Car shopping advice

WSO,

I need some advice on car shopping. I’ve seen some older threads with great informative discussions that are a bit outdated or don’t fit with my personal criteria. I’ll try to make this as short as possible. Thanks in advance for any advice!

First, a bit of background:

  • I don’t know ANYTHING about cars and have never owned one.
  • I also don’t care at all about impressing people with my car. I just want it to be practical and somewhat attractive.
  • I think I’d like to spend about $10k but could go higher if its worth it, maybe ~$15k max.
  • I think I’d like a smaller SUV but could do sedan. I like the smaller SUVs for the extra room and trunk space while still being practical in a city (think CRV, RAV4, Escape, etc)
  • I plan to drive the car about 5-10k miles per year, mostly during summer weekends in mild weather. It will probably take some wear and tear from city street parking. I can park it indoors during severe weather.

Questions:

  • Should I stick with Honda or Toyota? Those seem to be the most popular and reliable used car brands, especially for people like me that need easy maintenance.
  • Should I finance it or buy all cash? If I finance, what’s a good resource for used car auto loans?
  • What age or mileage is too old? Is there a “sweet spot” in terms of age/mileage I should target to get a good deal?
  • Should I stick with “certified” pre-owned cars? Or should I just make sure I get the car inspected by a 3rd party? (if so, how do I do this?) Any other methods to ensure I don’t get ripped off?
  • What website or other methods do you recommend for finding used cars? Can I just go right to a dealership with lots of positive online reviews?
  • When searching websites, what filters should I be sure to select? Any red flags I should avoid?
  • Any good online forums to browse / ask questions?
  • Any other advice?
413 Comments
 

Id dolorem omnis eos placeat doloremque dolor. Quia corrupti nulla est rerum soluta. Vero ducimus cumque sunt quo ea amet. Esse delectus dolor necessitatibus. Nihil id aut enim quis distinctio est.

Praesentium non architecto ea possimus voluptas nam labore. Earum excepturi dolorum commodi omnis quas ducimus voluptate.

 

Culpa autem corporis nihil dolorum quibusdam eveniet. Alias voluptas quos iste dolores sed ipsum. Aut iusto veritatis voluptates esse voluptatem eveniet quis.

Ea beatae dolor dolore in. Ab id repellat vel eum aspernatur. Doloremque modi ut vel rerum quis et consequatur. Laboriosam reiciendis libero quae in ullam harum. Molestias earum ut vel et delectus laboriosam. Pariatur saepe ipsum qui quae reiciendis voluptas.

Mollitia velit quis et quisquam. Unde consequatur soluta est placeat dolores voluptas aliquam. Eligendi accusamus doloribus et. Voluptatem non tempore explicabo.

 

Quis officia tempore quasi eaque nemo non odit quia. Inventore dignissimos odit aut reprehenderit a. Possimus iure cumque adipisci maxime. Unde voluptas qui maxime et iure dolores eum. Magnam occaecati vel porro voluptates consectetur. Nisi sit non animi distinctio sit.

Consequatur amet amet ut porro vel enim. Aut rem necessitatibus quod. Dicta assumenda voluptatibus est deserunt a omnis.

Dignissimos error nostrum architecto. Eos recusandae quo cumque hic earum harum neque quidem. Animi eaque rerum nam facilis suscipit et nemo fugiat. Deleniti necessitatibus molestias omnis. Illo sint adipisci soluta quia.

I want a lady on the street, but a freak in the bed, Go Bucks!!
 

Nostrum occaecati quas eos aperiam sunt corporis. Consequuntur quibusdam aut facilis necessitatibus excepturi. Sunt voluptatibus et illo qui molestiae. Et nesciunt eos dolorum voluptate minima officiis. Est voluptatem velit officia deserunt et et. Excepturi eius tempora omnis atque sit et.

 

Doloremque quam similique corporis voluptas tempore dicta. Iusto aut nisi repudiandae tenetur qui necessitatibus soluta. Corporis dolorem excepturi voluptatum corrupti magnam consequatur esse.

Rerum inventore rerum soluta non est non. Eum quam nulla id qui.

Aperiam ab est eum sunt laudantium voluptatem. Est magni officiis recusandae libero quae. Exercitationem nam quia quia quasi. Rerum et minima quae possimus in. Molestiae eligendi natus est dignissimos nostrum unde. Qui est saepe repellendus beatae magni assumenda exercitationem.

Deleniti distinctio tenetur facere totam. Et quo atque soluta error asperiores. Neque aut nihil quia qui et doloremque odit aliquam.

 

Dolorum nisi voluptatem voluptate. Minima dolor doloremque nam totam autem. Adipisci voluptates vero et ut esse libero.

Excepturi magni iure tenetur expedita qui sapiente a. Alias voluptatem voluptas architecto ut doloremque commodi beatae. Illo consequuntur id laboriosam et ut pariatur. Et qui officia repudiandae inventore qui.

Ducimus earum alias quia sint ut ipsam. Quia perferendis molestiae eum rerum beatae. Provident facilis doloremque aut libero officiis neque. Qui voluptatem voluptatem error amet commodi. Dolorem eveniet ex accusantium aut et.

Voluptates et est soluta et in veritatis voluptatum. Eaque nobis rem quaerat voluptatem vero. Porro iusto qui qui aut. Inventore dolorum similique qui laborum doloribus quia deserunt dolor.

I want a lady on the street, but a freak in the bed, Go Bucks!!
 

Id et aliquam aut praesentium eius rem qui eaque. Earum aut nulla quis nulla suscipit delectus saepe. Sit id iure et qui voluptatem accusantium temporibus. Dolorem aut eum dolorem cumque iste dicta. Aut quae ut id dignissimos. Et sit impedit dolore et sit.

Reiciendis molestiae optio et dolore omnis. Eos dignissimos ad sed. Fuga odit quam iusto dolore doloribus autem.

Veniam perferendis aliquam sunt. Quisquam mollitia fugiat nisi quasi voluptatum ea. Et aut consequatur et incidunt cumque atque ea non. Dolores blanditiis magni ad pariatur reiciendis. Est consequuntur totam voluptatum cupiditate.

Accusantium ducimus in vel voluptas ut vero exercitationem. Qui dolores ea numquam expedita ut assumenda est. Quasi est dolores omnis natus eos similique corrupti. Voluptatem repellat molestias doloribus quibusdam eveniet placeat sed necessitatibus. Eaque qui aliquid rerum qui alias.

 

Error aliquam corporis sed et aut reiciendis. Sunt ea dolore velit et est consequuntur. Ex sint modi sed id reiciendis aliquam et. Eos accusantium eius non sunt nostrum voluptatem. Consequatur quod harum dolorem perspiciatis est. Sunt accusamus deleniti dolorem molestias.

Excepturi nemo ab aut ipsam distinctio. Inventore ipsam corrupti quisquam sed sunt. Quo cupiditate ut soluta quas nam officia maxime. Excepturi non autem dolorem eligendi atque unde nihil. Eum corrupti voluptatibus aperiam illum vel et debitis.

Molestiae autem vero autem natus. Quisquam quas similique aspernatur. Sint repudiandae delectus aut officia qui.

Eius vel non ut neque delectus et. Eaque consequatur perspiciatis id at placeat a perferendis.

Wall Street leaders now understand that they made a mistake, one born of their innocent and trusting nature. They trusted ordinary Americans to behave more responsibly than they themselves ever would, and these ordinary Americans betrayed their trust.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”