Used Cars for Under $4,000 (with Photos) (2024)

FAQs

What's the most sought after used car? ›

Toyota is considered to be the go-to vehicle for reliability, while brands like Honda, Mazda, Subaru and Hyundai are also highly ranked for their quality and cheap maintenance costs. Brand recognition isn't the only factor for choosing what's a reliable vehicle.

Often, 100,000 miles is considered a cut-off point for used cars because older vehicles often start requiring more expensive and frequent maintenance when mileage exceeds 100,000.

To put these rankings in context, CR's top five brands ranked on average predicted reliability — Lexus, Toyota, Mini, Acura and Honda — all scored in the 70s, making them twice as dependable as many of the brands listed below, according to CR's methodology.

As a general rule, you should assume that the average car owner puts 12,000 miles on a car each year. To determine whether a car has reasonable mileage, you can simply multiply 12,000 by its age. That means good mileage for a car that's 5 years old is 60,000.

What's the best time to buy a used car? Used and new cars follow similar cycles. If you're shopping for a used car, the early months of the year — January and February — are a good time to ship. You may see more vehicles on the market then as people sell their old vehicles after buying new ones over the holidays.

What year used car is best? ›

The Best Time to Buy a Used Car

Purchasing a used vehicle that is 2-3 years old means that you are getting a relatively new car in good condition without being affected heavily by depreciation.

1. Ford F-Series. The Ford F-150's offers the best attributes of a modern pickup: power, efficiency, comfort and capability. Add to that a huge range of configurations and options, and you've got the best-selling vehicle in America for 2023.

1963 Ferrari 250 GTO ($70M)

This ride is an undeniable collectible that became the most expensive classic car in the world when it was sold to WeatherTech founder David MacNeil for $70 million in 2018, which was $62 more than the '62 Ferrari 250 GT SWB sold in 2022 and $42 more than the S N.A.R.T.