I recently hit a deer and totaled what was You call the worst car in existence a 2014 Chevy Cruze which had given Me 175k mostly trouble free miles.
I have on order a 2024 Toyota Corolla which is assembled in Mississippi and would like to have a back up car for under $2500, what Would You recommend?
I am mechanically inclined and have been working on cars since I was 11 years old for over 45 years so I can fix anything.
Just no major repairs any more. no engine, trans or differential work.
You got lucky with the Cruze. Not all of them fall apart but many of them do.
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Cruze/2014/
You're going to have a tough time finding anything decent for $2500. Maybe an old stick-shift Corolla or Civic with a couple of hundred thousand miles that's been well-maintained and has some cosmetic flaws. (Stick shift since there is less to go wrong, and the car is less desirable for most people so should sell for less.)
You made the right choice with buying a Toyota Corolla, But me personally I would buy the Camry Cause they don't use CVT Transmissions like Corolla does. For $2,500 you can find used Toyotas with around 200k miles if its in good shape I would buy it. I bought an 05 Camry in 2020 for $2,000 when it had 200k miles. I drove the car for 330k miles before the engine died. We have an 06 Camry with 375k miles and is still going strong. Get an older corolla cause those don't have CVT transmissions.
