New vehicles are already considered unaffordable by many Americans.
The average new car was $48,039 in February, according to Kelley Blue Book. Now auto tariffs, that went into effect last week, could put even more pressure on new car prices.
That is why many car buyers may be turning to the pre-owned market.
Vehicles lasting longer
The good news about keeping a car for a longer period of time or buying a used vehicle is that, on average, cars today have longer lifespans.
“Today, a 100,000-mile car is still a reliable car,” said auto dealer Tom Gill, owner of Tom Gill Chevrolet.
Karl Brauer, executive analyst for the automotive research site iSeeCars, agrees buyers should be cautious but not turned off by cars clocking in 60,000 miles or more.
“If you're comfortable with taking on a 70,000-mile car that's got a good history and you're confident that you have support, maybe a local mechanic that will help you when it needs work,” he said, “you can get very inexpensive transportation.”
Plus, Gill said more pre-owned vehicles come with full coverage.
“If you look at late model used cars, you can get manufacturer warranty on a lot of them,” he said.
See some of the most reliable used cars according to a new survey:
Reliable used cars for the money
Since cars in the pre-owned market are expensive as well, iSeeCars identified which vehicles offer the longest remaining lifespan at the lowest cost.
“We've been tracking over 400 million cars and their lifespans over the last decade plus,” Brauer said. “We have a very good predictor for how long a car will last.”
Some of the most reliable 5-year-old cars for the money, according to iSeeCars, include:
- Honda Fit (ranked #1) - average list price of $18,336
- Volkswagen Passat (ranked #2) - average list price of $17,636
- Buick Encore (ranked #3) - average list price of $16,633
Reliable 10-year-old cars include:
- Lincoln MKZ (ranked #3) - average list price of $12,298
- Honda Civic (ranked #7) - average list price of $13,097
- Mazda CX-9 (ranked #12) - average list price of $11,474
Read the full study by iSeeCars here
While other brands have a better reputation for reliability, Brauer explains they also cost more money.
“You can go out and find Lexus and Toyota products on the used market. They're going to have a lot of life left. Those cars are just very reliable and they're well engineered,” he said, “but they're going to be costing you more because people know that.”
When shopping for used vehicles, Gill suggests you look for dealers who stand behind their used inventory.
“We're going to put a powertrain warranty on it for the life of the car,” he said. “If it wasn't reliable, I wouldn't be funding that.”
Sometimes finding a reliable brand comes down to your own personal experience.
"I'm on my fifth or sixth Silverado,” said car shopper Terry Kearns who swears by his Chevrolet pickup. “It’s been good. They’ve always been good.”
That way, you don’t waste your money.
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