These Are The Cars Readers Think Are The Biggest Bargains Right Now

GR86. The idea that a new grad with their first adult job can go out and buy a 7,500 RPM, RWD, manual transmission sports car for under $30k in 2024 is awesome.

To give some context of how bonkers that is, adjusted for inflation a GR86 MSRP would have been $16,600 in the year 2000. A 2000 Mustang GT was $21k base, and the GR86 is quicker! It also handles MILES better.

These days, the GR86 starts at $29,300 and the Mustang retails at $30,920. Which would you pick?

Suggested by: squirmish

I was actually eye-balling the Lincoln Continental. They are getting into the low-mid 20s and that seems like a hell of a deal for a flagship luxury sedan. Plus those door handles... yum

This chunk of American luxury, or a brand new Kia K5? You decide.

Suggested by: nemo1

You can get a used Chevy bolt with a new replacement battery for around $15k and with a $4k tax credit on top that is pretty hard to argue with!

Well equipped Audi e-trons can be had for around $32k.

For a new car it’s hard to argue against a Y.

He is an EV. Not the EV we deserved, but the EV we needed.

Suggested by: Jon Bickford (Facebook)

Pretty much any premium brand sedan. In a world where everyone wants a Q5, GLC or X3, Audi, Mercedes and BMW are practically giving away A4s, C-Classes and 3-Series - lease specials, rebates, MSRP discounts, you name it.

Can a car that starts at $48,000 be considered a bargain? I guess that all depends on the discounts you can haggle.

Suggested by: williamblvd

As a frugal spender and bargain hunter (those who know me say “tight wad”, but I digress), if I had to buy a car today it would be a no brainer: the Toyota Corolla Hybrid. I consider it an absolute bargain with 47/50/43 MPG and Toyota reliability for $23.5k. Honestly, with the Fit gone from our shores, it’s all the car most people actually need.

There are bargains to buy and bargains to run. The Corolla Hybrid is both.

Suggested by: regnis78

I bought a 2017 Hyundai Elantra in 2016, put 150K on it and have put a new battery in, two sets of tires and oil changes.... THAT’S IT. Not even brake pads yet. Not to mention it gets 40+ MPG. Almost 7 years now all for $15K.

Not even brake pads! What a bargain.

Suggested by: Dale Frick (Facebook)

Chevrolet Avalanche 2500. We’re currently looking for something to park at the lake house with the capability of towing 10-12k lbs. For some reason these are priced significantly cheaper than other HD trucks of similar condition.

For the kind of bargain hunter who only listens to two types of music: country and western.

Suggested by: reasonablepushrod

I would say a 2022 Civic Si is a great deal right now. You get the newest model of the Civic with all the newest and most up to date tech. And for $24kish you get a fun, sporty, manual only with a sport tuned suspension, comfortable sedan that gets almost 40mpg on the highway. Sure it doesn’t have the performance of the $40k Type R but for the price of a new base Civic you can get a 2 year old CPO 100k warranty Si. In this market I think that is one hell of a deal!

A bargain basement manual, those are rare!

Suggested by: p-d-morgan33

Used Tesla Model 3, for about $20k.

Never visit a gas station again, never need another oil change, belt replacement, spark plug, or any of that other antiquated mechanical garbage. Costs $4 to drive 350 miles.

Last year, it cost me $230 to drive for the *entire* *year.* Tesla batteries rated for 400,000 miles before degradation — meaning you could replace the battery FOUR TIMES before you come close to spending what driving and fueling a gas car would cost over the same mileage.

That’s interesting, last year it cost me $230 to eat bagels for the entire year.

Suggested by: Cork Rockingham (Facebook)

Used EV price drops have accelerated recently, If you don’t want a Model Y or a Mach E, there are plenty of used Ioniq 5s and EV6s available, they had good range and faster charging than most rivals. AWD models are around $30K.

On the ICE side, used sport sedans are always a great value buy. TLX Type Ss are selling for around $35-$40K now.

Given the choice, would you take the Ioniq 5 or the Kia EV6? Personally, I want the Ioniq, but in the Kia’s colors.

Suggested by: kngt

Used PHEVs in America.

Rules: two years old (2022) or older. $25,000 or less. Big enough battery to qualify (check fueleconomy.gov). 30% off sales price up to $4,000 in tax credits.

Examples locally.

2021 Insight CPO, 55k miles $23,449

2019 Fusion 62k miles $18,848

2016 X5 74k miles $18,900

2018 Prius Prime 93k miles $18,775

2022 Niro 7500 miles $25,000

Other than that really low mileage Niro, all of these are under $20k when all is said and done and things like a 74k X5 for under $15k are worth at least looking into.

PS Pacifica PHEVs show up a lot, but I’ve heard bad things about these vehicles.

Those are lot of good suggestions. Which one would you pick?

Suggested by: yeardley68

NYC area car lease brokers have Polestar 2 Pilot AWDs for just $300/month with $3200 due at signing, and that’s without any loyalty/conquest rebate gimmicks

Nissan Ariyas lease even cheaper, but those deals require loyalty rebates

Is this the best looking bargain on our list so far? Answers on a postcard.

Suggested by: Erik Nilsen

I think for what you get for the money, the KIA Soul LX with the Tech Pkg qualifies as a bargain today. Just a few bucks over $22K with the destination charge, and KIA usually has cheap financing and even a little cash on the hood.

It’s not sexy, fun, or particularly attractive, but it’s comfortable enough, holds a lot of crap, drives OK, is efficient enough, has the “sit up high” thing going on, most of the modern driver assist and infotainment crap if you get the Tech Pkg or step , and I know a bunch of people who have run Souls with no particular issues for a long time. The current ones don’t have the TikToc theft problems.

It’s not the car you want, but it’s all the car anybody actually needs. And I put my money where my mouth is and bought one for my sainted mother a year ago. We test drove everything under about $25K sans the Mirage, the Soul was rather a standout in the crowd overall. It even has a user interface that a “lady of a certain age” can figure out without pestering her child.

I love the Kia Soul! Great suggestion from this poster.

Suggested by: krhodes1

As somebody who has a four year old and a five year old, and finally had to retire my ten year old Mustang to weekend duty, I’ve recently been in the market for a three-row SUV. I’m in my mid-40's now, and still have the Mustang for when I want to have fun driving, so I wasn’t terribly concerned about driving dynamics.

I shopped the Lincoln Aviator, Lexus TX, Cadillac XT6, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Mazda CX-90... and bought a Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy, because it had the nicest interior with the most features and was the most comfortable to drive. And the purchase price at like $54k was $10-$20k less than comparably equipped models from other manufacturers. I went with the Palisade over the Kia Telluride because Kia dealers were still adding dealer markup. My wife has started driving it instead of her RX350, because it’s nicer inside and nicer to drive. It could easily be rebadged a Genesis with no other changes made, and fit right in the lineup.

That’s some solid car-shopping advice!

Suggested by: neverspeakawordagain