Best appliance car value for under $25k?

So it sounds like my sister money shifted her old 4spd auto Nissan Versa on the highway today. She says that she accidentally manually shifted it into 2nd at 80 plus, all hell broke loose, followed by oil and smoke. I didn't know that was possible with an auto, but all of the oil is now outside the engine, it wouldn't turn over afterwards, and the air filter housing blew open. It started after it cooled down, but sounded like a rock tumbler. 
 

Anyway, she needs a newer car in a hurry. Open to new or used, the newer and more warranty the better. $25k cap. Any good deals to be had new? Nothing too sporty, would prefer a CUV but sedan okay. Midsized or bigger preferred. Fiancé is a big guy, so needs good interior room. Recommendations? 

You can get a newer used mazda 6 in that range. I always thought they were overlooked and really punched above the class they were in. Looking around that would put you into one of the last years (2020-2021) model. 

If she hauls things, used Maverick hybrid. 2023 with 12k miles. 2024 with 1k miles

If she prefers smaller vehicles, new Corolla hybrid. $25k buys a brand new one, or gently used one with more features.

If she wants more comfort, used Avalon hybrid. With a little shopping around, $25k gets you one with 40-60k miles.

All of these would have a naturally aspirated, Atkinson cycle engine paired to the hybrid eCVT that is brutally efficient and reliable. Any of them would have even lower running costs than the Versa:

In reply to STM317 :

I'll second these options. An Avalon is a pretty nice place to be, especially for commuting.

Teslas are cheap right now.

My neighbor has one and it does car things wonderfully.  It was like 29k brand new out the door.

That obviously only works if they have access to charging and don't commute 150 miles each way everyday.

Love the Avalon appliance.

Also hard to beat the Honda Accord.  Very spacious inside, sunrise reliable and not a snooze fest to drive.

All good recommendations. I need to check more into the Avalon, they share a commute into the Bay Area that is at least an hour each way. 

I bought a brand new Corolla hatch for 26700 out the door and freaking love it.

In reply to Boost_Crazy :

Have to admit I kinda wish I was in the car when this occurred. I'm not happy this happened to your sister but I bet it was "interesting". 

TDIL it's possible to "money shift" in an automatic trans vehicle 

.. and, that was the good Versa automatic transmission.  The four-speed, in the base model, not the dreaded CVT in the SL model

Dusterbd13 said:

I bought a brand new Corolla hatch for 26700 out the door and freaking love it.

how many highway miles at  80 mph have you travelled? Does it get "buzzy"?

Any opinions on the Kia Soul? They seem to be cheap new. I had one for a day as a rental and the inside space Vs. outside dimensions was really good, and it drove well. 

Elantra would be my suggestion.  Great warranty and price is right.

In reply to TRoglodyte :

80mph from Charlotte to gainesville and back. 

Not buzzy or anything, and mine is the most stripped hatch I could find. Se with zero other options. Its actually the nicest car I've ever owned, comparable to my 99 528i touring, except maybe more interior noise and better seats. 

In reply to Dusterbd13 :

Your recent shopping thread likely holds a lot of wisdom relevant to this shopping also

I recently bought a 2017 Mazda 3 w/2.0 liter for my daughter.  $17k.    Not a lot of power but rides decently and goes where its pointed. 

I drove 360 miles with it last week going 70+ as often as possible and got 34mpg.  Quite a bit of time above 80 and no buzziness or unsettling suspension issues.  I did have to turn the radio louder so I could hear it over the wind and road noise..

While internet shopping I learned that the 2.0 is more reliable than the Sky-Active 2.5.

In reply to John Welsh :

Didn't think of that. Thanks!!

Impreza or Crosstrek. Super reliable, about that many dollars and more room inside than you'd think. I'm 6'2" and not even close to the headliner. I could wear a top hat and not touch. 

Boost_Crazy said:

Any opinions on the Kia Soul? They seem to be cheap new. I had one for a day as a rental and the inside space Vs. outside dimensions was really good, and it drove well. 

Got one, it's a pretty competent appliance, only complaint is that it can carry four passengers or it can carry cargo, but not both at once. Some models had a dry clutch DCT, which is a bad idea.

The main thing to watch out for if you don't get the dry clutch DCT (besides whether the previous owner took care of basic maintenance) is if there's a weird clunking feel when you turn the steering wheel side to side. This is a sub-$10 rubber coupling in the electric power steering falling apart that you can replace with a few hours of crawling around under the dash - if you catch it early. Let the issue fester and you're out a power steering motor.

$25k gets you a very nice 2-3 year old Mazda CX-5. That should check all of the boxes. 

Mattk said:

TDIL it's possible to "money shift" in an automatic trans vehicle 

Oh my yes.  In a lot of electonically controlled autos, the lower gears are hydraulically forced by the valve body.  The difference is generally if the lower gears have separate detents, versus a separate manual fore-aft gate.

Older Hyundais would do it with no shifter motion on your part, when the TPS would lose ground!

A CPO Kia Sportage fits into this price range.  As someone who is 6' and 240 lbs I can attest to being very comfortable in one.  I had a 2021 for a company car.  I put over 60k miles on it with 0 issues.  The replacement they gave me is a CRV EX and every time I drive it I wish I had the Sportage back.

Hard to beat a RAV4 for appliancedom. I ended up buying one for my parents we found a 2016 with 47k miles and it drove and looked like new. Ended up paying $20k for it which is hard for a 9 year old car but it really was in exceptional condition. Predates all the "screens for everything" business too.