How Much Used Car Can You Get For The Average Price Of A New Car?

$33,340 American dollars. That is the average transaction price of a new car or truck in these United States of America as of June 2015*. Seems kind of high right? That’s because it is, at least for the majority of Americans who face stagnant wages and a tough job market.

 Nonetheless, truck and SUV sales soared during the month of April, thanks in part to lower fuel prices and refreshed models becoming more widely available. Further contributing to the sales boom is the availability of credit and long term lease/financing programs, some up stretching to 72 months. There are many choices on the new car market around the $33k price point and a lot of them are very solid vehicles too. As my friend Tom McParland pointed out in this Jalopnik piece, you can take home a variety of nicely equipped cars for around the average transaction amount. A loaded Volkswagen GTI, Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited, and Ford Mustang GT are all within a few hundred dollars of the national average. While I like each of those cars, I wouldn’t fork over my hard earned cash for any of them and not because they’re not worth it either. No, my issue is that I know how far $33k and change gets you in the pre-owned market. To keep this fair, I’m only considering vehicles available with some sort of warranty or from a CPO program. Yes, you could go out and get a classic 911, or M5, or any number of currently appreciating vehicles for around $33k. However, the costs of owning such a vehicle can be astronomical, or at the very least, detrimental to an individual’s bank account. I like to think I have people’s best interests in mind when I suggest a vehicle to them, especially those folks who use AutoTempest. So, below you will find a few examples of what I think are great pre-owned alternatives to new vehicles that are about the same price. If you really want to test your luck, browse these AutoTempest search results for any vehicle 2015 or older that costs between $33k and $33,500. If you’re going to do so I hope you have some time to kill because the options, are shall we say, plentiful. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude- $33,000

  2013 Subaru WRX STI- $33,500

  2010 Lexus IS-F- $33,000

2011 Audi S6- $33,000  

2010 Porsche Cayenne GTS- $33,000  

2014 BMW 328d- $33,000

2009 BMW M3- $33,000

  * via Kelley Blue Book