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I'm just starting the search. I want used, probably certified, good fuel economy, all weather handling ability, and decent cargo space. I like a lot of room in the cabin (I've been using Suburu station wagons recently, and they are very cramped). I also will not tolerate digital surveillance, or subscription-only access to physically installed hardware. And I too, come from the Tom Paris school of wanting physical buttons dials and switches for everything (the displays in the suburus are blinding at night, even the speedometer! (and I do NOT need to know my fuel economy from second to second, Suburu - How could you possibly thing flashing that in my face with a bright light is useful in any way?!)))
Subarus have sucked at cabin space and the console since the mid 2000s. They used to be a favorite but I don't like them anymore.
Honda is currently my favorite brand, with a 1992 Civic Si that I purchased used in 2001 and drive till 2017 being my first. Loved that car. My wife currently drives a Honda Pilot and I drive a newer Ridgeline. Every Honda has physical controls as far as I can tell, they ride nice, and all perform well in our midwestern weather including when it is icy even with just FWD on the Civic.
Toyota is my second favorite. Had a new 2005 Camry and drove it till I traded it in for the Ridgline a year or two ago. Simple, but roomy and handled great in crummy weather, and was still perfectly fine when I traded it in after almost 20 years. Just wanted to switch to a truck.
During that time we also had a Mazda crossover and I got to drive my in laws rotating selection of vehicles. Mazda was fine, just had some accident damage so we didn't keep it long. Hondas had some electrical issues with the audio early, but got sorted out right away and were solid since. The i. Maw's Subaru Ascent was the most annoying car I have ever driven and it kept killing the battery when parked. Killing, not just draining.
I don't have experienc with Hyundais or US cars sfter the early 2000s, but they are also ridiculously large on the outside and not that roomy inside. They also often have the satellite stuff like OnStar which isna privacy nightmare.
So while I drifted into new car territory, the context was the period you are likely to look into, which is early 2000s for most brands, although Honda and Toyota can be even newer since they didn't tend to go down the obnoxious routes that most other brands did with the center console for climate control.
To start the used car process, yhere are a few things to decide first. What kind of car do you need, and what kind can you accept? Do you need cargo space, more seats, and how often do you really have bad weather?
Then decide on your deal breakers, like touchpad climate controls, fuel mileage minimums, and size. Write these down! You don't want to waste time looking at a used car with a dealbreaker. Do you want to be able to work on it yourself?
Then figure out what you want to spend and if you are going to trust the person or company that sells it to you. If you want it certified by a dealership or used car lot, make sure that the certification is backed by something like a money back guarantee or a larger company backing. I trust Honda certified over Bob's car lot certified even though the used Civic came from a crummy lot that went under 6 months later. If you are willing to spend a little more, you can always pay to have a car from a cheaper independent lot looked over by another garage or possibly a dealership if it saves you overall.
So from here it sounds like you have a wide range of years and brands to choose from. Unlike the 80s and 90s, there are tons of sutes you can go to for reviews of mid 2000s to current models available. Check some out and look for nest model lists from the time period you are looking at. You might to look by category, and get a list of the models that generally fit what you are looking for.
Then check for reliability lists. Sometimes models have bad years for manufacturing. Itbisn't a guarantee, butnitnwill explain why one year is consistently cheaper than the rest.
Then keep in mind that all of this stuff is about the overall quality and that might be affected by who drove it. But it is a good starting point. This all sounds like a lot of work, but is about the same work as a new car except you are looking at model years with history so you know whether they are lemons or not!
Then you can search for images of the interiors of the ones you are looking at, so you can know if there are any dealbreakers there. After that trim your list down to like 5 models with the years you want and then start looking for any being sold. Just focus on that to get some practice on looking, and keep in mind you might need to look a bit further than you expect to get a good deal. If you don't find what younare looking for, move down the list and eventually you will get a feel for how to look. I was a lot better at it back when I had more practice!
You also can find a reputable used car lot in your area, tell them what you want and let them show you things. They will cost more than doing the searching yourself but if they are a good lot they will be extremely useful in getting your butt in the actual csr itself to see how it feels if that is necessary. A lot of them are also networked and if they know what you want they can often get cars from other lots onc le they know what you are really after.
They will be incentivised by profit and selling what they have first though, but they are also selling their time and effort so they will be more than buying from a private individual.
One last thing is that used car prices are not a lot lower than new anymore like they were 20+ years ago.