Best Budget Cars for $10-30k!

Due to an odd market, buying a used car doesn't always make financial sense. However, the cars shared today flip that notion on its head! I'll go over SUVs, Cars and Trucks of various budgets and classes to help give you many options to consider if you're in the market.

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Brands featured
Mazda
Honda
Toyota
Scion
Volkswagen
Nissan
Infiniti
Lexus
Ford
Chevrolet
Hyundai
BMW

00:00 Intro
01:02 $10-15k
06:24 $15-20k
10:11 $20-25k
12:47 $25-30k
15:42 Outro

[BoopSnoot]

One thing many people forget is that if you're a long time planner, its not about initial cost, its about cost of ownership over time. Sometimes a vehicle that costs $10K more initially actually has the same overall cost of ownership over a 10 year period. And that's really the trick, the less often you change vehicles the more you save, and so a new car can make the most sense especially if you factor in that "time is money" meaning for every hour you spend dropping off a vehicle at the shop or whatever, give that a $40/hr or whatever you make opportunity cost.

[genzigzag]

Wow, varied and comprehensive list of options taking into consideration a wide range of budgets. Great work!

[fezzik]

This is exactly the kind of video I was looking for! Keep it up!

[nick_huston]

G20 3 Series is a great recommendation used at ~30k, thanks for adding it to this list. Both myself and a friend have been able to find CPO examples coming off lease with low miles and the previous owners being elderly. Some forum members have pushed them to surprisingly high mileage with no serious issues reported. I was shocked to find that from a BMW product, and if you dont believe me dig into the forums!

[Realistick]

My apologies for the lack of visual editing for the Yaris iA, she deserves more respect than that🤕

[normaninsandiego]

Tyler, awesome job on your videos. You have a good sense of humor as well.

[realnapster]

Used Accord V6 is an underrated car with a manual. It’s a very reliable engine and transmission and can last up to 400K miles with proper care.

[adamchristian]

I've got a Yaris iA and it's been a pleasure to drive. Painfully slow, but it only weighs about 2400 lbs and is really fun around the twisties. The 1.5L makes it rev happy as well so you can rev it out and still be under the speed limit lol. Also packed with features for a budget car and very reliable!

[craigcampbell]

Like your no nonsense getting to the point. Would like to hear cvt or not and gdi or not on every car.

[plneky]

I had a 2012 Honda Fit Sport with automatic that was a fun to drive economy car. It got 30 mpg, very reliable and space efficient. It's only problem was the air conditioning struggled when temperatures went above 90-degree F.

[anotheran]

Some good recommendations here. Mostly safe ones here.

[davidsucks]

Surprised no Fiesta ST mention!! Imo best bang for buck one-car-solution. Small outside, big inside, super efficient, runs on 87 octane, reliable and ~12k-15k. Easy to tune and super fun. Every car I’ve had since selling mine has been marginally better but cost almost double what I sold my FiST for

[LaplacianFourier]

When I was in the market for a hatchback, I stayed the hell away from Mazda 3 or Speed. The grille is so fugly, ain’t no way Imma be seen in that uggo.

I went with a Honda Fit. One of the best decisions I’ve made among many good decisions.

[JoseGarcia-oomc]

I know this is an old video, what do you think of the 2013 Mazda 3 i, there is one in my neighborhood for sale cheap.

Thanks

[bag]

Great video yet again Tyler, smart points, I'm still looking for the best first car, and $10K+ for me is too much. I consider less than 5K. Still thinking E39, E34, E38, Vibe GT, Z3

[HOON]

Much like the Frontier, the later 2nd gen Xterras are decent and don't suffer from the outrageous Toyota tax of the 4Runner.
Just don't buy before 2009.

[AlexAlex-gsxh]

Pls try to find good used cars for under 10k as well because there are few that can come in that price point

[djpaulyp]

Wish the si price would drop already 😭

[servicerifle]

There's also the Mitsubishi Mirage. I know people shit on them but they can be had new under $20k and used under $10k. They have amazing gas mileage at around 40MPGs on the highway. They have very cheap interiors and not a whole lot of tech though that doesn't bother me. So far my wife hasn't had any issues with her 2020 G4, though getting new tires can be difficult because most places don't regularly carry Mirage sized tires lol.

[andynickles]

A used Alfa Romeo Giulia is a pretty good deal imo and can be found under $30k. Some of the 2017s had issues but seems like owners are happy with the 2018+ MY and they are pretty fun to drive. Steering and suspension was developed by Ferrari engineers. The 2.0T engine is also in the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep owners in forums say it’s pretty reliable.