Car advice for people who know jack about cars

Hi all, i recently became an attorney and will be an ADA in the coming weeks. I really loved the idea of driving a BMW X1 and it was my dream car since the start of law school. My budget also allows for it.

However, i'm now a bit uncomfortable getting this car given the nature of my job and public perception etc., and was wondering if i should still get it or not, and was also wondering what cars do ADA's typically drive.

I'll start... Current Fleet:

2019 Honda Odyssey (Fam. mobile) 2020 Subaru Forester (daily dad mobile)

Looking to add a Mid - Size truck and a sports car to the fleet.

Cheers

Looking for a car for the next 5 - 10 years and want luxury interior, comfortable ride, and sporty fun. Not going to track the car, I want something that gives the feeling of engaged and spirited driving before it gets dangerous. I'm 6'2" so a lot of fun cars are small for me. I'd want an automatic. Ideally everything would be analog on the dash with physical buttons and gauges; I hate the modern trend of LCD touchscreens and jutting out tablets, it really cheapens the car for me. My current 2016 Accord looks better than most modern interiors due to this. I also don't need any tech in my car except A/C and playing MP3s or AUX cable. I want a fairly comfortable ride which the concrete freeways in California don't make easy. I don't have a garage, tools, or experience so no project cars but I'm not opposed to modding or doing fairly easy tasks myself. I couldn't care less about brand or a car's image, and the less expensive the car the better but budget is flexible, mostly value for the money.

Cars I test drove, ranked by how fun they were from most to least:

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloche 2024: Felt like a go-cart in a great way, very agile. The base trim felt kinda cheap, and while better on the higher trims the way the interior is designed feels okay but not amazing. The sports seats were pretty firm and aggressively bolstered, am concerned about long drive comfort and NVH.
2. Porsche Maccan GTS 2024: Wouldn't let me drive a 718, but seeing it in person it really would be too impractical for a daily anyway. The Maccan was great for an SUV and felt like a sedan almost, but still not looking for an SUV. Analog gauges was great to see!
3. BMW M4 Competition 2025: The interior with the giant curved LCD was not to my tastes.
4. Mercedes AMG C43 2024: Noticeably more relaxed even in Sport+ handling than the M4. Parts of the tech like voice assist and the touch screen were wonky during the test drive.
5. Lexus IS 350 F-Sport 2024: Large step down from the C43, but it was by far the most "comfy" feeling in terms of ride, and the only one I distinctly felt was a big step-up in NVH, even on a quiet street.

Sadly none of my drives sans the Lexus let me test out NVH, were all on quiet streets with good pavement. In some ways modern sports cars are too "capable"; in a blink I was doing 80mph in a 40 in the C43, but beyond the acceleration it didn't feel like I was going 80, it felt like a leisurely stroll for the car. The M4 felt like I wasn't using even a fraction of what it could do.

Cars I sat in:

• Toyota Supra 2021: Cramped coffin-like interior with terrible visibility make what could be a fun driving car a non-starter.
• Toyota 86 2024: Interior felt cheap, NVH is supposedly very poor.
• Audi S3/S5 2024: Perhaps I saw the base models but I was surprised how cheap the interiors looked compared to the other cars I saw for the price. At least the S3 integrated the screen so it looks less like a glued on tablet than the S5.

So far the Giulia is the front-runner as 2023 models can be had for $35k new and I'm fairly close to a dealership, the depreciation and having to cling to a warranty gives me pause, but mostly that I loved the handling but was much more ambivalent about the rest of the car. I'm sure there's plenty of options in the new or lightly used category as I'm not much of a car enthusiast so I'd love your guys' help!

Nissan frontier, right? Tacomas and tundras seem way overpriced and Titans have reliability issues, right? Silverado and F150 seem like reliability disasters, especially at the $10K price point.

Thoughts?

This is my first ever car purchase so I'm not sure about anything other than these two cars caught my eye because of the mpg. What are your guys thoughts?

College student looking to buy a car for 10k preferably a sedan but I can make anything work as long as it’s pretty reliable any suggestions?

Hello everyone. I am in the market for a entry level benz. I will be commuting with it maybe 2-3 times a week, that would be about 100 miles total to school and back. I’m looking at a c250 or c300. I’m not too big a car guy so any insights will be appreciated. I know there are many things to consider but what should my first main questions be?

For example: What years should I look at (I hear 2008-2014?) What miles should I look at What makes one model better than the either Etc.

Thank you!!

Deciding between buying a new 24 Tesla Model 3 LR vs. a fully-loaded 24 Mercedes C300 with AMG styling but CPO with 4000 miles on it.

I really like the gas saving aspect of the tesla, but also like the interior of the Mercedes a lot. Also the lack of gear stalks on the new model 3 tesla is a turnoff and not sure how quickly I'd get used to that.

Pricing is similar on both, just not sure which one to go for.

Where's the best place to get used cars these days?

I see people asking for recommendations for cheap cars and people here cheerfully telling them the ‘ol standby advice of a gently used Toyota or Honda.

Y’all.

It’s 2024.

10k will get you at a Chevy Cruze, Hyundai Elantra or Kia Rio with 120,000 miles at my local CarMax.

And the Hondas and Toyotas I see on FB Marketplace are cheap but with rebuilt titles. I am not car-savvy and I’d hate to roll the dice and take a gamble on $7,500 of anything.

If I’m risk-averse, I assume I have to increase my budget to at least $15k. I drive about 60 miles a day.

Or is there something about the car buying process that I’m missing? I assume people just trade in their cars anyway and don’t do private sales.

Edit: Just want to say thanks for all the responses. Sounds like it can be done as long as I’m willing to look in the right places and act fast. Also wading through crap. 😂

I’ve never bought a car before, looking for something reliable, that will last for a long time. I have a kiddo, so safety is important, and a budget that I’d like to keep below 10,000 but I can go up a little if needed. I don’t want super speed, or need great looks, or anything. I’d like a bit more spacious of a car if I can, but safety, longevity, reliability, and good gas mileage are my main points. Any recommendations, with best years?

I want a truck desperately , but I hate modern builds . They’re huge and I’m not . I just want a dinky little truck with modern technology . Do they make any like this or am I shit outta luck ?

Guys I’m think I’m all set now ! Really appreciated the help , thank you !! 🫶

Okay, perhaps the title is slightly misleading. I haven’t owned every car, but I’ve owned a whole lot of them.

I have OCD. My experience over the last 32 years of life is that sometimes I obsess over things that are troubling, but mostly I fixate on things that are fun and enjoyable, like what car I want to drive or what my next new hobby should be. I got my first car at 13 years old when I bought a Pontiac transport from an old lady at church because the windows didn’t roll down and I spent a few days cleaning it up, rode my bike to the local auto parts store for new switches, and made something like $700 bucks when I sold it a couple weeks later. I was hooked, and not just with cars, motorcycles too. I’ve always been handy and fixing things up and selling them has been a lot of fun and has funded an otherwise money pit hobby.

Fast forward a lifetime and I don’t really need to hustle the way I once did. I buy a new car, drive it for a few weeks, get bored and trade it in. I never lose a whole lot of money because I’m always after a good deal and seem to get on with the dealership managers quite well. But with young kids, a fairly demanding job, travel and hobbies eating up my free time, I don’t really want to be swapping cars anymore.

Here’s a very much NOT comprehensive list of vehicles I’ve owned in the last few years: - several jeep wranglers and gladiators - first gen tundra - 3rd and 5th gen 4Runners - Subaru WRX - Toyota Tacomas (1st, 2nd and 3rd gens) - Corolla GR Premium - F150 (5.0, 2.7, and 3.5) - Mustang GTs

I’ve genuinely owned probably 100 or so vehicles in my life. I currently own a 2024 jeep wrangler sport that I intended to do a Dana 60 swap on. The thing is, every vehicle I buy, I end up putting a lot of time and money into. I’m getting to a point where I like the idea of a car being just a means to get around and not having it be my main hobby.

So here’s my question, for the recovering car enthusiasts out there, what is the single car you have enjoyed the most without needing to do anything to it (obviously besides maintenance).

I’m intrigued by something like a Mazda CX50 (though I’ve read they burn oil) or a Subaru Outback (even though I’m not a fan of CVTs). What else am I missing? Here are some requirements: - ample back seat space for kiddos - light towing capability for dirt bikes - AWD or 4x4 is a nice to have - 3 pedals is a big plus but probably not likely

Let’s hear it y’all. Thanks!

Current car: 2018 Toyota Corolla

Wants: more comfort, fun to drive, reliable

Favored manufacurer: Volvo, Lexus (should not be a limitation in suggestion)

Use: I only drive about 8k miles per year and work from home. I'd take some day trips and would drive pri.arily on a mix of highway and pretty rough surface streets.

Me: Pragmatic, enjoys value for dollar spent, no kids,, may transport bike

Oh holders of knowledge, please give me the wisdom to select the best vehicle to replace my boring Corolla. I have been bored with my car the entire time I owned this cheap and practical car. I want to have a more comfortable ride and have a better driving experience.

I'm in the market to upgrade my 10-year old Ford Escape in the next 12-18 months. I'm 6'4", so I'm primarily looking into mid- and full-size SUVs that have a decent amount of leg and head room. I don't really have a budget, but I'm open to going up to $150k-ish.

I was hoping to get some insight into whether I should go for a plug-in hybrid or full electric. My daily work commute would be 10 miles total, but I live ~180 miles from my small, rural hometown. I also take road trips several times per year that usually average 150-250 miles.

The plug-in hybrids I'm interested are the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE, 2025 BMW X5 xDrive50e, and 2024 Audi Q5. But I'm also intrigued by the Hummer EV, Rivian R1S, Lucid Gravity, Tesla Model X, Cadillac Escalade IQ, Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, and Range Rover PHEV. I know all cars depreciate, but I'm would like to get a vehicle that retains a decent amount of its value at 3-5 years. I also want to get a reliable car that does not need a ton of maintenance. What should I get?

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I’m looking for a new car and found a bmw e87 118d with the m47 engine, was wondering if anyone has any experience with the car and is it a purchase I will regret?

Hi I want to buy a compact suv and the most important things to me are 1) reliable and long lasting 2) lower maintenance costs 3)mileage 4) less maintenance other than the oils , brakes and tires 4) technology 5) interior 6) looks. I cant buy an electric right now

Im not sure if this is the right place to ask, but Ive been renting for the last few months, paying about 1700$ a month, because my credit is really bad and no lender will approve me for a loan, do I have any option to get a loan or lease based on income and not credit, I make decent money and I’m in a contract so I have job stability as well

Already own a Bolt and enjoy the car. Taking advantage of a few incentive programs to get a mind-boggling $20k off a used EV in exchange for retiring an older ICE vehicle. Would like an EV with more cargo room than the Bolt. I was set on the ID4 (I also like that it has a rated towing capacity) but theres another round of recalls on them and that disqualifies the grant program I was planning to use

Any other ideas?

(Has to be 25k or less to qualify for fed 4k credit)

I am an almost 40 year old ex car enthusiast. I say ex because in my mid 20s I had to be practical about car ownership due to kids, finances, and being way too busy. So I sold my last sports car at 25. I told my wife that I would one day buy a 40 car. This is going to be my toy. I have a daily driver and my wife has a kid hauler. I have owned a few cool toys a long time ago. I owned 2 1990 eagle talon tsi, 3 Ford Taurus sho, a firebird formula, and a g35. I want something a little more wild. I don't want to wrench a ton. I dreamed as a young dsm lover of someday owning an Evo Mr. I also dreamed of owning a fd rx7. Those seem fairly unrealistic now due to prices of reasonable condition examples being elevated. I want to spend under 25k. It must be manual. I prefer Japanese cars but would be open to an American car. TIA

Looking to spend less than $20k on a used car with less than 100k miles. Planning to keep this car for 5 years.

Mostly for commuting 8 miles round trip everyday. 2 kids in car seats so a spacious backseat is a must, as well as enough trunk space for a stroller. Will have an occasional 300 mile round trip road trip a couple times a year.

Beyond that, I’m fairly indifferent on looks/infotainment system. Will take the best gas mileage I can get but won’t make or break my decision.

Appreciate all insight!

I’d rather have a hatchback, but I’d be okay with an SUV then a sedan in that order… I’ve been looking at Kia Souls, but realistically is there anything else I can afford that’s reliable?

Hey. I am looking to buy a used car, preferably from the above mentioned brand. My budget is around 35K. However, I have never owned these brands before. I have always had Nissan and Toyota's. Since I am a first-time Mercedes/ Audi car buyer, I would like to hear your opinion for the above mentioned cars in terms or pros, cons and maintenance. I am also open to other suggestions. Thanks in advance!!