Looking for the best budget car option(s)
Hello! I am interested in hearing everyone’s opinion on what the best used budget car(s) would be based on my suuuuuper picky criteria (kidding, its not THAT bad lol). For context, I am 23 and have been driving my childhood car for the last 4 years- a 2005 Acura TL. I am moving out soon and need a much more reliable car, as she finally took a crap on me and to get her completely fixed would cost around $5k or more AND my mechanic can’t guarantee she would be good for a whole year even after repairs. Ideally, I need something that is affordable and good on the road and will last me a while (at least 200k miles). I do not plan nor do I enjoy going on long drives, but I would like something reliable if I needed to! My poor TL couldn’t even handle the freeway.
Anyways, to my criteria!
-Budget is about $10k, but can go a couple grand over if it’s a great deal. I would prefer under $10k though.
-Sub-compact SUV
-15 years old or less
-Super safe and extremely reliable
-Parts to fix aren’t super expensive
-At least 22+ MPG
-Preferably something Toyota, but not required
My current top picks are: 2016 Honda CR-V, 2012 Toyota RAV 4 and 2015 Mazda CX-5. I know these are a lot of peoples picks, so they’re kinda hard to come by! (I haven’t seen them for sale around me unfortunately). But let me know why you guys think, I’m looking forward to your feedback and suggestions!