I’m looking for tips for a good family car for around €20,000. Based on the discussion, it’s not worth buying a hybrid? Thanks!
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Toyota Auris:
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Great breakdown!
This made me think about my own car costs a bit more closely. This also perhaps confirmed why colleagues who earn the same as I do, but drive electric cars, seem to have more disposable income left over than I do. 
Of course, our usage needs are completely different, and I’m also interested in cars as more than just a means of getting from point A to point B.
I tend to drive less in the winter, so fuel costs are lower, but still significant.
I drive an 8-year-old car for which I paid over €40k a year ago, with a financing/equity split of about 50/50. Similar ones are still being sold on Nettiauto for around €40k.
I think the financing is affordable in terms of interest costs, with the APR (annual percentage rate) being around 2%.
-Financing €350/mo.
-Tax €74/year.
-Insurance (Traffic + comprehensive) €1,000/y.
-Fuel €300-400/mo.
-Maintenance 2025 ~€600.
-Summer tires 2025 ~€1,000.
I clock about 25,000 km annually.
Whether it makes sense or not, I plan to drive this for probably another 3 years, after which I dream of switching to an older car.
I’m dreaming of a car with roughly the same features as my current one, but a few criteria for the next car are:
-Manual.
-Fewer unnecessary electrical features.
-Fewer “unnecessary” sensors, filters, and other technology that clogs things up.
By switching to an older car, the financing cost will likely disappear, but fuel costs will rise slightly. Dramatic fuel price increases loom slightly as a future fear.
My worst fear regarding car ownership is having to switch to an electric car for financial reasons.
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Yeah, there probably isn’t anything better than a hybrid Toyota if you want to think about it in terms of life-cycle costs and peace of mind. If you’re able to buy directly, you could get it a bit cheaper imported from Sweden, even through a brokerage firm. Or at least with better equipment.
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That depends on what you actually need. When looking for a family car, it’s worth noting that the rear space in the Auris is quite poor and mainly fits small children. Additionally, the trunk is very small and shallow for a station wagon. When I went to check one out once, it was an immediate rejection due to the aforementioned reasons. In the next-generation model, these have largely been fixed, but the price is slightly higher.
If you need space, Octavias are definitely among the best overall packages in their size category. The technology in the gasoline models is also very good.
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And instead of the Auris, it’s also worth checking out the latest Avensis models (2016–2018) if you need space. These have naturally aspirated petrol engines (meaning they are durable without a turbo) and no hybrid technology.
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In our household, we drove a one-liter Octavia for a couple of years; we had to switch to a larger one when the rear space ran out. It’s a very decent family hauler, and that one-liter petrol turbo was quite sufficient. You don’t need more power for hauling small children around. The trunk is also quite large, fitting a couple of strollers and a week’s worth of cottage gear.
The rear space ran out for us because the driver is a very long-legged two-meter-tall person, and an infant car seat wouldn’t fit behind. With normal-sized drivers, there is plenty of room back there. We would still be driving it if a back injury hadn’t made buckling the kids into a passenger car too laborious.
We switched to a Kodiaq, which is a couple of steps larger on the inside. The length is almost the same, but the raised body of the crossover makes for even more interior space.
A vote from here for the small-engined Octavia. It holds its value delightfully well in Finland.
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I first thought about suggesting a Lexus as a family car, but the selection is pretty lackluster. How about going straight to electric? There’s a surprising amount of supply for under €20k, from what I saw while browsing Nettiauto. Of course, if rear-wheel drive is a dealbreaker, then you’ll have to narrow it down a lot more.
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I might be stirring up a hornet’s nest here. 73kW/99hp and such a large car could even be dangerous on acceleration lanes or in overtaking situations. A sensible car in terms of maintenance costs, but don’t expect any thrills. Otherwise, it’s a 7-year-old hybrid with a price of ~€19k. Used Toyota prices have also skyrocketed so much over the last few years that it even eats away at the “sensible car” definition when the purchase price is (too) high.
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Could someone without too much emotion, passion, and/or “religion” involved, explain in an analytical, engineering-like manner and as fact-based as possible—without fanaticism for or against…
When considering an average family Joe, whose household can only fit one car and who drives 10,000–20,000 km a year, sometimes in urban areas, sometimes on the highway, sometimes on cottage roads…
Do used model year '23–'25 Tesla Model Ys potentially have 10 years of service life left? Because one costing about €35,000 with 40,000–60,000 km driven—having dropped significantly in value from its new price and being one of the world’s best-selling car models—doesn’t seem like an impossibility.
Are the Model Y’s AWD capabilities comparable to a VAG AWD, Mercedes-Benz, or some other reasonably well-performing “familiar” AWD system?
And if considering the newer “Juniper” model, how many justifications are there—again, without emotion or politics—to put €25,000 more on the table to get more value and ensure that 10-year lifespan is achieved?
I’ve tried to find a genuine comparison or test focused on, for example, Finnish conditions rather than just cruising around the Helsinki Ring III area, but everything seems so “spiritual,” either for or against. Nowhere is the focus on traditional car features; instead, they commercially seek out hype or drama.
Would there be someone here with a techno-economic, logical, and essentialist focus who could share their experiences?
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I’ve been following this myself regarding the RAV4. I like the fact that the technology is reliable, but it’s hard to justify to yourself why you would pay €15,000 for a 12-year-old car, especially when it has 250k km on the clock.
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Dacia Jogger petrol manual, currently starting from €22,000 new, also available as a seven-seater for an additional thousand.
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They aren’t exactly rockets, but they’ll get the job done. Whether there’s enough power is a matter of personal opinion.
On the other hand, Toyotas also hold their value really well, so you’ll get a good trade-in value when selling.
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Toyotas are really expensive used, but they pay back the high purchase price over their remaining lifespan. Especially hybrids, which have low consumption and taxes. They can eventually be sold at a good price and quickly. I even bought a low-mileage 17-year-old Prius for nine grand after a careful cost calculation.
The Auris’s 99hp accelerates really well with the turbo button, by the way; it definitely doesn’t get left behind.
The Tesla Y is surely also a good choice at that 35k price, if there’s no immediate need to trade it in and you’re not afraid of hitting the battery pack on a rock. There’s at least plenty of space for luggage and rear passengers.
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The 10-year Relax warranty launched by Toyota has caused relatively new used cars to be insanely expensive. I bought a hybrid of another brand with identical features, 4 years old with the same mileage, for €16,000 less than what a Toyota RAV4 would have cost; the discount was about 50%. For our second car, a 2003 model Avensis that is already 23 years old, the cheapest working, inspected units on Nettiauto are listed for at least over €5,000. New Toyota Corolla prices start from €35,000.
Toyota has become a poor purchase across all age groups due to the overpricing caused by the perception of quality built up over decades.
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I agree that Toyotas are expensive, but on the other hand, if they hold their value well and are reliable, isn’t it just a good thing to buy a slightly more expensive car whose price doesn’t drop like a stone?
You can get a car from another brand for cheaper, but there’s surely a reason why it’s cheaper—is the technology the same? Is the fuel consumption the same? Is the depreciation the same? Are the warranty terms the same? Is the cost of maintenance the same? Are there known common faults or other expensive problems?
This is, of course, purely a matter of opinion, depending on how you want to compare things. But even with identical features, everything else around it can be different, which is worth considering.
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A few thoughts while reading this thread. Many are in favor of Toyota. It was mentioned earlier that it is expensive. At €35,000 new, it is at least €10,000 cheaper than an electric car. €10,000 buys quite a lot of fuel; I suspect it would last for several years. It was mentioned earlier that new ones are expensive. A quick look shows a 2022 estate model is around €25,000, and a 2020 is still on the better side of €20,000. If you buy a few-year-old Toyota, drive it for a couple of years, and then buy another few-year-old/couple of years newer one, you’ll be driving a reasonably new and hassle-free car all the time. I don’t see the Corolla, for example, as being unreasonably expensive. A larger SUV might be. The Corolla’s weight is moderate, and consequently, the vehicle tax, insurance, and tire costs are more reasonable.
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Out of curiosity, what did you end up with?
That’s how it goes, and everything is fine until rust takes its toll, at which point the value drops like a rock. I still haven’t been able to justify paying, say, €30k for a RAV4, getting a full rustproofing done, and then driving it until it’s ready for the scrapyard.
Even when running the numbers in Excel, I just can’t make a Toyota seem like a bad purchase. Of course, you have to estimate repair costs to some extent, but as a rule, they are significantly lower than for most other car manufacturers. For example, the 17-year-old Prius I bought consumes 2–3 l/100km less fuel than similar-sized petrol cars of the same age, and the taxes are a hundred euros lower. With typical driving, you already save €500 a year. Rust isn’t as much of an issue as it was with Toyotas from the '80s and '90s. Many Japanese cars last over 20 years before needing any rust repairs.
With newer cars, the difference in fuel consumption is smaller, but if you buy a '22 Corolla for €25k, you can drive it almost completely worry-free with an automatic transmission until it’s 10 years old, and that carries a lot of weight. You don’t have to fear the expensive common faults or engine problems found in many other car models, and after ten years, the car will likely still be worth ten thousand.
If €20,000 small electric cars start gaining ground from manufacturers other than just the Chinese, it could break Toyota’s dominance. You might even dare to buy an EV like that brand new, since you wouldn’t lose ten thousand in value immediately.
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I have 7 years of experience (2015–2022) with that Toyota Auris station wagon hybrid.
The power is indeed 99 hp in ECO mode. By pressing the accelerator more firmly, you get 136 hp. Or it can be permanently active in PWR mode. I often used Power mode if I needed extra power. The power was sufficient even for overtaking with 5 people on board and a roof box.
A completely faultless and trouble-free car for 7 years. From city driving to long trips. With the top-tier equipment package, it didn’t lack anything a person could need. The average fuel consumption was 5.75 l/100 km over the entire ownership history. In pure city driving, it went as low as 4 l/100 km, though it was more on the motorway with a full load.
Highly recommended if you’re looking for a “sensible car” with a capital S.
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