Anybody else shopping for a used car right now? The market seems exceptionally brutal. High prices, high miles, high number of rebuilt titles. I'm also picky about avoiding models/years/features with known problems, so that cuts out a lot of the market. Where have the cheap corollas gone!?
Carfax lists 15,052 Corollas. Not sure how cheap you want. I have used Carfax to find older model low mileage vehicles out of the rust belt. If you’re willing to travel, you can get some decent deals.
This looks like a decent deal to me. 2004 Toyota Corolla LE for sale in Deerfield Beach, FL - CARFAX I had a Toyota Tacoma pickup shipped from Deerfield Beach two years ago for $1100. Living in a state with no sales tax on vehicles it was the best option to avoid paying FL sales tax which would have been required if I picked it up from the dealer and drove it home.
We bought a 2009 Lexus GX470 right before the pandemic free money printing programs started. It is now worth more than we paid for it with 235,000 miles on the clock. I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it across the country. Toyota/Lexus vehicles from 200o - 2010 are some of the best vehicles for the money right now, including Corollas of you can find one that has been well maintained. We have three Corollas that vintage in our family and they are all still reliable with one pushing 300,00o miles. If I was looking for an older small truck for running around, light work and recreational use I would also look for an old Ford Ranger. Besides old Tundras, I see more of those on the roads than any other brand on around here. I would carefully check the frame in the rust belt. I oil ours, so the undersides, panels and lines are better than most 10 year old vehicles around here.
I'm a toyota nerd, so I'm quite familiar. The list of vehicles I'm considering consists of toyotas and hondas, but even then, I'm being very specific to avoid certain model years. No 2azfe engines, no early years of 6 speed autos. No CVTs or DI in the hondas. My current daily has over 400k and is giving me hints that it's time to replace it.
Corolla/matrix/vibe with a 1.8, scion xa, scion xd, yaris, accord 06-12, CRV up to 2014, rav4 09-12 and 16-18. Maybe an element if the right deal came along.
After 3 months of searching, I finally got a new to me car. A 2011 honda fit with 60k came home with me yesterday.
Good luck with it. I have a 2013. I wouldn't want to drive cross country in it. I find it to be not a very comfortable car to sit in. I don't like the steering. Gets pretty good mileage if you never go over 60 mph. Sucks in the snow. I have slid right past my own driveway more than once. (is not one with the asphalt like a Tacoma) Other than that a pretty nice car. Great city car.
I bought 3 used vehicles in the last 6-7 months, mostly not for me. The most recent was a 2005 Ford Ranger for the stepfather, 2WD, auto, 120k miles or so. That’s what he wanted, asked me to look. He’s paying me back. Then I bought a minty 2014 Miata, 56k miles. This was at an estate sale through a relative, good deal, not great. I’m doing some TLC, plan is to son in the military when he’s ready. I’m trying to get his mind off a mid 70’s Ford that is too far gone to put $$ into. The last is a 2020 Civic, 47k miles, salvage title, front, right damage from an accident. That was a better deal, $13k, drives like new. No I don’t like vehicle shopping, hopefully done for a while.
