Hi, I am a first time car buyer looking for something to at least get me through the next 1 year. Ive narrowed the two options that are feasible to me to a 2019 Hyundai Elantra SEL with 72k miles, 2 liter engine. the other is a 2013 Toyota Corolla LE with 71k miles, 1.8 liter engine. THere is a price difference of 200 dollars so its pretty negligible. Both have terms that are decent and affordable to me, and the situation is pretty similar to both. the only two differences are that the corolla has much more service in its record and has stayed in the same area most of its life, the elantra has been all over the place and only has 6 services on carfax.
I know about the theft issues with the Elantra, thats why i spent so long deliberating on buying it that the corolla came on the market. I live in the north shore area so car crime isnt great right now, but i do have a club and am looking into other safeguards especially if i end up getting the elantra.
Another big thing is that I am not rich and dont have the highest salary, so while I can afford the cars I really do not want to have a ton of expensive repairs, and I THINK corollas are cheaper to fix?
Thank you for reading! Thoughts?
EDIT: Should also say, while I plan to do a few long drives with a friend who's visiting this summer, after that it will be exclusively a commuter vehicle, likely 20-30 miles a day on average.