Used or New Car Purchase

Good job, sounds like a solid decision.

Ok before you throw the baby out with the bathwater….there may be a couple out of the box options.

Let's lay out a few things: 1) NEED INFO: How long do you plan to rent where you are? 2) NEED INFO: Is there somewhere other than mom/dads that you could fast charge and do errands (grocery shop, Target run, so on)? 3) You don't drive a ton as you pointed out "I have limited time driving". 4) How many days on a normal week can you go without charging? 5) Gas is high, which HELPS the resale of a 1-2 year old Tesla. 6) Gas is high, which hurts getting a deal on a hybrid…lets say it is a wash. 7) Selling a relatively new car, you will take a bath on the depreciation. 8) NEED INFO: Given you are newly single, how do you feel about care repairs? Are they something you are trying very hard to stay away from, or do you have a mechanic you trust and are ok shopping around for bigger repairs? 9) NEED INFO: Is there somewhere to park a 2nd car? Sounds CRAZY I know….and about 99% of the time, I would NOT suggest this. But an older, 125-150k-mile, $5k, used Mazda 3 + $500 in insurance and $300-800 in annual maintenance…sell it in 2-3 years if your housing situation changes…..might ACTUALLY make financial sense. We were a one-car family in 2022-2024. At the end of 2024, I bought a second car as a backup. My spouse and I work from home, but the kids had more and more activities, and it was a pain renting a car for a day when out 2012 mini-van was in the shop. So I picked up a 2013 Mazda 3 hatchback with 144k miles with the highest level trim, for $4100. Big enough I could almost fit a washing machine with the seat folded down, 28MPG in the city (road trips and long drives we use the cushoer mini-van). 2 years later, we put about 5k miles on it; repair-wise, we have done a new battery, had a mechanic clean out a jammed A/C drain line I couldn't get to, and had 1 bad tire that kept having a slow air leak… altogether, right around $400 in repairs, you can add in $60-80 for (2) annual oil changes with fully synthetic high mileage oil and I replaced the spark plugs. Going to spend $80-100 and flush power steering fluid and coolant this month. Insurance in NYS….$540 this year; it was $510 last year, Gieco….have a SMALL multi-car discount. If I sold it TODAY….would likely get $3k if I was in a hurry to sell, up to $3.8k. So $150-550 a year in depreciation ($15-$45 a month in depreciation), about $15-25 a month in maintenance and repairs, assuming you have a mechanic do it, $45 a month for insurance. Monthly cost of ownership: $75-$115. 10) If you ONLY plan to stay in your current place a year or two…it MIGHT make sense to have a 2nd car, pay $1800-$2800 vs. "losing" a larger amount when you sell in depreciation. The other perk…your Tesla would get fewer miles for the years you own (2) vehicles, and may last a little more in the long run.

11) Addressing your original concern…..I would steer clear of Nissan…..CVT issues, not the same durability as other Japanese manufacturers, NOT known for their hybrids. Toyota and Honda's are great, but they command a high used price (IF you are looking for used as opposed to new). If new….100% Toyota.

12) "Hidden" gems manuafactuer, with outsized value for 5+ year old used cars: 1) Mazda….GREAT reliability, affordible, low maintance costs, Mazda 3, 6, cx-3/30 and cx5/50 all have GREAT MPG….no hybrids….but 30MPG…even on older used. 2) Subaru is also great….only con….parts and repairs are a bit more than Mazda and a little more than Hondas/Toyotas. In my opinion… Subarus have the nicest interiors/most comfortable….but that's opinion. Also…I dislike domestic these days, BUT the Ford Escape Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid had great reliability ratings.

13) I dont know much about Hybrid Kia/Hyundai HYBRIDS…but on the ICE end of the spectrum….they are a little below average. A lot more issues after the 100k mark, pretty solid before getting up to high mileage. Some older models STILL have issues getting new parts. For THAT….I personally would not consider it. Love the style and value….not worth the potential headaches far down the road for ME.

14) If you drive less than ever….is the push for hybrid/ev for personal values (if so, stop reading)…or purely financial? If purely financial…why not drive a smaller, gas sipping car like a Honda Fit, Mazda 3 or 6, Toyota Prius, Subaru Legacy, Toyoa Corolla, Toyota Yaris? Something 3 or 4 cyclinder, with average to higher mileage until you know what your next 5-10 years look and feel like. You don't spend a ton on gas since you're driving less…why spend a lot more NOW on a hybrid/EV when those are in high demand because of gas prices?

Before commiting to switching - do you have any superchargers nearby? I have found the cost of recharging to be significantly less than the cost of gas and nearly as fast (you don't have to charge to 100% each time). I also charge at home exclusively with a level 1/110v charger. Is there anywhere in your complex with an outdoor outlet that would allow that? Just a few things to consider before purchasing a new car!

I’m not sure your work situation but it you’re remote, maybe consider plugging in at a local spot where you can double up and work remotely in your weekly routine to cut down a bit on forced 4 hr. Parent visits. I just bought at 2024 Hybrid CRV and am LOVING IT! Hondas and Toyotas will last you 250k+ (longer than current KIAs). If you can sell your Tesla for a reasonably painless loss….that might be the best of both worlds.

A used Toyota hybrid. You can buy a car like that with nearly 100K miles on it and drive it for at least another decade.

I'm not sure that it would be worth the hassle to change vehicles. I recently took a 2200 mile road trip, so I was super charging the entire time. The average cost came in at $0.10-$0.11/mile. Granted, that was about 90% highway driving, so probably less efficient than all city or mixed city/highway driving. If you managed to get a hybrid that could consistently get 50 mpg and regular unleaded was at around $4/gallon, you would be looking at a fuel cost of about $0.08/mile. But the gas powertrain in the hybrid would potentially have higher maintenance cost associated with it (oil changes, air/oil filters, spark plugs, belts, etc.).

In that comparison (inefficient mostly highway driving with an EV, versus more efficient mixed driving with a hybrid) you would optimistically save around 25% in terms of fuel cost. Unless you drive absolutely ridiculous number of miles per month/year/etc, you are very likely to take a long time to break even just on the fuel cost. Plus, if gas prices go up even a little bit or if you get a vehicle that isn't as efficient as 50 mpg, the calculus changes unfavorably. I used $4/gallon, as that's what I happened to see regularly on my recent road trip.

However, according to AAA, the current average price for gas is $4.31/gallon. At that price, and with a 40 mpg fuel efficiency, you are looking at $0.1078/mile fuel cost. Basically, it is the same fuel cost as charging an EV at public super chargers all the time and driving mostly on the highway, which is about the most expensive way to drive/charge an EV.