A 30 y/o trans woman who loves dogs and drawing and games and all sorts of stuff! There will be plenty of NSFW rehosts and stuff so BE WARNED!~
oooookay well the storms over the weekend did end up totalling my car, so if anyone has tips of where to start with used car hunting, id super appreciate it x_x
for extra context, it was a 20 year old SUV so i'm probably staying in the SUV space if possible. so like, recommended models/years or help on where i can start looking would be great cause uh
bc of where im at i kinda Need a car to do much ahaha
if you don't need an SUV specifically for towing a trailer/awd/excessive cargo capacity, compact to mid-size hatchbacks (honda fit, toyota matrix) fit a lot more in them than you would expect and are usually the best in their range for both cargo and economy, especially if you can drive manual. 2nd gen honda fits specifically are one of my most highly recommended cars given the price, but the third gen isn't bad at all if you can find a good deal.
SUV-wise, i'm partial to honda cr-vs, but i haven't driven them as much as other cars. the older (pre-2007?) ones have a nice swing out tailgate with an actual window that you can pop open if you just need to fit the occasional 2x6x12 or something. the toyota rav4 and highlander are also pretty good from what i've heard, but at some point they added a 3rd row to the highlander that you probably don't need unless you need to seat 7 people. subaru's offerings are probably okay, but they might be harder to repair.
Fuck oh hell! Hoping you're able to find something soon!
autotrader and autotempest are good (I've heard), far reaching site to check for used cars. Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book cover pretty damn good comprehensive reviews and vehicle info. CarComplaints.com is an amazing site for quickly checking vehicle models and years for recalls, problems, known issues, and specific things to look out for.
Year recommendations will depend on budget, but 2012+ Mazda CX-5 have solid reputations, reliability, & safety ratings, and don't have quite the value tax of something like a toyota rav-4. My boyfriend loves his 2018 cx-5, my mom and later my sister have had great experiences with their 2013 cx-5, and the 2013 mazda 3 I've had for 6 years has been absolutely problem free except for issues caused by me hitting a rock and smashing the oil pan.
This is very helpful, thank you!! The three manufacturers I was focusing on were Toyota, Honda, and Mazda anyhow (their respective local dealers are real trustworthy in my experience), so this really allows me to narrow down to specific models <3
not sure how old you're shopping for (if you're going to dealers Im guessing not another 20 year old car): but general advice: buy the most boring car you can stomach from Toyota or Honda. 4 cylinder, as few electrical doohickeys as possible.
