2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness or 1993 Toyota Land Cruiser Prada 70 Series

Question

Hi,

As the title says I am a bit stuck in which car to get. The Subaru is basically new it’s from my dad and it has 12k miles on it and he is willing to sell it to me for $30k. I just saw the Toyota for sale in Oregon and it’s an import with 126k miles on it. The Toyota seems to be in great shape! And it also has had a lot of work done “maintenance wise”. The issue is that it’s also $30k. Would it be a smart choice to get the Toyota (30 year old car) or get the Subaru (1 year old)?

Dan · Accepted Answer

2022 (...) or 1993 (...)

2022.

The 2022 Subaru is definitely less of a headache than some 30 year old Toyota, and its also much safer.

$30k

A brand new 2023 Toyota RAV4 is $28k MSRP,

For a bit over $31k MSRP you can get a brand new 2023 XLE model with AWD...

So I'm not sure it makes much sense to spend brand new Toyota money on a used Subaru.

Although the Wilderness package (great ground clearance and supposed towing capacity, although I would not recommend towing anything on that CVT) on the Subaru is definitely nice.

Kaizen · Answer

if you are looking for a daily driver with lower maintenance on the onset, get the Subaru. If you are looking for a classic vehicle, that isn’t really daily driven, but will need more maintenance as it ages, get the Land Cruiser.

4ksandknives · Answer

An old car, even well maintained, will still be a machine that will eventually break down like any machine. It simply doesn't make any sense to purchase an older car unless you had sentimental value to that make/model and had disposable income to drive/maintain said car.

The used Subaru your father has is fine; however, as @Dan said, you could get an XLE model of the RAV4, full warranty and you can start properly maintaining that vehicle from the start. You could event potentially get a Hybrid model, if it makes sense for you and your driving needs/habits.

The only other reason to opt for the Subaru from your father is if there's a particular way the drive of the vehicle is preferable to a new RAV 4.

Personally, I'm thinking about either an XLE AWD Rav 4, XLE Venza, or a Touring/Premier Forester. - Hybrids for the Toyata and gas for the Forester.