auctions.

 

[DrakosBiz]

I bought my current in cash. I would imagine that the reason they are so expensive these days is because people refuse to put anything down and just extend the loan as long as possible to lower the monthly payments but increasing the amount of cash you give the the lender. I will continue to drive my beater into the ground until I have enough cash to buy a nice car instead of taking a loan out from a greedy banker.

 

[NoReturn]

I bought my current in cash.

From where?

 

[Thiletonomics]

CVT-era Nissans, i.e. 2007-Present Altimas, 2013-2020 Pathfinders, Original-2024 Muranos, are to be avoided like the plague, since Nissan designed them to self-destruct so that you have to fork over $7k+ to replace it.

Chinese cars, despite them undercutting other brands because Chinese car companies are trying desperately to dump excess inventory, are also to be avoided, since they're the definition of "you get what you pay for", or lack thereof.

 

[MAPK phosphatase]

you should've bought a car 10 years ago

The best time to buy a car is 10 years ago.
The second best time is 20 years ago.

 

[DrakosBiz]

From where?

Family member, but in my area there are some good mechanics I know with cars on their lot that from my experience are good trustworthy people that I would buy from.

 

[Lady Bizness]

Make friends with all of the elderly in your area. Statistically one of them will die and you can scoop up their low mileage old person car from their kids who just want to liquidate everything. Tell them you'll take the beanie babies if they knock off another $250.

Seriously though, I'm sorry you're looking. I spent every day after work crawling Craigslist and FB. When I could find something that wasn't a shit make/model, beat to fuck, or overpriced, you wouldn't even get a call back.

Spoiler: I eventually gave up.

Neither my husband or I have ever bought a new car in our lives but the hassle finally brought us to this milestone. I still prefer driving his beater because I'm not that great of a driver and appreciate not having to freak out every time I run over these new bike lane safety barriers they just put in. By the way, our elderly neighbor did die right before my car cracked its block but I just couldn't fork over 8k for a 10 year old luxury vehicle. It was super nice but the tech was dated and the look of the car itself was very, um, distinguished.

 

[Flatline]

Saved searches on multiple online marketplaces at the same time.

Which online marketplaces (besides Facebook and Craigslist)?

 

[Fascist Kirk]

I am learning every one on this website is an autistic (retarded) poor (no Money) Glow Nigger (ABC Agency) Troon/ fur faggot pervert.

Facebook market place, Repo/ police auctions, Classified ads Craigslist

biggest one is don't be a nigger and learn how to maintain your own vehicles and stay out of debt. I have a geo metro with 2 million miles because I can change oil and turn a wrench same with a 1994 f350 deisle with 1,5 million miles ..... because you poor autistic faggots can't maintain your ride .... maybe you should get a bike?

 

[NoReturn]

I am learning every one on this website is an autistic (retarded) poor (no Money) Glow Nigger (ABC Agency) Troon/ fur faggot pervert.

My good faggot, I have never once claimed to be wealthy.