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)
Model Ts are kind of car-like-things, but a model A is an actual drivable by anybody born in the 20th century car. It even has a gas pedal and you shift with your hand rather that the other way around!
Has noone said Miata yet? I wish I’d snagged my NC sooner. Plenty of good ones under $10,000 out there. Dependable, good parts availability, easy operating top makes it easy to live with. I get 27-30 mpg (premium). Hagerty will insure them cheap as a classic/specialty vehicle.
I loved my MGB too, but the Miata is so much more usable as a car. I don’t think there’s much of a better “fun car” value out there. I know I can drive and enjoy it for many years.
on the Volt: you really don’t want a pre-2016 one though, that’s why they are so cheap.
Some cheap used car prices are really just a deposits for inordinate amounts of diagnostic time, hard to find parts, labor costs and maintenance expenses.
At least here in Houston, the Mazda 3. I’ve mentioned it in Discord, but I was a day late to buy a 2023 AWD turbo premium plus hatch with 7800 miles for 26k. That stickers at 38k new. I bought my 2022 AWD turbo for 22k and the dealer lost money on it.
In fact… you can even buy brand new ones at invoice here. Seems like dealers are having a hard time moving them, but it’s a lot of car for the money. I love mine.
Fellow Houstonian here. I may be a Mazda owner too if they ever drop the inline 6 Mazda 6 with a manual transmission.
God, wouldn’t that be a fun car. I’m looking at building mine into the canceled TCR if CorkSport will actually sell the body kit. Mazda gave them the only remaining set of molds late last year. I have zero complaints about the turbo four though. It’s great at getting the power down, and the interior has no business being that nice for what I paid.
Maybe you can convince them to build that 6. No doubt it would be fantastic.
Matt is the only one that knows how to play the game. The Panther platform is the best answer. Cheap, reliable, dependable, great ride, parts availability, nothing to knock it. The others yes you can buy a 6 figure car for under 10k but it won’t run for long. There is reliable transportation and money pits. Only one is a good idea.
Every single audi, and then following that, every Aston Martin Vantage or Jag (pick one) that’s actually been driven is way, WAY cheaper than I usually expect. There are as many reasons for this as there are parts in an engine but if I really wanted to drop 20-35k to drive a james bond poster car, I could. I shouldn’t, but I could.
I find the first-generation hot hatches are still a bargain, if you live in the right place. A Peugeot 205 GTI, Fiesta XR2 or a whole host of their competitors can be had under 10k Euro in surprisingly good shape, and you get a real cult classic with legendary handling, before safe understeer was the only way to make FWD cars.
In fact, I’d extend this to most FWD classics, there’s a Fulvia in the Midwest going for only 15k USD right now!
Used luxury sedans across the board. While some makes depreciate worse than others, it’s crazy how much car you can get if you’re the second owner. I’ve seen very nice Audi A7s listed in the 30s, you can get an A6 with the correct engine (3 liter turbo V6) in the low to mid 30s, 540is dip into the 30s in no time, etc.
The depreciation is damn near 50% by 3 years or so. While I personally would not want to deal with a used German luxury sedan, I know that many sickos on this site (like the wonderful author of this very article!) would be willing to roll the dice. The depreciation doesn’t affect Lexus or Acura quite as brutally, but there are still deals to be had.
Unfortunately with my car down for an unknown amount of time and the possibilities as to what went wrong looking grim (thanks, Hyundai. Never again…) I’ve been nosing around a bit and you can get a lightly used Lexus ES350 in the low 30s. They’re not the sportiest things in the world but they’re fantastic luxury sedans and that 3.5 liter V6 will run until the heat death of the universe.
A current gen IS350 will run a bit more (mid to high 30s) and they get pretty lousy gas mileage…but again, longevity. You can keep one of them for a decade plus. In case you can’t tell I’m a little frustrated with the issues I’ve had with my back to back turbo 4s and am dreaming of picking up a naturally aspirated engine while they still exist…
Details on what happened to your N please! Thought you were generally happy with it
I’ve loved it. Unfortunately the Ns have been plagued by recalls so far, particularly the ones with the rapidly becoming infamous DCT. A recall was issued for my car in June that involved the high pressure fuel pump going bad early, pumping in a mix of gas and air that was too rich, and putting the car into limp mode. There’s also been an issue with the DCTs, which my car was not recalled for but obviously that issue could be out there as well.
I scheduled the recall service last week after the remedy was announced. Unfortunately my local and unsurprisingly shitty Hyundai dealership let me sit there for 2 hours then told me the part was back ordered for weeks. Why they even let me come in is anyone’s guess, but whatever. I left empty handed.
On Sunday when I was driving normally I lost power and the check engine light came on. The car went into limp mode and wouldn’t rev beyond 2,000, which I assume is how the ECU is programmed to protect the engine and transmission when it senses something’s off. Anyway the car is completely stock other than tires and under warranty so I had my mom follow me to the dealership in case the Kona kerploded.
During this incident I coincidentally got an email that the part was finally in. So I dropped it off yesterday, at which point they told me the part isn’t actually in, they won’t be able to fully diagnose the car until tomorrow at earliest, and that it may be out of commission for weeks or even months because of how backed up Hyundai is when it comes to parts and their plethora of recalls/issues.
Right now I’m just waiting, but I am summarily displeased. The car has all of 15,000 miles on it, has already had 4 oil and filter changes in addition to the other preventative stuff, and I’ve taken very good care of it. If it’s down for a while they said they’ll give me a loaner or rental, so I guess that’s good. However the worst part is they’re already trying to set me up for disappointment.
They said yesterday that they don’t know if Hyundai will cover whatever is wrong. I laughed it off and was more or less thinking “they’ll be hearing from my attorney if they don’t”, but unfortunately Hyundai is notorious for this shit. All of the forums are loaded with stories of manufacturing defects causing issues and Hyundai fighting tooth and nail to avoid honoring the warranty.
I guess we’ll see where it goes from here, and obviously I want the ending to be my car being returned to me in good working order on their dime…but we shall see. I’ll definitely keep ya’ll posted, and I do love the car when it works…but as far as I can tell two years in Hyundai has absolutely earned their bad reputation.
Damn I’m sorry to hear that, with just 15,000 on it you’d think you’d be in the clear for warranty coverage, fingers crossed.
I had my 2015 Mazda transmission replaced when it was 3,000klms from the warranty cutoff. Was such a headache for them to finally admit the TSB I showed them was in fact the same problem mine had. I remember asking them how long the new transmission was covered for and their reply was “until your manufacturer warranty runs out” which was the next 3,000klms. Baffled, I sold the car and will never buy a Mazda again (great interior though). The only power we have is to vote with our wallets, I hope it works out for you but I feel your pain and frustration.
Thanks amigo! This is low key a very kind and thoughtful comment. I appreciate it. Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
100% agree with your assessment of used luxury sedans. I bought my ’06 XJ8 in 2012, it was an Arizona car with something like 98,000 miles. Must have been all highway miles because the interior still looked and smelled brand new. Six-year-old top-of-the range Jag I bought for $16,500. I didn’t mind the miles since my commute is only about two miles, and mechanically the car’s been super solid.
Sorry about your Hyundai issues. FWIW, I had a ’24 Sonata N Line for four months. Car lost all electrics at 1200 miles. Dealer said there was no problem since the car started for them. They wouldn’t give me documentation because, “If there’s nothing wrong, there’s nothing to report.” I bailed.
Oh I had the AC go out in mine back in July. It was brutal. When I took it to the dealership it literally started working again. They gave me education that would be at home in a 3rd grade classroom about how AC works and told me there was no problem and that I didn’t know what I was talking about.
That legendary Hyundai build quality and dealership service is definitely living up to its reputation at the moment. I had two completely trouble free years but the devil always comes to collects his dues…
You don’t know how A/C works and I don’t know how to press a Start button. It’s a wonder we can tie our own shoes.
You can add me to the list of people quite happy with their Volt! My 2012 paid for itself in fuel savings alone right about at four year mark, granted it helped I picked it up with 40,000 miles in 2016 for just $11,500. Since 2020, every mile has been gravy. Unfortunately, as I mentioned elsewhere here yesterday, the battery pack showed its first sign of demise yesterday. There is an app/dongle combination that reads all of the cells so I think I’m going to look into that soon. Finding another Volt dirt cheap would be tempting as mine would make a decent parts car. As long as I could check out the traction-battery condition first, it would be tempting.
Anyway, I came here to mention another bargain I purchased that I have been enjoying greatly and bring up often. The Jaguar XK8! I picked up my 2000 for an even $4K last year with 110,000 miles. It’s not perfect, but everything works and over the course of 4,100 miles I’ve only had to replace the transmission fluid, plugs, and fuel regulator. And add some fluid to get the top working again. I also wet-sanded a previous paint-fix on the rear quarter, buffed the whole car out, gave the interior a good going over, and it currently looks like something pretty far North of what I paid. It does need new valve cover gaskets and while I’m doing that I can check to see if the notorious timing chain tensioners have been upgraded. I’m guessing they haven’t been, so that will likely be on the winter project list.
Speaking of XK8s, when are you guys going to okay a series of SW-jaaaaG articles on his yard cat?
The battery problem you’re having is fascinating. I’ve been seeing so many Volts with way more miles than yours with claimed original batteries that still work fine. Weirdly, the issue I’ve been running into with high-mileage Volts (250k+ miles) seems to be with misfiring. I wonder if that has something to do with how infrequently these cars run their engines when you run on EV power alone.
I know that the car is designed to run the engine every now and then even if you do nothing but EV power, but still if you can do your commute on battery alone it could be a while before you burn through a whole tank.
That’s a new one – I wonder if some people just don’t bother changing out the plugs when they’re supposed to and then they foul up over the longer intervals of not running. Even with electric use, I think the recommended time to take care of that was at 100,000 miles. I swapped out the ones in mine with fresh OEM Delcos right on schedule – turned out to be remarkably easy and old ones did at least show some signs of wear. Of course at 250K+ I’m sure other possibilities exist.