Any new cars/SUVs under $30K worth getting?

[Quattro Pete]

Requirements:
- daily driver
- decent amount of interior space
- reasonably reliable
- not super boring to drive
- preferably no tiny 1.5-liter engine
- FWD/RWD/AWD
- manual or automatic
- available on dealer lot

My old 530i is starting to fall apart, costing me more and more to keep on the road. I'm starting to look for a basic daily driver to hold me over a few years before the supply chain stabilizes and I can get something more fun again.

I was thinking Nissan Altima, but I don't think I can get one in this budget.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Pete, How about a pre-owned A3........seem to be plentiful, and since it shares many VW components, could be reasonable to service?

 

[Silver]

Chevy Impala?

I'll probably get stink faced, it's just what came to mind.

 

[tyman]

Chevy Impala?

I'll probably get stink faced, it's just what came to mind.

After originally intending to end production in June 2019, GM decided to keep the Impala in production, with the extension of the assembly plants' idling to 2020.[98][99] The final Chevrolet Impala was built at the Detroit/Hamtramck assembly plant on February 27, 2020.[72]

 

[tyman]

Mazda CX-5 or CX-50 would be your best bet.

 

[JavierH19]

Cars only or some small suv's allowed? Toyota Camry, accord, Passat, Hyundai sonata, Subaru legacy, or kia k5 are decent options. The Chevy Malibu is technically an option but i'll admit as a big gm guy myself even I'd never consider the Malibu as its kinda crap unless it was at a very steep discount. As for sub 30k suv's there are so many to name.

 

[tasch72]

Kia K5, Chevy Malibu, Nissan Altima

An ecoboost mustang would teeter on the budget and size preference, but drastically increase in the fun department.

 

[tyman]

Cars only or some small suv's allowed? Toyota Camry, accord, Passat, Hyundai sonata, Subaru legacy, or kia k5 are decent options. The Chevy Malibu is technically an option but i'll admit as a big gm guy myself even I'd never consider the Malibu as its kinda crap unless it was at a very steep discount. As for sub 30k suv's there are so many to name.

He'd have to get a Honda Accord Sport to get the 2.0l, which is $29k new and a $4k option making it $33k so that won't work.

Similar for the K5, he'd have to get the GT, which is $31k+.

 

[WeyounDS9]

Requirements:
- daily driver
- decent amount of interior space
- reasonably reliable
- not super boring to drive
- preferably no tiny 1.5-liter engine
- FWD/RWD/AWD
- manual or automatic
- available on dealer lot

My old 530i is starting to fall apart, costing me more and more to keep on the road. I'm starting to look for a basic daily driver to hold me over a few years before the supply chain stabilizes and I can get something more fun again.

I was thinking Nissan Altima, but I don't think I can get one in this budget.

I recently rented a Sentra SV and was amazed how well that affordable car scooted along.
by That I dont mean power mind you I mean handling.

I handled even better than the Sentra SER SPEC -V I owned nearly 2 decades ago.
I know the march of technology and all that But the SER-SPEC V was dynamite when It came out in 2002.
Nothing in its price class could match it back then, ( 6 speed manual, real bucket seats, sunroof, upgraded brakes, sway bars, tires, shocks over the base model.

but this was "just" the SV trim not the SR trim (which gets a couple handling tweaks)

 

[IndyIan]

I just had a 20 or 21 KIA Forte as a rental for a couple days, it had surprisingly nice steering feel, nice enough interior. The 17" tires were a bit harsh and it had some tire noise, but overall it was pretty decent. I also assumed it had a regular automatic, but it was a CVT, with an NA 2.0 and zipped around well enough. It also had a sport mode which raised the rpms up for more instant response, which would be a nice feature on any automatic car, CVT or not.
I would test drive a Mazda3 or Civic though, maybe with a manual, they are pretty good driving cars.

 

[Escape08]

Go for the "CPO" of any car brand and you can get a much better deal and best of all, the warranty is still intact

 

[The Critic]

Base model, brand-new CX-5 AWD:

Go for the "CPO" of any car brand and you can get a much better deal.

In the non-luxury segment, that has not been true for many years.

 

[SC Maintenance]

- available on dealer lot

Probably plenty - until you hit this last item. Then the answer is no.

If your willing to wait there are a number of small SUV's that would be fairly close to 30K in their base trim, which are worth it.

 

[SatinSilver]

For fun try a nationwide search on autotrader for a 2022 Corolla hatchback SE manual(any color). Last year of the manual in that trim for around 24k. If want a manual in 2023 you have to get the GR version that starts at 37k.

 

[drtyler]

What’s wrong with the 530i?

The CX-5 would be my pick, but its MUCH better with the turbo.

 

[MRC01]

The Mazda CX5 meets almost all your requirements. But it, like all SUVs, is boring to drive. I'd mention a Subaru Forester too but it suffers from the same deficiency.
"decent amount of interior space" - define "decent". A Mazda 3 is more fun to drive than a CX5, especially in stick shift, and in your price range. The hatchback isn't exactly roomy but it has a decent amount of interior space.

 

[jurko]

For fun try a nationwide search on autotrader for a 2022 Corolla hatchback SE manual(any color). Last year of the manual in that trim for around 24k. If want a manual in 2023 you have to get the GR version that starts at 37k.

I want to get Corolla hatchback SE with 6MT. I went to local Toyota dealership and they told me to build my own online the way I want it and to give them the printout with $1000 non-refundable deposit which will be applied towards purchase price. I was told the wait time will be around 9-10 months.

 

[GR_CoB]

Requirements:
- daily driver
- decent amount of interior space
- reasonably reliable -ish
- not super boring to drive -ish
- preferably no tiny 1.5-liter engine
- FWD/RWD/AWD
- manual or automatic
- available on dealer lot

Can't believe I'm saying this... But...
2023 Subaru Crosstrek.
Hear me out...
- It literally meets all of your requirements.
- Base model is $23,645, but it has a 2.0L boring slow engine, so I'm not even going to consider that one. But Sport and Limited models are still under $30K and come with 2.5L engine, which seems to be miles ahead of the old 2-point-slow powerpot. In terms of both power and reliability.
- Subaru USA also punishes dealers for markups, so you are more likely to get a fair deal in this market. (Would be nice if other manufacturers did that too.)
- Reliability seems to be great so far, but you seem to want to keep it for only few years. Meaning the warranty will easily take care of any issues that may arise, but are highly unlikely honestly. It's usually 2nd/3rd owner that get to pay the price for the fun that 1st owner had. Ask me how I know.
- And these things are very fun off-the-pavement. Desert trails, forest trails, 4WD beaches, etc.
- Budget rally car lol.

P.S. Unfortunately the 6MT only can be had with the 2.0L. Looks like 2.5L only comes with auto.

Click here to learn about a 2015 Subaru Crosstrek XV that crossed a million miles.

 

[zzyzzx]

Who buys a new car to hold me over a few years before the supply chain stabilizes and I can get something more fun again? Isn't that what beaters are for? I understand that Chevy Malibu's are in stock at the dealers lot if it has to be new.

 

[hemitom]

Requirements:
- daily driver
- decent amount of interior space
- reasonably reliable
- not super boring to drive
- preferably no tiny 1.5-liter engine
- FWD/RWD/AWD
- manual or automatic
- available on dealer lot

My old 530i is starting to fall apart, costing me more and more to keep on the road. I'm starting to look for a basic daily driver to hold me over a few years before the supply chain stabilizes and I can get something more fun again.

I was thinking Nissan Altima, but I don't think I can get one in this budget.

I would choose the ford maverick.