The used car market has seemingly been a bit of a Wild West since the pandemic. It’s crazy to think that I used to spend less than $1,500 for a Smart Fortwo with over 100,000 miles, now those same cars today are $3,000 and up. But not every used car is ridiculously expensive these days, and some are way cheaper than you might expect – and that’s what we’re talkin’ in today’s Autopian Asks.
The Autopian staff all gave different, fascinating answers to the headline question. For me, it’s the Chevrolet Volt that can be had way cheaper than I thought. I’m a huge fan of David’s high-mileage BMW i3, but I’m too much of a cheapskate to spend even $10,500 on it, which is what he bought it for at a dealership before having the pack replaced.
But what I could stomach buying is a first-generation Chevrolet Volt. Go ahead and plug “Chevy Volt” into your local classifieds website. You can get a high-mileage example for around $3,000, which is incredible! Even ones with low miles are still affordable. I still believe the Volt is one of the most deeply underrated GM cars of all time. Sure, it doesn’t use a bunch of fancy materials like the BMW i3, but I’ve known countless happy Volt owners.
If I had to throw another vehicle into the ring, it would be the first-generation Honda Insight. If you don’t mind some body damage, paint fade, or a torn seat, you can still find examples for low prices like $3,500. These can get so cheap I’ve come close to buying one several times, myself.
Matt thinks first-generation and second-generation Dodge Vipers are probably cheaper than they should be. Look, I won’t say that Vipers are cheap, but you can get a sweet example with epic tri-spoke wheels for just $40,000!
Matt’s other choice was the Mercury Marauder and sure enough, you should have no problem finding the best of the Panthers for a chunk under $10,000. It’s the same deal with David’s choice of the Ford Model T, just in case you’re looking to go really historic as opposed to scoring a daily driver. Decent Model Ts can be had for under $10,000 and even super nice ones are still not much over that mark.
Jason’s choice was the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, and the link he shared brings us to this example sitting on a trailer in Michigan for $11,295. This one doesn’t drive so maybe it’s not a great deal, but Jason’s heart is in the right place. Prefer something a little nicer? Here’s a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow that’s in much better condition for $16,000.
All of these cars are important pieces of history, too! Sure, a Ford Model T would be a terrible car to use in modern traffic, but if you can go your own speed on a country road I bet you’ll have a ball. Of course, the Dodge Viper is a car that doesn’t need an introduction and even the Marauder is a bit of a sleeper.
So, how about you? What used cars do you think are way cheaper than you expected?
(Topshot: RM Auctions)
I’ve had my E39 540i 6-speed on Craigslist at $4000 and no takers in a month.
Have you tried listing it on one of the forums? Can’t believe there’s not some BMW fan out there who’d jump at the chance to get one for that price.
I’d think that given how ‘80s and ‘90s minitrucks have recently appreciated in value pretty significantly, that that rise in value would apply to 2 of the most popular from the era: S10s and Rangers. I guess the first gens of both trucks have come up in price some, but not really, and not at all compared to Toyota. As far as 2nd gens, not even a little…2nd gen S10s are (rightly) more or less worthless while 2nd gen Rangers are still cheap. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I hope 2nd gen Rangers stay underpriced for a long time because they’re massively underrated trucks.
The only thing that kills an S10 is body rust. Otherwise I’m pretty sure the cockroaches will be driving them around at the end.
German Luxury Convertibles
The R230 SLs are about at the bottom of their depreciation curve.
So are W209 CLKs, W207 E Class Cabriolets, and the BMW 6 Series
They all provide a decent amount of power and old-money style for around $25K or less.
Literally anything with a Jaguar badge. Yeah I know they’ll be a nightmare to own, but I kind of want to have that nightmare. Guess I’m a little sick…
The Ford era ones aren’t all that bad. S-Types are underrated and unwanted. They make for a cheap way of owning a Jag. Cheap enough that when something expensive does go wrong, you can just get another one.
The Ford era ones are the worst loll. The bar was just that low to begin with. By 180,000klms the suspension (springs and shocks, not air) was blown, every bushing shot, brake calipre(s) needed replacing….not to mention the engine lmaoo
Our xtype took premium gas, was built with Ford parts and was constantly broken until the dreaded engine knock took it out last year. Didn’t even make it to 190,000klms lol.
Didn’t replace the shocks on my 99 tercel until 320,000klms for comparison.
I bought a pristine 1988 XJ6 Vanden Plas for $5600. Now this was back in 2017 but values haven’t gone up much. I’ve never regretted the decision.
Also when I was last looking there are a lot of older Bentleys that can be had for $25-30k. The reason I bought the Jag instead was because that extra $20k in my pocket would pay for a lot of repairs and I was afraid of what repair costs would be on the Bentley.
Go for it! I have two (well, three if including the parts car), and while I wouldn’t exactly call them “maintenance free”, I don’t feel like they’ve been as bad as their reputation. Granted, my XJ6 has a Chevy 350 under the hood, so… ymmv. Still, the other is a factory-spec XJ8 convertible and I paid a combined $6,300 for the both of them. I’m closing in on 30,000 miles total and even managed to win a couple of car-show trophies with the XJ6. They’ve produced a lot of smiles for something nightmarish.
100% this. Everyone is afraid of them so they have terrible resale value. If you can find a solid one you can drive like a king. I bought my ’06 XJ8 in 2012 for $16,500 and I still get compliments on it to this day, and it’s had no mechanical issues. There’s no way I could replace it with anything as nice for similar inflation-adjusted dollars today unless it was another Jaguar.
Ford Model T is fine as a daily driver as long as you stay off the freeways. A guy I worked with awhile back used to daily one and said it had no problem keeping up with rush hour traffic on surface streets and since they made 15 million of them, parts are still very available and affordable.
Mad respect to that guy! I bet it was a wonderful sight in otherwise boring daily traffic. 🙂
C7 Corvettes seem like a great performance bargain with low mileage, early C7s going in the low $40k range. That’s a lot of power and performance for $40k.
Early 00’s Porsche 911s seem to cost only a couple grand more than the same age Caymans. Boxters come in a little cheaper than Caymans, but the spread between the 3 is surprisingly close, and over all, not high prices. Of course, you can buy a Cayenne of that age for $3500 now…
I’ll go a different route on this question because for me it’s not necessarily what is cheap but what is a good value. That hasn’t really been available the last few years.
I recently noticed that the Porsche certified pre-owned program was adding Macans that were much older and with higher mileage than they used to. In the before times you had to be under or around 30K miles to qualify, no accidents, clean car, maintenance history in the dealer network etc.
Now there are Macans with 50-80K miles that come with a 2 year, Porsche backed warranty. A lot of the base models are around $26-28K at an average of 55K miles.
If you go to Porsche’s website and search the dealer inventory for these, you’ll see there are a lot available. My wife had some very specific option requirements and it took me a while to find ours and I’m having to get it shipped because of that but these are fairly plentiful.
I personally bought a Macan S with 54K miles and the dealer selling it did a brake service with pads and a fluid flush, 40K mi service plus took it through their body shop to take care of some scratches in the front and rear bumper and passenger door. They said that because it was a 2018 model and there was no record of these services being done Porsche required it even if it looked good on inspection.
All done the S model I got was about $34K for a car that sticker for around $78K in 2018 and I have a warranty on it.
So, not exactly cheap but compared to what we saw in 2022 to the start of 2024 it seems like I’m getting a lot for the money.
I did not need to read this. Damn it.
Been looking at these a lot over the last 2 years, but the 3 of them I saw at dealers were obviously “warranty pigs”, or totally trashed out.
Now the worm is in my brain once more.
Best of luck with yours.
Thanks.
Welcome to my world! Also been looking. Much like Matt’s suggestion about the V8 Charger today, I decided that I, too, only live once. Which is why I got the S.
Go for it. What could go wrong?
MG T-series, at least TDs and TFs, seem to have come down a lot, at least for slightly rough drivers, the pristine restored ones are still pricey, but driver quality seems to be about even with the average replica now
Definitely. Their target audience is literally dying off, and the kids today don’t know about them or don’t care. If you don’t mind a non-concours-grade example, there are real bargains to be had.
There’s what appears to be a very nicely restored TD on Craigslist in Sacramento listed for $19K. I don’t know anything about these cars but that seems like a pretty nice deal to me.
Yeah, they seem like a lot of vintage sports car for the money, I’ve seen 10 footer drivers go for around $12k recently, people are still trying to ask $10,000-$15,000 for the better quality fiberglass replicas, which, I mean, unless maybe it’s a BCW, no thanks
Lower mile turn of the century Corvettes are surprisingly cheap. the motors are massively sought for hotrod fodder and they sip gas like a v6 camry, and although lots of plastic, they are actually somewhat comfy and still deliver acceptable performance.
I suppose they are a bit like a PT cruiser for some, but just because you get one, does not require you to dress the part.
I think this is going to change soon though I definitely agree with you that they’re a bargain. Both of my nephews love C5s and though they’re several years from driving, I’m pleasantly surprised how they’re interested in 25+year old Vettes.
I read the headline, and without even reading the article my very first thought was “Model T”, so I presume David and I have our brains tuned to the exact same frequency.
funny enough, my father bought a cheap (2.2k) Chevy Volt recently that runs wonderfully and already had the battery problems solved and I got a gen 1 Honda Insight for a good deal (3.7k) too. so I absolutely agree with that assessment, they’re both great cars and a great deal for what we got. mine doesn’t even have any paint fade or ripped seats, though its missing the front underbody panels and has bad rear shocks
Qvale Mangustas are still relatively cheap. Sure the looks are a bit polarizing but they made less than 300 of them so you’ll likely never see another out and about and the engine and transmission are all off the shelf Ford and GM parts so it shouldn’t be terrible to keep running. All that can be yours for under 30k.
Silver Shadows are brilliant things, but, and is a big but, do not buy a cheap one. They are comparatively simple things and beautifully put together, they are not even expensive to run IF you keep up with the servicing. I have two on the book at the £30,000 mark. Both have fewer than 100,000 miles and full dealer histories. I have another in a barn, looks lovely offers itro £200 if you take it away.(don’t)
I’m going to say the 3rd gen Rx7. I wouldn’t say they are cheap but a bargain compared to the MKIV Supras and NSXs they competed with and imo are the best looking of the 3. Just hope the trend continues for long enough for me to buy one.
Mercedes, I was thinking of you this Sunday when I was perusing the Chicago Craigslist. Listed close together were a bright yellow Smart Car, followed closely by a tantalizingly clean and straight Phaeton.
The Phaeton was like 4 grand, and claimed that “everything worked”. Of course, we all know why a car that cost a quarter mil to build just a few Presidents ago is now available for grandma’s Mercury Sable money. I guess P.T. Barnum was right.
The Marauder represents the most overpriced of the Panthers, not a deal. Thats a $2500 driving experience, and you’re better served buying the tatty P71 with questionable background. Sorry not sorry.
You can get a running, driving Jeep CJ for under four grand, all day long. Granted, it’s not really practical as a daily driver, but dead simple and fun to play in the dirt!
Square body K5s are a small fraction of the cost of 69-72s, even the full convertible ones.
they were only full top off in Squares for 73-75. those ones do command a bit more money.
If you’ve already got one in need of of rust repair or bodywork, converting to a full convertible isn’t all that much work.
I do see some later ones with what appears to be a full top on them. I suppose sawzall and go? I had a 77, I can honestly say I took the top off maybe once because even the halfcab ones took 2-3 teenage boys to manhandle onto the ground. My current scout is a literal half cab and as a result, light by comparison, but I can honestly say I have never taken that off either. weird what we want and then don’t use.
More or less from what I remember. 73-75 upper windshield seems like the most difficult part to source as well as physically replace. I’m honestly surprised someone isn’t making repro windshield frames or just the upper header for full convertible conversions. The rest seems like a sawzall job.
https://ck5.com/forums/resources/full-convertible-conversion.35/#:~:text=Converting%20a%20post%201975%20Chevrolet%20Full-size%20Blazer%20to%20Full
It makes complete sense though. Something like 90% or 95% of all K5 Blazers made are square bodies. Of course the ones made in substantially smaller numbers is going to be more expensive. There were almost 2x as many 73-75 full convertible blazers compared to the 69-72 blazer.
But yeah, square body blazers can still be had for pretty cheap, especially if you are OK with a beat old military one or want to replace rusty sheet metal.
While I dig the 69-72 C10’s and K5 styling, I still would prefer a 1988 with TBI and OD over them all. I tend to have to deal with carbs way more than I want and the 80’s versions are usually dirt cheap. though a Holley sniper on an low dollar 71 would not be a bad thing either.
Man, I’ve had my ’69 for going on 5 years now with its pretty much turd stock 350, I’ve never had to mess with the carb besides a shot of carb cleaner at the beginning of the season. Starts every time and it doesn’t even have a choke.
Yeah I guess I always used to think the value in the was the full convertible, and everything else was secondary but that isn’t really the case.
I had no idea the 73-75 truck sold that much better though.
What I find pretty interesting is that Honda Insights Gen 1 are not getting cheaper, with the improvements on battery tech and the “cult” that follows them, they are getting more valuable. I bought mine for 3K and I could sell for 5K based on having spare parts, good condition, OEM tires, functional IMA battery with a warranty, under body panels not missing.
Early Chevy Volts are now having more issues since their batteries are getting older, giving you error codes hard to reset. A HV replacement is around 8K.
2017 Chevy Cruze is now under 10K, you can find them for 8K and to me is a good value, since those cars are pretty reliable and don’t command the Toyota premium resale value.
A 1974 Rolls Royce is not cheap. Not even for free. Unless you’re looking for a lawn ornament to class up your house.
’cause nothing says ‘classy’ like a car on your lawn. 😉
…Sorry David.
I’ve been watching MGB prices for a long while. They were really up there in prices for awhile for one in good shape. They’re starting to soften now to the point I finally pulled the trigger and bought one. I doubt I’ll make a profit when/if I sell it, but at least I’ll have fun with it in the mean time. It was a garage queen, not anymore!
Porsche 928!
When I was shopping for my last project car I had to slap my hand away from the keyboard so many times and repeat to myself THERES NO SUCH THING AS A CHEAP PORSCHE over and over again.
But holy crap if you have extra cash in your pocket you can buy a 928. It will ruin you.
I rescued a 924 two years ago that had been sitting for 16 years. Compared to a 928 it’s dirt simple but I can concur with your statement.
A W12 Phaeton. Given the initial cost and pedigree, I’d have thought they’d cost a lot more used. But yeah we know why they don’t.
To be for sale soon on Marketplace, no issues, ran when parked, title under my auntie name.
Of course by title you mean bill of sale written on a paper towel.
3rd gen Mazda3’s are WAYYY cheaper than the equivalent Corolla or Civic of the same era. They drive better than the competition and they’re reliable enough.
Also, one would expect the last gen US Focus to be cheap, due to the powershift disaster, but the manual ones are also an insane bargain.
Speaking of Fords, the Fiesta ST is now squarely in the under 10K category now.
I’ve been shopping ST’s, and it appears to me they have begun to appreciate into at least $12k territory.
I’ll happily accept links to good ones under $10k.