Buying a Car in 2025 – Thoughts & Challenges

For the past two months, even before Trump’s administration started their tariff war, I began thinking about buying a new car. I have a 2007 Volvo S40 with over 185K miles on it and while the engine still performs, the car passed emissions tests and I recently detailed it and bought 4 low-cost tires, I’m trying to determine if buying a car right now would make sense.

I feel a bit foolish for wanting to buy a car when we are possibly entering a recession with a lot of economic uncertainty – and the cost of many foreign products including cars will likely go up considerably, and the cost to service them will go up respectfully. My Volvo, from what I understand, was built in New Jersey and many parts are domestic – and the last time I needed something I just headed over to the junk yard and picked it up for a few dollars.

That being said, I still feel I need a new car at some point within the next twelve months. Finding one that is affordable, smart and that I want to drive for the next ten years has been challenging. I like the way Mazda’s look but test drove one and it felt cheap. I was in Texas earlier in the month and rented a Buick Envista – rated 9/10 by Car & Driver. I enjoyed driving it, think it looks great and was impressed with it overall and almost pulled the trigger on buying it but decided to hold off.

Last week, I was presented with an option to purchase a Mercedes E300 for under retail at an estate sale. Then, I went on a test drive. I liked the car but was a little deterred by some minor scratches and service warnings that made me think, despite the about 28K miles on it, it might not have been well maintained. $24K-$25K for a 2019 Mercedes E300 with a retail of $70K brand new is something. But, any repairs for an out-of-warranty Mercedes will likely be ridiculously expensive moving forward. Even minor regular service could likely be $500-$1000 and my auto insurance would increase by over $100 per month.

Next on the list to test:

• Toyota Grand Highlander
• Audi Q5 Premium
• Genesis SUV – 10/10 Car & Driver

I’m building a list. The number of car options is intimidating to say the least.

I don’t think it is likely that I will do any ride sharing or other high mileage uses so a modest MPG is acceptable but I like the idea of being able to take long rides without it costing a ton of $$. And, I like the idea of an electric vehicle but don’t like the idea of having to remember to charge it regularly and the time it takes to charge it feels inconvenient. I’ve spoken to some owners who have said they don’t have any problems with finding charging stations and one client of mine has a sign on his garage door reminding him to charge his vehicle.