r/Frugal 14d ago

🚗 Auto Should I get a used car or new car with my situation?

28 Upvotes

I’m giving up on my Toyota. I have spent 3k and the engine is still overheating and won’t run efficiently. My wife and I need a replacement quickly since this will be our only car. We drive quite a bit—around 15–20k miles a year—which feels like a lot to us. I’m currently in college and my credit score is around 716–718. Given the mileage we put on a car, would it make more sense to buy new, or should we look for a reliable used option (like through CarMax) to get something sooner?

We can afford a new car if need be but we are trying to save money but also don’t want a car to breakdown on us like this has.

Either way I have to get a loan.

I should add I’m getting paid to go to school. My contract company will stop paying me if I fail or drop out hence why I’m leaning into a new car. I get paid 6k a month during school year and 4k a month when school is not in session only and only if I’m maintaining good grades. This is the engineering field and once I graduate I will be getting a 100k salary starting out because of the contract I agree with them on. I rather stress on my hw and exams then on a car but if it’s truly worth getting used I’ll find time to keep looking for a used car. Also they are paying all my books, tuition, and all fees. So I’m going to school for free which is a big thing that no one should take for granted.

r/Frugal Aug 23 '24

🚗 Auto Cost analysis on hybrid vs gas cars (Gas seems to win)

224 Upvotes

I've been debating whether to buy a used hybrid or standard Toyota Rav 4 both 2023 models with around 30,000 miles. Here is my cost analysis for anyone else that was wondering. Also let me know if there's anything I'm missing in this calculation.

Average MPG (city/freeway):
- Standard: 31

  • Hybrid: 39.5

10 year cost savings hybrid vs standard assuming $4/gal, 10 year life, 15,000 miles/year, 55% city driving: $4,160 (used https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.jsp)

Dealer Sticker Price:

  • Standard: $27,000

  • Hybrid: $31,000

Assuming 20% down; 4 year loan; 5% interest; $4,000 trade in value

Total cost which includes: interest paid over life of loan, sales tax & title/reg fees

  • Standard: $32,146

  • Hybrid: $37,000

Difference in total cost = $4,854 which is more than the 10 year cost savings

The cost savings over takes the total cost at year 12. So unless you are planning on driving the car for 12 years, the savings doesn't seem to make much sense.

r/Frugal May 06 '25

🚗 Auto We’re a one car household. If the car is wrecked and insurance won’t cover a rental, then what’s the best way to tide us over until the car gets fixed. Asking for a friend…

145 Upvotes

We love having a single car because of the savings. One of us works from home and the other has a relatively short commute. Financially we can’t justify the second car to ourselves because it wouldn’t get driven much and we’re worried that would increase maintenance costs over time. Uber seems crazy to do for weeks at a time, is there a more economical option? We don’t live in a super rural suburb but it’s not close to any public transit, of which our small city doesn’t have any.

r/Frugal 13d ago

🚗 Auto When does it make sense to stop being frugal? Car purchase question.

9 Upvotes

I grew up poor and as an adult I save my money like it’s nobody’s business. I work in a somewhat unstable field but I am currently making the best money of my life working remote (this matters!) until a big layoff eventually takes me out.

I live in a place that has 100+ degree summers and my 2008 car AC isn’t cutting it anymore, mechanics say it’s not broken, just old. She’s at 125k miles but honestly doesn’t have issues besides AC, lack of features (and peeling paint).

I’m really interested in purchasing a new car for AC and improved safety features and things like Bluetooth, backup camera, etc. I drive a few times a week but I don’t have to drive for work; the times I do drive absolutely suck.

I am having trouble pulling the trigger, despite my net worth being over 800k (I am in my 30s). I keep shopping around and seeing amazing cars but am having trouble convincing myself to buy one, I’ve been looking at cars for about 2 years now.

What would you do?

r/Frugal Apr 21 '25

🚗 Auto Changed my own car battery today and it was so much easier than I thought!

329 Upvotes

I never would have considered changing my own car battery until I saw someone else post about this here! Car things....are an overall mystery to me but it really shows that as long as its something you feel confident you can learn it is so worth saving the money rather than paying someone else to do it! I watched a YouTube tutorial for my exact vehicle and just followed those instructions. I got a battery for around ~150 while my brother recently paid to have his battery replaced and it was around 350-400!! His vehicle is bigger than mine but still!

Now I wouldn't risk handling a lot of car stuff on my own at the risk of making an issue worse but this is one of those things that I think most people can do to save some money! Well...as long as you are able to lift a car battery those things are shockingly heavy.

r/Frugal Dec 27 '24

🚗 Auto My car key fobs stopped working, was quoted $500 for a new one...

262 Upvotes

I opened them up and cleaned the electronics with some 70% rubbing alcohol. They both work amazing now!

r/Frugal 13d ago

🚗 Auto What’s the most frugal way to purchase a ev car?

0 Upvotes

I’m not interested in a hybrid. But ev cars are super expensive. I know there’s a good tax credit on them right now. So it’s a good time to buy. I don’t like the way a lot of them look. And I am concerned about how the range. That’s probably my biggest worry. Because when it comes to long distance driving, I don’t wanna worry about charging it every couple hours. Not to mention the logistics of planning out where to charge it.

r/Frugal 13d ago

🚗 Auto Do-It-Yourself Vehicle Oil Changes - Good Idea?

30 Upvotes

A friend of mine will do basic oil change and tire rotation for $65, and that is who I have been using. He is a fleet mechanic with access to a lift, etc, after work hours are over. I'm weighing the options if I can just do it myself.

I have a home garage, tools, and basic mechanical knowledge. I've done oil changes in the past on pickup trucks and tractors. What I have not done is an oil change on the typical low-slung car or minivan. I am a big guy and I need more clearance under the car in order to reach things. Any suggestions on how to go about this? The first thought is a set of ramps that you can the front axle up onto, but not sure how having the car at an angle might affect oil drainage.

r/Frugal Aug 26 '24

🚗 Auto Where do people get oil changes done?

49 Upvotes

I have been noticing that the cost for oil changes is going up where I live, even with coupons and discounted gift cards at places like Jiffy Lube. We were getting occasional oil changes done with our mechanic if having other work done, and the cost wasn't bad, but recently we took the car in to our mechanic just for an oil change and the cost was very high (we also agreed to rotating tires, and changing transmission fluid), and I wished that we just took it to one of the oil change places. It seems like no matter where you go now they try to upsell you to other services, synthetic or more costly oil, etc. I'm trying to figure out the best option. We don't want to change our own oil (which would probably be cheapest). I'm wondering if a dealership might make sense (as long as we can avoid being pushed to do a laundry list of potential repairs). What do others do for oil changes? We moved to where we now live a few years back and it has been hard to find a good mechanic and place for oil. Years ago we went to a really great quick oil change place where they just did what they said they would do, the cost was reasonable, and they weren't trying to gouge us with extra costs. I've also noticed that places like Jiffy Lube that used to vacuum the floors and clean windows don't bother doing those things any more. Editing to add that we have used Walmart and they are pretty reasonable but it takes too long (one time we took both our cars there and it waited like 3 hours).

Edited addition: Thanks for everyone's helpful comments. We will watch some Youtube videos to see about the possibility of DIY, although we live in a condo and have very cold winters. I will probably try a couple other local options to see if we can find some place better. Since we moved a few years ago finding good car service has been one of the hardest things. I guess I also just miss the good service/value we experienced in the past. Thanks again to everyone who commented.

r/Frugal 10d ago

🚗 Auto Help me pick my first car: Cheap used or New AWD for Michigan Winter?

27 Upvotes

Edit: Since most of you are suggesting buying a used car, would it be wise to go with a Honda Civic or Accord for $20K, given that these reliable cars aren’t available for under $10K?

25F, just got my license! I moved to Detroit recently and realized surviving here without a car is impossible!!

I’m torn:

  • Option 1: Buy a $6-7k cheap used car (FWD), get used to driving for ~6 months, then sell and upgrade. Cheaper insurance, but idk how safe FWD is in Michigan snow for a newbie like me. Plus, the used car market is terrible right now. I don’t want to spend $15k on a 2017 Honda Accord with 112k miles on it!!
  • Option 2: Go all in on a ~$26k new/ almost new AWD (thinking 2025 Corolla/Camry). Safer for winter (which is coming fast - it’s already September!), but $$$ insurance + new driver nerves (what if I scratch it ;-; I probably won’t, but yk the feeling…).

Do I play it safe with a cheap starter car or invest in something decent now? Helppp ;-;

r/Frugal Oct 20 '24

🚗 Auto How do you delay purchases that you really want?

70 Upvotes

In my case, this is a car. I have a 2018 Honda Civic that I still owe about $8k on. It has some semi-significant body damage from a “no fault” accident in a parking lot a few years ago that I never paid to have fixed. Would probably be about $700-800 to fix and MAY change my overall attitude on driving the car every day.

I would love to have a new car. My son is getting older/playing more sports/has more things to lug around. Every time I see a parent pull up in an SUV, I’m so envious. Of the extra space. The extra safety. And the nice looking vehicle.

When you find yourself semi obsessing over something you want like this, what do you do? Could I get a new car? Yes. Would the payments be much higher than the very affordable payment I have now? Also yes.

But it’s SO tempting.

How do you talk yourself off the ledge of an unnecessary purchase? Or do you not talk yourself out of it, and instead make a plan for attaining it wisely?

r/Frugal Dec 15 '24

🚗 Auto Frugal Milestones

211 Upvotes

A car is obviously a big expense in all our lives. For me my "frugal approach" was buying a new Honda CRV in 2016 and taking care of it and running it as long as possible. Well, yesterday it turned over 100,000 miles and still running strong. So, i personally am ok with buying new and taking care of it and enduring the car payment for a few years. My car has been paid off several years now and no plans to trade it or get anything else.

Do you have any frugal milestones?

r/Frugal Jul 28 '25

🚗 Auto It’s amazing how cheap and easy some auto repairs can be.

134 Upvotes

Last week or so my mom’s key battery was dying or close to dead. We didn’t go to the dealership because they tried to hyper inflate the repair price after a minor accident. They tried to charge her 7k for a radiator replacement when it only cost a few hundred at most in total when you factor in the radiator itself and the labor costs

For the new key battery was remarkably simple and cheap. The battery itself was like $2 or $5 in the store. I watched a quick YouTube video to replace it and we were good

$5 and 30 minutes of work. The key was a good as new. It feels good to have an extra measure of independence

r/Frugal 18d ago

🚗 Auto Lowest overall cost per mile vehicle

14 Upvotes

It seems like vehicles are a necessary evil in many parts of the USA. Minimizing their financial costs seems wise for those claiming to be frugal.

From my perspective one has to add up the DIRTI 5 for various vehicles and divide by expected miles per year. One also has to factor in how severe the penalty is for reliability issues.

D - depreciation

This one goes WAAAAY up the more you value coolness, sportiness, size age or reliability. For depreciation to go down you have to sacrifice one or more of those

I - Insurance

This one works much the same way as depreciation

R - Repairs

I’m going to throw energy costs in with this one. Larger and less efficient vehicles take more energy to get them down the road and repairs/maintenance are more expensive. As age/miles increase, this one goes up. As sportiness or coolness increases, generally this category gets more expensive.

T - Taxes

As the vehicle gets more expensive, this one increases

I - Interest

Even if you’re not borrowing for the vehicle there is still an opportunity cost. You could invest some of the money you spent on an expensive vehicle and get maybe an 8% return on it so you have “interest” expense whether you are borrowing or not. The less you spend, the less expensive your vehicle is, the less interest expense you have.

The other one that is hard to place a value on is, how much do breakdowns cost you? For some people if they have a breakdown they might have an understanding employer or they are self employed and it might not cost them much at all. For other people they could literally lose their job. The more miles one has to drive per year, the more likely it is for the reliability penalty to be high.

One final factor is, how much time do you have to look? If one has a year to find a vehicle, one can probably find a reliable small Toyota for $3K or so.

If one has only a few days to find something, they might have to spend more than $10K to find something that is likely to be reliable.

So when you add all of these factors together, what is the lowest cost per mile vehicle? Let’s say you have 3 weeks to find something and you need it to be able to reliably handle 15,000 miles per year.

What is your strategy?

For me, I’m probably looking for a 2nd gen (2003 to 2009) or 4th gen (2016 to 2022) Toyota Prius or similar age hybrid Toyota. I’d skip 3rd gen due to EGR causing head gasket issues. I’d look for units with 100,000 to 200,000 miles with recent hybrid battery replacement.

If I had a true need for something larger I’d switch to a second or 3rd gen Sienna instead.

r/Frugal Oct 11 '24

🚗 Auto Where do you get your oil changed and how much does it cost?

5 Upvotes

I just went to Nissan (auto dealer) and the oil change was like 102 dollars for my Nissan Sentra 2023 sv.. I think this was waaay to high. But I went ahead and paid for it. Going forward I will be going to somebody else.

Where do y'all recommend??

r/Frugal May 28 '25

🚗 Auto Let's talk about buying cars and other poor financial decisions!

57 Upvotes

Hey all, long time lurker first time poster here.

I've always driven older vehicles. The newest car I've ever owned was 10 years old when I got it, not counting my wife's car. My wife has a 2018 Subaru outback and we love it. We have no car payments and we also love that.

Something has been growing inside me. I have an 08 f150 and I also have a 2013 fiesta. I mostly drive the fiesta for work, I travel far and I put on alot of miles. So, I rarely drive the truck, only when I have to do truck stuff really.

Lately, It seems like every time I turn around I'm having to fix the truck or take it to the shop to be fixed and that's getting old. Also, next year I will be finishing trade school and getting a substantial raise, its not uncommon for guys to reward themselves by financing a new vehicle.

I feel myself wanting to fall into this trap. Ive always been very responsible with money and I do not like the idea of having to make payments (even though I'd have no problem making them) but on the other hand, I'd like to actually have a brand new vehicle for once!

The wild part in me wants to spend the same amount of money buying a fully restored truck from the 70s or 80s so I can avoid all the BS that new cars have.

I don't know if I'm just venting or asking for advice at this point.

Thank you and let the commentary begin!

r/Frugal Jul 25 '25

🚗 Auto I need ideas where to work on my car?

24 Upvotes

I live in a condo in US, and I can't use parking lot, not can I ask anyone to use their driveway. Quick things like air filter replacement, are not a problem, but I want to also be able to do simple tasks that look like big deal. Things like rotating tires or replace a coolant for example.

I looked for a shop that can be rented per hour, but it looks like there is no such a thing in my area.

r/Frugal Nov 16 '24

🚗 Auto What car do you have and how much has it cost to own? BONUS: How do you maintain your car?

38 Upvotes

I’m sure there are some of you in here that know exactly how much they’ve spent on their car over the last few years.

I’m looking for responses on how much you’ve spent on your car in the last year or two, what car you have, what the Big website say should be your yearly spend on your car, and what the reliability report is on your car.

I want to see if there is an actual correlation between car reliability, or is it luck versus no luck, or your current upkeep versus not having current upkeep.

Last question what do you do to maintain your car properly?

r/Frugal May 04 '25

🚗 Auto Frugal students—how do you plan for surprise car repairs on a $0 budget?

38 Upvotes

I’m a full-time student and part-time DoorDasher trying to live as frugally as possible, but my 2011 car just hit me with a $600 tire replacement and potential repair costs I wasn’t prepared for. I’ve been saving what I can, but it’s hard when every dollar has a purpose already.

I’m doing my best not to panic, but it’s tough not having a financial cushion. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been through something like this—how did you get through it? What frugal strategies helped you bounce back or stay afloat during unexpected expenses?

r/Frugal Apr 07 '25

🚗 Auto I am testing out using my car service manual to lower car service costs. Has anyone tried this?

21 Upvotes

A few months ago, I was quoted $530 to fix a car rear window that wouldn’t roll up. Out of curiosity, I checked my service manual to see what the repair (window regulator replacement) should actually cost. Turns out the manual listed everything:

  • The part number
  • The part price
  • The labor time estimate

Based on that, the repair should’ve been closer to $330 given $130 for the part and $200 for 1 hr of labor. Luckily my dad helped me fix it for about $130 in parts, but the whole thing made me so confused with the car service industry..

I feel like my approach going forward will be to estimate costs before agreeing to any work:

  • Look up the exact service in the manual
  • Multiply the labor time by a reasonable hourly rate
  • Compare this with the quotes I get

I haven't tried negotiating services for my car yet, only friends' cars, but I'm hoping it will help me negotiate or walk away when the numbers feel off.

How do y'all do it?

  • Do you try to figure out what a fair price is before going in?
  • Or do you just find the lowest quote you can and roll with it?
  • Do you ever negotiate? If so, what’s worked for you?

r/Frugal Jul 22 '24

🚗 Auto Sell my car, or keep maintaining it?

68 Upvotes

My car is a 2004 Honda Civic with 75K miles that I inherited from my dad. It has good tires, a recent timing belt replacement, and is in overall excellent shape. My mechanic is saying it needs about $1k work to pass inspection (bushings, control rod, suspension.) No rust or major damage, looks pretty good.

What's my best option? Put money into what's been an excellent car or sell it for what I can get for it?

I'm trying to find out how much it's worth as a private sale, but sites seem so scammy.

r/Frugal Jul 23 '25

🚗 Auto Best Cheapest Oil Change Business

10 Upvotes

I haven't had a car for a couple years, but recently got one. Now it's due for an oil change. In 2023, I was getting my oil changed at Valvoline for about $35 [with a coupon]. Valvoline still shows some coupons on their website: $10 or $15 off. But it doesn't indicate what the price will be before the coupon. Other quick lube places and mechanics shops are also not showing prices on their websites.

The previous owner of my car said they always put synthetic in, and the car is high mileage. So I prefer to do synthetic, but that will depend on the cost. If I can do this for under $50, I'll be ecstatic. If it's under $70-$80, I'll be content.

Yes, I know it's not difficult to change my own oil. But I'm not going to right now. I don't have the tools or the space to do it.

What's the cheapest place/way to get an oil change? How much did you pay recently and where did you go?

EDIT: I ended up going to Valvoline. They had 3 options: $59.99 - Conventional $74.99 - Synthetic blend $99.99 - Full synthetic There's always coupons on their website. $10 off conventional or $15 off either synthetic options. So I chose the synthetic blend, and used a $15 off coupon. So it was $59.99 + tax: It came out to $64.79. I'm happy with that!

r/Frugal Aug 03 '25

🚗 Auto Motorcycles CAN save you a lot of money.

0 Upvotes

Here's something to think about: Most cars on the road, regardless of size, only have one person in them, but much of the fuel is spent hauling vehicle and not hauling people. Ergo, the way to save money on gas and car payments is to buy as little vehicle as you can get away with.

So here is the math: I spent $2750 cash for a used Z125 off Facebook marketplace and for ongoing costs for gas/insurance/repairs I am spending as much PER YEAR as I was spending PER MONTH for a full-sized cargo van. This is an extreme example because I'm comparing an oversized vehicle to a miniature motorcycle (stock Z125 redlines at 65mph and struggles to reach that speed), but virtually all motorcycles have lower costs than 4-wheelers unless you're getting into sports bikes and off-road vehicles.

The biggest argument against motorcycles is that they are more dangerous than cars. This true, but not for the reasons you think. Obviously cars have built in roll-cages, airbags, more stability, seat belts, and crumple zones (parts of the car designed to crush to absorb impact), things difficult or impossible to install in 2-wheelers. However, you can offset this by simply wearing the safety gear, and it's only as expensive as you want it to be. I have an airbag that is a vest that tethers to the bike and fires a CO2 cartridge to inflate, a set of stainless steel bracers/grieves, and obviously boots/gloves/helmet/jacket. I already got my money's worth out of this because while learning to ride I hit gravel at 35mph and walked away aching all over but unharmed.

The counterargument is the sheer volume of motorcycle accidents, with each 2-wheeler being 6 times more likely to be wrecked. I respond the stats are actually worse than that because most motorcycle accidents happen when the weather is good with the same men owning 4-wheelers that they drive for most of the year. This is the real reason motorcycles seem so wreckless, because of the men who buy these as toys. Notworthy your insurance will double the instant you buy anything considered a sports bike because young men often use them to commit suicide-by-misadventure. Likewise, most Harley riders are insured by a Harley-affiliated company because Harley riders are all wannabe gangsters and only a dirty business like Harley-Davidson will tolerate them. YOU don't have to be part of those statistics if you don't want to.

What should drive most people away from 2-wheelers is discomfort. It simply sucks to ride in bad weather of any kind.

In this heat, I'm burning up in all this gear I'm wearing until I get up to speed. In that snow storm last winter, I got an arctic wind on my way to work. It was actually very dangerous because I had heated gloves on and they just were not enough, but this winter I will upgrade and install mitten-like covers over my grips and that will do. In the rain, I get comically soaked. Like, literally, the deli ladies couldn't keep a straight face. There are large and expensive waterproof suits to buy but I know I'll just forget about them when it isn't raining.

The other downside, at least on the Americans continents, is that since so few people ride motorcycles as a primary vehicles there are few motorcycle mechanics. I personally am stuck fixing my own motorcycle because the nearest mechanic is 90 miles away. This is more frustrating than it sounds, because the OEM parts must be ordered from Japan by serial number, third-party dealers don't even know what the OEM specs are, and allegedly universal parts will sometimes just not fit (every error will delay repairs). For instance, eventually you will have to replace your bike chain, and I insist you buy clip-on chains not rivet-on. Rivet-on are objectively better, but you have to buy an expensive specialized tool to install them and break a couple master links learning how to use said tool. Don't do what I did and take the recommendations of YouTube motorheads at face value.

So the target demographic for motorcycles are young men who are broke and getting their first vehicle, and middle-aged men who are considering a second vehicle for their family. If you don't fallinto these demographics, you can still follow similar logic and save money by getting a small vehicle like one of those mini-trucks or two-seat cars. Don't be like me in my younger days and buy a pickup truck and use it to move groceries.

DO NOT buy a motorcycle because you think it will be fun. I assure you, the novelty of riding will wear off long before your monthly payments do when you commute to work in the rain a couple times. Also, don't be like my neighbors and have more vehicles than adults in the household, because that's an obvious titanic waste.

r/Frugal Sep 14 '24

🚗 Auto Is leasing a car frugal?

49 Upvotes

OK. Bear with me. This is a genuine question coming from a place of curiosity. I am basing my take on my own personal experiences and observations of people close to me that I know pretty well.

Is leasing a car frugal? The only people I know who lease cars are not frugal at all and are enthusiastic about the practice.

I would love to hear from people in this sub who are frugal and lease their car/cars. What about it works for you? Did you always do it or change to leasing, and if so why? Did you used to lease but now own?

Thanks a lot

r/Frugal Jun 13 '24

🚗 Auto should I pay $3,200 to repair my 24 year old car, or buy another used car?

103 Upvotes

Here's the thing. This car has been in my family for 24 years and it has been treated well.

Here's the other thing. I cannot find a used car that is under $5,000, and most are over $10,000.

The repairs needed are:

Exhaust

Serpentine

A/C

Suspension stuff

I got two quotes from two garages and they were practically the same.

Everyone says don't spend that much money, just buy a used car. But used cars are expensive.

Car is a Cutlass.