Please help sort my thoughts about buying a new car.

I keep hearing Korean cars depreciate more than the Toyo/ Honda equivalent. Yes- but ( before the "C" situation) the prices they could he bought at nullified the depreciation against the Toyo/ Honda equivalents.
True. But their depreciation rate is tied with their inherent long term quality concerns. While alot of their recalls, and recalls of recalls were covered by the mfg, that kind of track records propagates questions of what else could potentially be troublesome.

If you are DIYer/mechanic/avid Kiaundai fan that should not be a problem, but for anyone else at least take their plenty severe powertrain recalls into consideration before purchase.

Toyota isnt a saint though, and they are as stubborn as a mule to even acknowledge certain issues, much less issue recalls. Honda has publicly acknowledged their products are more defective then in years prior and working towards a better future. However, they do seem to have less severe powertrain problems at the moment.
 
Copy and paste from a Motor Biscuit article that I just ran across:
~
Here are the 10 cheapest new cars recommended by Consumer Reports:

  1. 2023 Subaru Impreza: $19,795 MSRP
  2. 2023 Kia Soul: $19,890 MSRP
  3. 2023 Nissan Kicks: $20,290 MSRP
  4. 2023 Volkswagen Jetta: $20,655 MSRP
  5. 2023 Toyota Corolla: $21,550 MSRP
  6. 2023 Ford Maverick: $22,195 MSRP
  7. 2023 Mazda3: $22,550 MSRP
  8. 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross: $23,060 MSRP
  9. 2023 Kia Seltos: $23,340 MSRP
  10. 2023 Subaru Crosstrek: $23,645 MSRP
You don’t have to destroy your bank account to get a reliable car. This is evidenced by the Impreza, Soul, and other affordable new cars that earned a spot on CR’s recommendation list.
 
Can only talk about what I owned. Honda's been great. Have had three in the family with cvt's. 2012 & 2017 civic with 100'000 / 70,000 on them. Changed oil at 25,000 miles. Now the 2023 honda HRV is based on the civic platform. It has the tried and true 2.0 liter N/A port fuel injection. It is not a fast car . But the sun will burn out before this engine does . It does have a CVT Honda builds Solid CVT's You can still get a civic with the same set up . A 2023 HRV is a civic that sits higher. IMO ,WarDawg
 
Copy and paste from a Motor Biscuit article that I just ran across:
~
Here are the 10 cheapest new cars recommended by Consumer Reports:

  1. 2023 Subaru Impreza: $19,795 MSRP
  2. 2023 Kia Soul: $19,890 MSRP
  3. 2023 Nissan Kicks: $20,290 MSRP
  4. 2023 Volkswagen Jetta: $20,655 MSRP
  5. 2023 Toyota Corolla: $21,550 MSRP
  6. 2023 Ford Maverick: $22,195 MSRP
  7. 2023 Mazda3: $22,550 MSRP
  8. 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross: $23,060 MSRP
  9. 2023 Kia Seltos: $23,340 MSRP
  10. 2023 Subaru Crosstrek: $23,645 MSRP
You don’t have to destroy your bank account to get a reliable car. This is evidenced by the Impreza, Soul, and other affordable new cars that earned a spot on CR’s recommendation list.

I would spring a little bit more for the Crosstrek honestly. I think it's a more versatile vehicle. Although, I'd opt for the Premium version which is closer to $25K with the 6 speed manual. The upgrades are worth it though.
 
If you buy the crosstrek get the extended warranty. I see alot of Subaru's with head gasket issues. The upside is that the crosstrek is now standard with a 6 speed manual
 
I forgot to add. The 2023 Honda HRV has no stop start bs. So they’re tried and true 2.0 N/A multi port fuel injection engine. CVT I think 159 hp. The engine in today’s market is considered old school imo. It moves well enough. But not fast like the normal modern 4 bangers. I got one for the SOLE reason to keep it 15 years. Seriously. If I was going to have it up to 8 years any of the ones mentioned would be great. I was looking for trouble free. I hope that’s what I got. I think I do.
 

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I forgot to add. The 2023 Honda HRV has no stop start bs. So they’re tried and true 2.0 N/A multi port fuel injection engine. CVT I think 159 hp. The engine in today’s market is considered old school imo. It moves well enough. But not fast like the normal modern 4 bangers. I got one for the SOLE reason to keep it 15 years. Seriously. If I was going to have it up to 8 years any of the ones mentioned would be great. I was looking for trouble free. I hope that’s what I got. I think I do.
Dang, I did not realize that you could still buy such a brand-new vehicle with a PFI only engine. No DI, no start/stop, no cylinder deactivation.
I'm intrigued.
Only 138 ft/lb of torque. Like you said, not fast. But: good old-fashioned, old-school technology.
I may have to go with the wife and drive one.
 
Dang, I did not realize that you could still buy such a brand-new vehicle with a PFI only engine. No DI, no start/stop, no cylinder deactivation.
I'm intrigued.
Only 138 ft/lb of torque. Like you said, not fast. But: good old-fashioned, old-school technology.
I may have to go with the wife and drive one.
Yes- if you want to drive a penalty box.
 
Dang, I did not realize that you could still buy such a brand-new vehicle with a PFI only engine. No DI, no start/stop, no cylinder deactivation.
I'm intrigued.
Only 138 ft/lb of torque. Like you said, not fast. But: good old-fashioned, old-school technology.
I may have to go with the wife and drive one.
It’s not a dog. Accelerates fine. But it is not a turbo direct injected fast 4 banger either. But not having a turbo direct injected engine is why I bought it.
 
Dang, I did not realize that you could still buy such a brand-new vehicle with a PFI only engine. No DI, no start/stop, no cylinder deactivation.
I'm intrigued.
Only 138 ft/lb of torque. Like you said, not fast. But: good old-fashioned, old-school technology.
I may have to go with the wife and drive one.
Honda had CVT issues with the prior gen. However a lot of folks simply don't change the fluid according to all the Carfax reports I have seen in my pursuit of these vehicles as a dealer here in Atlanta.

If you're serious about buying a used one one go to 48 Hours And A Used Car. I buy cars all over the country at cost plus $500. Thanks to the auctions becoming virtual it has become an excellent purchasing model. Not a single complaint in six years now.
 
Honda had CVT issues with the prior gen. However a lot of folks simply don't change the fluid according to all the Carfax reports I have seen in my pursuit of these vehicles as a dealer here in Atlanta.

If you're serious about buying a used one one go to 48 Hours And A Used Car. I buy cars all over the country at cost plus $500. Thanks to the auctions becoming virtual it has become an excellent purchasing model. Not a single complaint in six years now.
You can say the same about the CVTs in Nissans at this point.

HR16DE is PFI, timing chain, sold globally for over a decade. Kicks, Versa use it, you can still get a Versa with a manual, but I take care of my sister in-law's Nissan Kicks and it has been unremarkably reliable, drives better than most econoboxes.
 
OP of the vehicles you listed, I think the Rav4 would be best. The Corolla Cross is fairly new, and even though it's a Toyota, all manufacturers including Toyota seem to have more issues in the early years of a models' life. The Rav4 is past the early problematic years. It's also the largest vehicle of the list, with more usable cargo room that at times will come in handy.

Having said that, drive all of them and get what you like. Certainly buying new is a good idea if you can afford it and plan to keep it long term. Financial decisions are not always the most important decisions. For example, I talked my sister into buying a new 2018 Rav4. It's the last year of that generation and all the bugs have been worked out. She was able to afford it. It's most likely the last car until she can't drive anymore because she doesn't drive a whole lot. But most importantly, at her age I didn't want to see her breaking down and stranded anywhere.
 
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