u/Shehryar60

I'm looking at a 2015 Prius Two with 126k miles from a dealership for about $14k OTD. It has 3 owners, 13 service records, and 2 minor damage reports on the CARFAX. The dealership also includes a 5-day/300-mile return policy, so I'd have a short window to get it thoroughly inspected.

My budget is ideally around $12-14k, but I could stretch to about $23k OTD for a brand-new 2026 Elantra SE if it's the smarter long-term purchase.

My commute is about 20 miles round trip a few days a week, college is only 4 miles away, and I might do occasional Uber Eats on weekends. I plan to keep the car for 10+ years and hopefully 200k-300k miles.

During the 5-day return period, I plan to:

• Get a pre-purchase inspection from a Toyota/hybrid shop.
• Run the Dr. Prius battery health test.
• Have them check for common Gen 3 issues.

Questions:

• Is $14k OTD fair for this Prius?
• Would the original hybrid battery scare you?
• What repairs should I realistically budget for between 125k-250k miles?
• How concerned should I be about the 3 owners and 2 minor damage reports?
• Are there any specific Gen 3 issues I should ask the mechanic to inspect?
• If this were your money, would you buy this Prius or spend another ~$9k on a brand-new Elantra with a full warranty?

I'm mainly looking for the option with the lowest total cost of ownership over the next decade.

I cant decide lol

I’m deciding between a new Elantra and a Corolla LE. The Corolla would cost me about $2-3k more, which is a lot of money as a college student.
I know Corollas have a proven reputation for lasting 200k+ miles, but what about the current generation Elantra (2021+)? Has anyone here put serious miles on one yet?
For owners of recent Elantras:
How many miles do you have?
Any major issues so far?
Have you needed the warranty?
Would you trust it to reach 200k miles with religious maintenance?
The 10-year/100k warranty is really appealing, and saving a few thousand dollars upfront would help me a lot. If you planned to keep the car for 10+ years, would you buy the Elantra or spend the extra money for the Corolla?

I’m considering stretching my budget for a Corolla Hybrid, which is about $2–3k more than the regular Corolla. My plan is to keep the car for 200k–300k or till the wheel falls off and stay on top of maintenance.
My concern is the hybrid battery and other hybrid components. Are they significantly more expensive to replace than parts on a regular gas Corolla?
I’m a college student with another part-time job, and I may do some Uber Eats or occasional rideshare on weekends to help with the payment, but I plan to keep mileage as low as possible.
For someone planning to own the car long term, is the Corolla Hybrid worth the extra money over the regular Corolla?

Looking at a 2010 Corolla with 108k miles for $6,000.

I had a pre-purchase inspection done. The main issues found were:

• Needs a CV axle replacement
• Small oil leak near the rear of the engine (mechanic wants to inspect further to determine the source)

Other than that, the car checked out pretty well mechanically.

A few things that concern me:

• Paint is in really rough shape
• It appears to have had multiple owners
• Current owner is an international student who has only driven about 10k miles in the last 4 years (roughly 2,500 miles/year)

Assuming the oil leak turns out to be something minor, would you consider this a decent buy? Or are the multiple owners, poor cosmetic condition, and low recent mileage enough red flags to walk away?

I'm mainly looking for a reliable daily driver that can handle a 40-mile round-trip commute a few days a week and occasional road trips. I recently got rid of a car with major transmission issues, so I'm trying to avoid another money pit.

Looking at a 2010 Corolla with 108k miles for $6,000.
I had a pre-purchase inspection done. It needs a CV axle and has a small oil leak near the rear of the engine that the mechanic wants to inspect further. Other than that, it checked out pretty well.
The paint is in really rough shape, and it looks like the car has had multiple owners. The current owner is an international student and has only driven about 10k miles in the last 4 years.
Assuming the oil leak isn’t anything major, would you consider this a decent buy? How concerned would you be about the multiple owners and very low mileage over the last few years?
I’m mainly looking for a reliable daily driver that can also handle occasional road trips.

I'm struggling with a car decision and would appreciate some outside perspectives.

My family and I are immigrants, and we're all still trying to get established financially in the U.S. None of us have particularly high-paying jobs right now. We share rent and household expenses, and while we get by, there isn't a huge financial cushion if something major goes wrong.

I'm currently in college and also working. My work commute is about 20 miles each way, while campus is only about 4 miles away. A reliable car is pretty important because I need it for both work and school.

The problem is my current car situation has made me extremely cautious. I recently had to get rid of a Ford because of major transmission problems. What made it frustrating was that there wasn't much warning beforehand, and it reminded me how hard it can be to predict the remaining life of a used car. A vehicle can seem fine during an inspection and still end up needing an expensive repair months later.

That experience has made me hesitant about buying another older used car. I understand that a reliable used car is often the financially correct answer, but there is also a stress factor that's hard to put a dollar amount on. I constantly find myself wondering if the next used car will last 2 years, 5 years, or suddenly need a transmission, engine, or other major repair.

At the same time, I'm not in a perfect position to buy a new car either. My future income is hard to predict because I haven't graduated yet, and I don't know exactly what my employment situation will look like after college. Taking on a car payment when my future earnings are uncertain feels risky.

What complicates things is that used cars don't seem as cheap as they used to be. Most of the reliable cars people recommend around me are still in the $10k–12k range. I have enough saved that I could either buy one of those cars outright or use that same money as a down payment on a new economy car and finance the rest.

Part of me feels like spending $10k–12k on a used car still leaves me exposed to major repairs, while putting that money down on a new economy car would at least get me a warranty and hopefully several years of predictable ownership. On the other hand, a loan is still a loan, and I know new cars depreciate.

From a financial perspective, what would you do?

• Buy a reliable used car for $10k–12k and avoid a payment?
• Use that money as a down payment on a new economy car with a warranty?
• get a beater corolla and a honda and wait until after graduation?

I'm trying to balance reliability, long-term cost, and the fact that my family's financial situation is still somewhat uncertain. I don't want to make an emotional decision just because I'm frustrated with past car problems, but I also don't want to underestimate the value of reliability and peace of mind.

Another factor is that I've always wanted to do more road trips and travel around the state or even across the country, but I've honestly been hesitant because most of the cars I've owned have been older and not particularly trustworthy. I've spent years wondering whether a car would make it home from a long drive, let alone a multi-day trip. I know this isn't purely a financial consideration, but part of the appeal of a newer car is feeling more confident taking longer trips without constantly worrying about breakdowns or major repairs.

Edit: I am getting ride from my sister for now but its very hard to manage so i gotta get something fast

Don't get me wrong, I'm genuinely looking for opinions here, not trying to start a brand war.

I'm shopping for a new compact sedan and currently have offers on a base Kia K4 and a base Hyundai Elantra. Both are coming out to roughly the same OTD price (around $23k).

My biggest priority is long-term reliability. I'm pretty broke, so whatever I buy needs to last me at least 10 years. I'm very strict about maintenance and don't mind following the maintenance schedule religiously.

One thing making this decision harder is that the Elantra seems like a more proven platform. The K4 is still relatively new, while the current Elantra has been around for a few years and seems to have built a decent reliability track record so far.

I've also seen some negative reviews online about Kia dealerships allegedly not honoring warranty claims or making the process difficult and I have also heard the same about Hyundai too. That said, I know people are much more likely to post bad experiences than positive ones, so I'm taking those stories with a grain of salt.

For those who own a K4, Forte, or other recent Kia products:

• How has reliability been?
• Have you needed warranty work?
• If so, was Kia easy to deal with?
• Would you trust a Kia to make it 10+ years with proper maintenance?
• Does the K4 being a newer model concern you at all?
• If you were choosing between a K4 and an Elantra at the exact same price, which would you pick and why?

Appreciate any real-world experiences

How reliable are the newer Hyundai Elantras really?

I'm looking at a new Elantra because it's pretty much the cheapest new car option I can find that still has decent features and a good warranty.

To be completely honest, I'm broke and this is a huge purchase for me. I need something that can realistically last 10+ years. I plan to be very strict with maintenance, oil changes, transmission service, and everything else recommended in the owner's manual.

I've always heard mixed things about Hyundai reliability. Some people say the newer ones are great, while others say they still wouldn't trust one long term.

For those who own a 2021+ Elantra:

• How many miles do you have?
• Any major repairs or issues?
• Would you trust it to reach 150k–200k miles?
• If you had to buy again and money was tight, would you still choose the Elantra?

Looking for honest long-term ownership experiences, both good and bad.

P.s I only care about reliability really can compromise in all other features and comfort lol

I’m looking at a 2016 Toyota Corolla with 89k miles for $9,000 from a private seller.
Clean title
Maintenance history is extremely detailed and consistent
Seller agreed to a pre-purchase inspection
Seller is willing to meet at the DMV and complete the transfer there
Everything seems to check out, which is honestly making me suspicious because similar Corollas around me are usually listed closer to $12k–13k.
Part of why I’m overthinking this is that it’s basically all of my savings. I work part-time while in school, and I recently had to junk my last car because of transmission problems. I’m trying to make the smartest long-term decision possible.
My alternative is putting about $10k down on a newer car like a Nissan Sentra or Kia and financing the rest for the added sense of security and warranty coverage.
Assuming the Corolla passes a thorough pre-purchase inspection, would you take the Corolla or go with a newer financed car? What specific red flags should I be looking for that could explain why it’s priced so far below market value?

Ps its been sitting on facebook marketplace place for a week and seems like the user of that account doesn’t normally use facebook a lot with any listings prolly not enough traction and something like gets sold in a day Ngl
I will get test drive tomorrow

I’m a college student in Florida working about 30 hours a week. I’m considering buying a new car with a large down payment and doing Uber mainly on weekends to help cover the payment and insurance.
A few things:
Uber is not a long-term plan for me.
I only want to do it until I can get an internship in my field.
I know putting rideshare miles on a new car isn’t ideal.
Used cars seem very overpriced right now, especially reliable options like Corollas.
At current prices, I’m wondering if it makes more sense to put a big down payment on a newer car instead.
For those with experience:
Does this make financial sense?
How many hours per week would I realistically need to drive to cover a $250-$350 monthly payment?
Would you still recommend an older used car instead?
If you were a student in my situation, what would you do?
Just looking for honest advice before making a decision.

2015 Ford Focus automatic transmission issue — TCM or clutch actuators?

A few weeks ago I got a check engine light while driving fast and then started having delayed shifting in lower gears. The weird part is the issue comes and goes.

Symptoms:
- Delayed shifting
- Check engine light randomly comes on/off
- One time the car would NOT reverse at all
- After shutting it off for 30 mins, reverse worked again
- Been driving fine for the past week now

Transmission shop said they can’t properly diagnose it unless the light is currently on. They think it might be clutch actuators and want to swap upper/lower actuators first.

But from my research this also sounds like a bad TCM which would cost around $1500 with labour

Questions:
- Does this sound more like TCM or actuators?
- Anyone else lose reverse temporarily?
- Is it dumb to start replacing parts without codes?
- What codes should I look for?
- Would you keep driving it?

Idk what to do it has got 130k i am the third owner i love this car gas mileage is awesome if it turns out to be a TCM replacing the TCM is 1500 with labour which is cheaper getting another cheap car that could have more problems i am broke ;(