These Cars Are A Better Buy Than The Cheapest New Car In America

It will come as a surprise to no one to find out that if I had $17,245 to spend on a used car, I would buy an orange Dodge Challenger. Crazy, I know. I’m sorry, but there’s just nothing a base Nissan Versa could do to convince me it is in any way shape or form better than a Hemi-powered Challenger with a pistol grip shifter. I’m a simple man, after all.

When tasked with finding a car I’d rather own for that amount of money, the Challenger was my first and only choice. I mean, it is so much better than a new Versa in so many ways. Sure, it doesn’t have a warranty and will probably cost a good deal of money for maintenance, but who really cares about that? Not me. Hell, I’d go so far as to say it’s more practical than a new Versa. It definitely fits four people more comfortably, even if it is a coupe, and it’s got a bigger trunk! Yeah, gas milage will be bad, who the hell cares, man?

Anyway, I found a perfect example of Challenger to illustrate my point. What we’ve got here is a 2013 Challenger R/T with just 81,000 miles on the clock — finished in the correct orange color with a slightly aftermarket pistol grip shifter. It’s perfect. Like a new Versa, this Challenger hasn’t been in any accidents either. All you gotta do is take off those dumb vent things a previous owner put over the rear window, and you’re good to go.

Folks, when you’re given the options of a V8 muscle car or an econobox, you take the muscle car every time. It’s the American way.

I drove this car when it launched, and I think it might be the perfect responsible enthusiast daily driver car on the used market. You get Honda reliability, excellent handling, quiet comfort, and row-your-own driving all in one package. While the 2.0T was the more fun version, essentially using a slightly detuned Civic Type R engine, this 1.5T is cribbed from the Civic Si, and it’s still quite fun while providing better fuel economy. Throw a tune and some go-fast parts on it, and you’ll have a quick little machine you’re not afraid of or want to avoid driving. At just $16,000 flat, you’ll save $1,250 bucks over the Versa, and you’ll have a much better car. I don’t think this pick can be beat.

Really, the correct answer here is a used Chevrolet Bolt, as you can pick one of those up for a bargain price these days, and if you’re looking to save money then EV charging is sure to help out. But if I had a cool $17,000 to throw at a car that’s probably not what I’d get. Instead, I’d head straight to the commercial vehicle yard and snap up the best-looking Transit Connect they had lying around. I love that little van.

Sadly killed off by Ford in recent years, the Transit Connect is the real car of the American people. It’s got space to haul around a family, can be specced out with enough trunk space for all your hopes and dreams, and can basically be a blank canvas for whatever your little automotive heart desires.

Sure, you could take this plain white Transit and leave it as it is, the way the Blue Oval intended. Or, you could mount bike racks to the back, fit a little kitchen into the rear and, ooo I don’t know, maybe fashion a folding bed into the back of the van. Then you’ve got the perfect weekend getaway machine.

What’s more, for the cost of a new Nissan Versa you could get your hands on this decent looking Transit and still have a few thousand dollars left over to turn it into the micro camper of your dreams. So yes, if I had $17,245 to spend on a car, I’d get a van and be all the happier for it.

Though this car is slightly over budget, I feel confident that I could talk it down into the established price range; it’s currently listed at $17,499 so it’s only $254 above budget. I desperately want a 2020 230i cabriolet in Alpine White with a Coral Red interior, and this 228i comes close to my current attainable dream spec. I like smaller cars despite my 6'8" stature, and I want something front engine, rear wheel drive, so aside from this example’s automatic transmission, it is my perfect spec.

This 228i actually has lower miles than my current daily, and it’s located in Las Vegas so I could take a quick Spirit flight out there and drive my new-to-me convertible back home. I could even test my luck at the casinos to get my gas money, or money for a solid inspection and detail job if it came down to it. Instead of driving a base model Nissan Versa which is an under-powered tin can compared to this compact convertible sports car, I would love to spend that same sum of money on this lightly used Bavarian statement car. And it has the M Sport Package? Sign me up.

I wanted to maximize the amount of style I can get for the price cap, so I chose this 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG. The CLS is one of the most influential pieces of design the automotive industry has ever seen, and this is a rare example of an AMG version that isn’t painted in silver or black. Its metallic red paint and beige interior calls back to the original Vision CLS concept car, and I adore the five-spoke AMG wheels.

As to be expected from a near-20-year-old car with 70,559 miles, there are a few cosmetic problems like a missing tow-hook cap and some blemished and discolored leather, but overall this CLS63 looks to be in great shape. The CarFax only shows two previous owners, the first of whom owned it for 15 years, and while it does have minor front-end damage reported, there is a long history of the car being serviced at Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables, Florida.

That’s all stuff that I can get over, especially for the $14,999 price — a drop of a couple grand compared to what this CLS was listed for last month. Making up for the cosmetic issues even further is the CLS 63's naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V8, which delivers 507 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels and sounds amazing doing it. This one’s even got heated and ventilated seats, automatic climate control and parking sensors. Maybe I should actually just buy this thing.

If I’m going to go cheap, I’m going to go comfortable. The last decade or so of cars has given the used market options that will give you a lot of car for a little money. My choice for something that would be cheaper than a new Versa is the Kia K900.

The K900 is Kia’s often forgotten attempt at a luxury sedan that was to do battle with the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Lexus LS. The first gen debuted for 2012 and was Kia’s first time offering a rear-wheel-drive vehicle in the U.S., and they’re dirt cheap on the used market if you’re looking for something cheap and comfortable to get around in.

The example I found here is for sale at a dealer in Portland, Oregon. A 2015, it has 74,828 miles and is just $15,995. You get a lot for this coin. Up front there’s a 5.0-liter 420 horsepower V8 paired with an eight-speed automatic. Inside you get all the luxury goodies like leather seats with heating and cooling for both rows,there’s also a panoramic roof and tri-zone climate control. Not bad for compact car money.