4 Car Brands You Should Only Buy Used in 2025
The average used car price is $25,470, according to Kelley Blue Book. It's hard to beat that price, especially if you're on a budget and want to avoid taking on a large car loan.
Check Out:
Read Next:
But cost shouldn't be the only factor when choosing a new-to-you car. Certain car brands are best purchased used, according to car experts.
Toyota is well known for producing reliable, durable vehicles. Consumer Reports even ranks Toyota as one of the most reliable manufacturers — right up there with Subaru and Lexus. The most reliable Toyota vehicles include the RAV4, Corolla, Prius, Highlander, Grand Highlander and the hybrid variations.
But you don't have to buy new to benefit from Toyota's reliability.
'Toyota vehicles have proven that they can withstand the test of time and high mileage, while still retaining their performance and value over the years,' said Calkins Ruth Schmidt, automotive expert and general manager at FindByPlate. 'Plus, Toyota vehicles age gracefully, with minimal depreciation and maintenance issues.'
If that's not enough reason to consider a Toyota, the fact that there are plenty of mechanics to handle any maintenance and repairs might be. And you won't have to spend an arm and a leg on keeping your car up to date as you would with more specialty cars.
A used Toyota Corolla costs an average of around $16,821, per CarGurus. The average price of a used Toyota RAV4 is about $23,400, CarGurus reported.
Explore More:
Next up is Honda. If you're in the market for a Honda, look for an HR-V, Accord (including hybrid), CR-V (including hybrid), Odyssey, Pilot or Civic.
Take the Honda Civic as an example of a car worth getting. The average price of a used Civic starts is just under $18,000, per CarGurus.
'A Honda Civic … that receives proper maintenance can reach more than 200,000 miles without requiring significant repairs,' said Alan Gelfand, owner of German Car Depot. 'You can purchase a vehicle with 50,000 to 70,000 miles on the odometer and experience numerous trouble-free years at a fraction of new car prices.'
A brand-new Lexus can be costly, so get one used at a fraction of the price. Some of the most reliable models include the NX, NX Hybrid, ES, RX Hybrid, ES Hybrid, TX, NX Plug-In and the RX hybrid.
Alex Black, chief marketing officer and auto industry expert at EpicVIN, said Lexus is a top contender for used car brands — up there with Honda and Toyota.
Lexus is 'very dependable long-term, and parts are readily available and not prohibitively costly,' Black said. 'Used vehicles by them tend to run 200K+ miles when well maintained.'
A new Lexus NX has a starting MSRP of over $42,000. The average price of a used model is just over $31,000, per CarGurus.
Gelfand also recommended Subaru if you're looking for a used car. Like Toyota, Subaru has maintained a strong commitment to reliability and innovation.
Consumer Reports also ranked Subaru as the most reliable manufacturer of new cars. To save on money, look for used models like the Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback, Solterra or Ascent.
A used Subaru Forester costs an average of around $21,000, CarGurus reported.
One of the biggest advantages of buying a used car is depreciation.
'A new vehicle loses 20% to 30% of its worth in the first year,' Black said. 'When you buy a used vehicle (2-4 years old), another party already bore the brunt of that loss for you.'
But do your due diligence to ensure you're getting a good deal. Here are a few tips:
Do a VIN check.
Check the service and maintenance records.
Take your time so you don't make a rushed decision.
Compare interest rates (if financing).
More From GOBankingRates
3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025
6 Big Shakeups Coming to Social Security in 2025
4 Affordable Car Brands You Won't Regret Buying in 2025
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 Car Brands You Should Only Buy Used in 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
General Motors' (NYSE:GM) five-year earnings growth trails the stellar shareholder returns
The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But in our experience, buying the right stocks can give your wealth a significant boost. For example, the General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) share price is 97% higher than it was five years ago, which is more than the market average. It's also good to see that the stock is up 6.9% in a year. On the back of a solid 7-day performance, let's check what role the company's fundamentals have played in driving long term shareholder returns. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. Over half a decade, General Motors managed to grow its earnings per share at 19% a year. The EPS growth is more impressive than the yearly share price gain of 15% over the same period. So one could conclude that the broader market has become more cautious towards the stock. The reasonably low P/E ratio of 6.30 also suggests market apprehension. You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Having said that, most people consider earnings and revenue growth trends to be a more meaningful guide to the business. This free interactive report on General Motors' earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for General Motors the TSR over the last 5 years was 103%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. General Motors shareholders are up 8.1% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately this falls short of the market return. It's probably a good sign that the company has an even better long term track record, having provided shareholders with an annual TSR of 15% over five years. Maybe the share price is just taking a breather while the business executes on its growth strategy. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand General Motors better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with General Motors (at least 1 which shouldn't be ignored) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. General Motors is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find lesser know companies this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
I worked at Tesla for 7 years. I quit because I couldn't support Elon Musk any longer.
Trae Cervantes worked at Tesla for more than seven years. Cervantes held several roles at Tesla's factory in Sparks, Nevada. He told Business Insider what it was like working at the company and why he chose to leave. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Trae Cervantes, who worked as an engineering technician at Tesla until March 2025. It has been edited for length and clarity. I started at Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada as a production associate in 2018, and I worked my way into a role as an engineering technician. I held at least four different positions during my time at Tesla. I was drawn to Tesla because I needed a way to improve my situation. Leading up to Tesla, I wasn't doing super well. I'd gone through a divorce, I got arrested for drinking and driving, and I was working two jobs to make ends meet. One of my best friends was working there and he told me to apply. When I got the job, I quit the two jobs and immediately got a better paying role with more time off. The reason I stayed is because they kept treating me well. I was getting paid the most I'd ever gotten in my adult life. No education, no real skills to speak of, and Tesla offered me opportunities to take charge of my life and grow my career. I started out on their production line for the Model 3 and I moved up from there. When I started out, it was grueling work. It was pushing heavy things up and down aisles. I was on my feet for 12 hours a day, but they also give you three to four days off a week to recover. It was a physically demanding job, but it didn't bother me. I knew that if I demonstrated a good work ethic I could work my way up, and that's what I've done. Every few years I was able to move up, from production associate to technician to eventually lead and engineering roles. A month into a new role, it was March 2020, and we were all furloughed. It was a big freak-out moment for me. Nobody was telling us what was going on, and I felt like I was going to lose my job. But we were back to work five weeks later and I learned to work around the new COVID safety standards. I felt like I really took ownership of my area, and I eventually became a lead for that team. To do it, I really had to show my value — I had to leverage my skills and build the relationships and rapport. That's what you have to do at Tesla — the skills aren't enough, you also need the relationships, and you need to show you can pick up the slack because things are always changing there. In 2023, they provided me an opportunity to go to school through a program at a local community college. They helped me get a certificate in advanced manufacturing. I took nine courses between January and May, all while I was still doing my normal duties, and I even made the Dean's list. Later on I got another certificate, a green belt certification for Lean Six Sigma. I never drank the Elon Musk Kool Aid. When I started at my orientation, they talked about his controversial tweets. They said it's gotten him in hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but they were mostly joking about it, like his behavior was okay because of who he was, what he does, or however much he's worth. There's always been that kind of mindset at Tesla, a cult of personality around Elon. I remember when he smoked weed on the Joe Rogan Experience, seeing so many T-shirts referencing it at the Gigafactory. I'd thought some of the things he'd done were wrong, like the Thai diver incident, but I believed in the mission. Then all of a sudden, he jumped into a capacity where he could impact my daily life. His involvement in Twitter, his involvement in the election, all of that was detracting from the company's mission. I didn't realize how much it mattered to me until the last couple of months. When Musk started throwing his money around in politics — that was a big thing for me. What I took issue with the most was the giveaway for prospective voters. It seemed so morally wrong. I didn't want to be associated with that. I started actively looking into his history, and the company's. The stock price and how we're making money — none of it made sense to me. That was another reason I wanted to get out. There are a lot of empty promises that haven't been fulfilled, like Full Self-Driving or the lower-cost EV. When he lifted his arm and did that Nazi salute, I was disgusted. (Editor's note: While discussing the incident with Joe Rogan, Musk said, "Hopefully, people realize I'm not a Nazi.") Last year, I started to be ashamed to tell people where I work. I chatted with a couple of folks at Tesla and I explained to them why I believed that that was a Nazi salute, and most of the time they just heard me out. Near the end of my time at Tesla, I started bringing up politics because I'd kind of got to a point where I didn't really care. I started working on my resumé. I spoke with my wife, my very close friends, and I explained the reason I wanted to leave. My wife just wants me to be happy. A lot of my friends are really, really pissed off at Musk, just like I am. They were all excited for me to leave the company. I have a pretty good support system. I changed my profile on Teams to a meme of Musk. I resigned that day. When I first left, I gave myself a hard time. I didn't have a job lined up, and I could have stayed longer or waited to get laid off and gotten severance at least. But then I started thinking about the layoffs last April, and I remember sitting in the building, seeing people send out text messages and Teams messages and wondering if they had a job. There were people who didn't find out until they got to the security gate at the factory. Why would I want to go through that? Between that and then the day when Trump bought a Tesla on the White House lawn, which happened the same day I gave my resignation notice, I felt more resolute in my decision. When I met with my supervisor and put in my notice, I told him, "I have to leave. I can't do this anymore. It's getting to a point where I feel like I'm compromising myself morally by walking through those doors every day." I'm not going to lie, I cried a little. Seven years is a long time and Tesla wasn't always a bad thing for me. What I would tell people is, if you're sitting in my shoes, and you feel uncomfortable, go for it. Do what you think will help you sleep at night. There are plenty of good people at Tesla. I didn't leave the place because of the company. I left because of the face of the the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tesla Is Set To Report Deliveries Wednesday. Here's What To Expect.
Tesla is expected to report second-quarter deliveries data Wednesday, with analysts anticipating another year-over-year decline. Demand has slowed this year amid pushback against CEO Elon Musk's involvement with the Trump administration. Some analysts have said the second quarter could be a low point for Tesla's deliveries before improving later in the (TSLA) is widely expected to report quarterly delivery numbers on Wednesday morning, with analysts anticipating another double-digit decline year-over-year. The company is projected to post deliveries of just under 400,000 vehicles for the second quarter, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. That would be down 10% from the same time a year ago, when Tesla reported north of 440,000 deliveries, while production is forecast to increase to about 434,200 vehicles from 410,831 in the year-ago quarter. Demand for Tesla's vehicles has taken a hit this year in key markets like the U.S. and Europe amid a political backlash against CEO Elon Musk's involvement with the Trump administration. The company's first-quarter deliveries fell well below estimates. The latest deliveries data also comes days after the departure of Omead Afshar, who oversaw Tesla's sales and manufacturing in North America and Europe, and became the latest in a string of executive departures, Bloomberg reported. Analysts from Deepwater Asset Management said in a recent report that they expect the second quarter could be the low point for Tesla's delivery numbers, with a recovery likely in the second half of the year, citing improving brand perception among other things. Analysts from RBC Capital Markets on Thursday forecast about 366,000 deliveries, below the Street consensus, suggesting demand could be delayed with some consumers waiting for the more affordable model Musk has said would launch in the first half of this year. Baird analysts, who said the more affordable model may be delayed, told clients Wednesday that "while deliveries still remain an important piece of the fundamentals, we note that the recent launch of robotaxi and excitement regarding this opportunity will likely take precedence in the near term." Tesla's stock has divided analysts tracked by Visible Alpha, with 10 "buy" ratings compared to four "hold," and four "sell" ratings. Their price targets range from $160 to $500, with an average near $306, below the stock's recent levels. The shares have lost about a fifth of their value in 2025 so far, at just over $323 as of Friday's close. Read the original article on Investopedia Sign in to access your portfolio
