I have been living in the States for about 16 years and ever since I arrived I loved cars (car, SUVs, CUVs, trucks). It is so easy to buy an automobile here. It does not matter if you are a laborer, an engineer, a doctor, or a CEO of the company you can buy a car. Where I came from (Vietnam) it is easier to afford a house than buy an automobile because of 300%+ of the pricetag comparing to what we pay here.

Buying a car is easy, how much can you afford is another story. I remembered my very first car was a used 1989 Chrysler LeBaron 2-doors. It got me thru 2 years of HS and a year in college then 1989 Maxima SE, 1991 Civic DX, 1994 Camry LE. All of these purchases involved my dad as buyer but I made the monthly payments. I finally bought a 1991 Accord EX coupe with my own financing. This car with more than 140k miles on the clock lasted me well after college until I sold it and bought my first “REAL” car. There was a Suzuki GSX-R 600 in the mixed that my older brother and I bought together. This purchase had caused my mom not to speak to both of us for 3 months. We had to park the bike in the shed because she hated to see it in the garage (her main problem is because she fears for our safety).

My first real purchase was a new 2002 Toyota 4Runner 4WD Sport Edition Thundercloud Metallic. This is the BEST car purchase so far. This SUV has the look, the value, and the ability to go anywhere anytime. It is rare to see another 4Runner with these same options like mine. I sold the 4Runner 8.5 years later and still turn head to look at it if I happen to see another Sport Edition.

My second new car was a 2007 Lexus IS250 AWD Matador Red Mica for my spouse. This is a nice little car, just too small for a family with 4 people. We both love the look of this car but 3 years later we traded it in for a new Matador Red Mica RX350. To be honest, I don’t like this crossover that much. I bought it because I want my family to be safe when we drive it rather than the small IS. I prefer to roll in my 4Runner instead. I was sad to let go of my 4Runner but because of my work and my driving it cost too much for gas so I sold it (at 15-16 city and about 19 highway). I replaced the 4Runner with a new Camry SE I4, great gas mileage, decent handling, and great looking. The main factor for me to buy it was CHEAP. It is the last year model so Toyota unloaded them and I got it for 18% off of MRSP price, paid $21.5k for a $26k car. I drove that car for 18 months and had enough of it so I traded it in for a Lexus RX450h. Now, even though this RX is very similar to my spouse’s RX350 it is very different as well. This is one of my BEST automobile purchases so far. It may rank at the same level or just a little tiny lower than the 4Runner purchase.

What was your BEST automobile purchase ever? Please share your thoughts . These pictures are NOT mine (they are from the web) but my cars look just like that.

 

I agree with the 4 Runner purchase! I bought a brand new 01 sport edition, similar to the pic that you posted. It wasn't the fastest thing on wheels but it was reliable. 185,000 miles later I traded it in for an 05 Pathfinder.

 

A 2001 gs430 that I purchased in 2005 for $20k.... and still own.

Simply the best value ever. Barely ever required any repairs besides regular maintenance. I've put about 90k on the clock (bought it with ~55k, now it has ~145k) and it cost me less overall than a Civic would.

 

Probably the 2002 RX i bought a couple years ago. It was CPO, 67k miles and i got it for $15,000. Looking at Autotrader, it hasn't lost a lot of value and it will stay in the family for a while (hopefully).

 

I got 90k miles on this now, it looks and feels like most cars with 10k miles

The longer I own this car, the more I am continuously amazed by it.

 

Jeff, you got 90000 miles on it now? Geez, how many miles you drive?
I put 9000 miles on my 11 Sienna for about year and half.

My best purchase ( and regret sold them ) are 01 LX470, 01 LS430 UL, 05 Sequoia, 03 IS300 Manual and 04 LS430 UL. All others I don't miss at all.

 

I've owned plenty of cars in my lifetime now but the answer to this has to be my 2000 GS400. Even though the high performance stuff has been taken off and it is now "retired" the car looks fantastic and has served us with minimal issues since we bought it new. A feeling even the brief IS-F ownership couldn't remove.

Amazingly enough a 1993 Dodge Intrepid ES is #2 on the list. In spite of some problems it was an amazing package for the time.

 

I bought it with 47k miles 4 years ago. So I do the national average of about 10k a year

I try to drive my SC430 as much as I can to reduce the miles I put on the LS, but the LS is just too sweet, I can't resist. Even the SC430 can't make me stop driving my LS

 

My best value for an automobile was.... okay dont laugh, my 2002 GMC Envoy SLT. Okay, done smirking yet? I bought it from a friend who bought it new for his lease buy out in 2004 for 14K. It had 16,000kms on it or 10,000 miles and was fully loaded.

Aside from replacing tires and brakes and normal wear and tear issues, I think I only had to replace the wiper motor ($55 used) and ignition coils for $240 for all 6. This truck was rock solid, towed my quads and sleds easily, comfortable enough for long distance trips and had all the luxury one could ask for in a vehicle of that era and price. The only draw back for me was that it was hard on gas in the city where I do most of my driving and that is why I just recently sold it.

I bought a new 2012 RX450H fully loaded and I must say that I do really like it. It is a little smaller than the Envoy and getting 4 hockey bags in is a challenge but the upside to the ride and more than double or almost triple the gas milage in the city.

I just sold the Envoy and it had a perfect safety on it and 250,000kms on it and had no rust at all. I sold it for $8500. This vehicle cost me only $5,500 to drive almost 240,000 kms and 8 years. The cost of ownership, aside from the gas was less that a grand a year. I am sure that my Lexus will be even better although it will cost alot more per year when all is done but thats okay.

My worst purchase was a 91 Mercedes 300e. It was brand new and was a great car to drive. The only problem was that I traded in an 86 300e to buy it. The reason this was my worst value is that after two weeks I realized that the new car felt/drove and looked just like the one I just sold and it cost me $30K to learn that lesson. That 30K would have paid for a lot of work that may have been needed in the future if I had kept the 86. I still see the 91 around town so it must have been fairly reliable.