Hi Scotty,
I’m having a hard time deciding for new vehicle. Im 23 years old and I’m currently driving a 2008 Honda civic. This is going to be my first new vehicle and it has to be new. I’m looking at either Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator, Civic Type R, or BMW 4 series.
Thank you,
All new vehicles these days unfortunately are pretty much crap. Even Toyota is having problems with self-destructing engines and melting plastics. Most of the others you mention are even worse. You'd be better off buying something about 10 years old that has reasonable miles and was well cared for. (Of course you would need a good mechanic to check out any candidates before purchase.)
You can see a number of vehicles reviewed by Scotty near the bottom of the main page.
Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator, Civic Type R, or BMW 4 series.
If you're not set on anything, either the Toyota Tacoma or the normal Honda Civic will bet your best bet.
Im 23 years old
Your insurance rates will absolutely skyrocket if you buy a Type R.
BMWs are toys for the rich, they inevitably break, and they cost an absolute fortune to fix.
Jeep is owned by Stellantis; Peugeot and Fiat basically morphed into one giant corporation. Stellantis is not known for quality and never has been. Peugeot doesn't even make a car for the US market. In the '80s, Peugeot tried to reenter the US car market and they were unsuccessful because of poor quality. Scotty loves calling Stellantis the Three Stooges in automobile manufacturing.
Avoid the new midsize Rangers. They have the GM-Ford 10-speed, and they're still being recalled for transmission issues.
I can resonate with the indecisiveness between vehicle categories. As an diehard automobile guy who is also your age, I can say that if you want a truck, get a new Tacoma (yes, it is a 4-cylinder turbo). If you want the BMW, get an ex-loaner/demo 430i to get a discounted price while also qualifying for new car incentives. Talk about getting bang for your buck; a used car that qualifies for new car incentives. The M440i goes for a small fortune, either new or ex-loaner/demo.
Civic Type-R is sweet, but good luck not getting ripped off as those have low supply and high demand. Dealers will mark those babies up, period. And the greedy/crooked ones will mark them up by a 5-figure amount.
Hope my guide helps. I wish you the best of luck in your vehicle purchase.
