These 5 Cars Make the Most Financial Sense, Says Expert Tyler Gardner, Our Take May Surprise You

Which vehicle to buy is a very important purchase decision for American consumers. Many financial experts offer their input, but they don’t test 75 vehicles per year as we do. Here is the advice from TikTok’s most successful free financial advice guru, Tyler Gardner, and a bit of input to help narrow your purchase based on our expertise as vehicle experts.

Vehicles are the largest depreciating purchase, and aside from your mortgage and taxes, they will absorb more of your family budget than any other line item. If you want to make a sensible choice, start by buying used. As Tyler Gardner puts it, “Someone else took the depreciation hit, so you don't have to."

Buy Used, But Buy Smart Used
Used is great advice, but let us narrow that a bit for our readers. We strongly suggest that you refine your used-vehicle purchase search to look for cars still under the powertrain warranty. For most cars, that is five years or 60,000 miles. For some, like Acura and Lexus, it’s a bit longer. This will give you the chance to have any major powertrain repairs handled by the manufacturer. Even just 3,000 miles or three months of remaining warranty will be enough to uncover any looming huge engine, high-voltage battery, or transmission bills. Since you are buying used, you really don't know if the vehicle has a hidden problem. Having a mechanic look over your used vehicle consideration before buying is great if possible, but let's face it. Most buyers never do that. 

Buy A Hybrid If Possible
Many of the vehicles on Tyler’s list are available as hybrids. We like Toyota hybrids because, despite the unenlightened armchair car experts who claim otherwise, hybrids are simpler, more reliable vehicles. No starter motor, no alternator, no front to rear driveshaft, no engine belts. Hybrids have regenerative braking, so brakes last longer. Best of all, the warranty on all the hybrid parts is super long. We’ll take the slightly higher price hit to get a fixed cost of ownership all day long.

Only Consider Used Cars With Full Maintenance Records
Used cars have a huge financial advantage. However, if the one you are considering hasn't been properly maintained, don't buy it. If the seller does not have a folder showing every oil change and every major service being performed, don't buy it. The reason for the documents is that you can’t buy or use an extended warranty without that set of documents.

If possible, buy a Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle (CPO) or Buy a Manufacturer’s Extended Warranty
Above, we told you that we would look for a vehicle still under the manufacturer’s powertrain warranty. Even better is to find one that is under the full bumper-to-bumper warranty. That means less than three years old. The price will be higher, but you have the luxury of buying a manufacturer’s extended warranty. Once you do that, you have a fixed cost of ownership. Never buy a third-party warranty. Certified pre-owned vehicles already come with an extended warranty. So, the extra cost is well worth it. 
Here are Tyler’s picks, and his commentary. You can find this list with his cool selfie-style content at this link.

1) Toyota Corolla Any Model After 2015 - "200,000 miles of documented reliability. Absurd resale value. Cheap insurance. Cheap on gas. Cheap to maintain. You will not talk about this car at parties. You’ll talk about all the money you didn't spend on it." Our advice is to get a 2020 or newer and opt for a hybrid trim. You’ll save a lot on fuel.

2) Toyota Prius Any Year - "50+ MPG. You’re saving $1,200 a year compared to a 25 MPG car. Over ten years, that’s $12,000, which is most of the purchase price. You didn’t buy a car, you bought a rebate that drives." Our advice is to buy newer than 2011. There were some issues with the Prius from 2005 to 2010. Plus, the battery won’t last forever, and those are now very old cars.

3) Mazda CX-5 -  "Best value in the segment, lower insurance cost than a CR-V, and a reasonable depreciation curve. Budget 25K to get a 20 or 21. : Looks sharp, drives well, won’t ambush you with repair bills. This is the SUV that actually made peace with math." Our advice is to look for a turbocharged CX-5. The driving satisfaction is at another level, and there is no meaningful fuel economy hit.

4) Toyota Camry Used 3-5 Years Old -  "Bulletproof reliability, 32 MPG, and insurance so cheap, it’s almost insulting." Our advice is to buy the hybrid trim. Any added cost will be returned to you in fuel and maintenance savings.

5) Honda Civic Used 3-5 Years Old -  "36 MPG and maintenance costs that won’t require a support group. $15K to $20K for ten-plus years of reliable transportation. It’s a responsible financial plan hiding in a sensible compact." Our advice is to get a Civic hatchback. Not a sedan or coupe. The added space is amazing.

Tyler’s advice is sound. These are the best value vehicles for general use you can buy. If you want to buy a purely fun car, opt for an NC-generation Miata or an early ND generation. That means model years 2006 onward. Be sure the synchros are not stripped, and the clutch works well, and you have a very durable, long-term Sunday fun car.

What do you think of our list? Tell us in the comments below if you’d add or delete a vehicle to this top five best vehicles list. 

John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Images by John Goreham.