The holidays are here and budgets are tight. I’ve asked you in the past what car you would buy on a $10,000 budget, but what if you doubled that amount? The Jalopnik staff often provides our input for your car-buying questions with our “Which Car Should You Buy” segment, but as car enthusiasts, I know the Jalopnik audience will likely have some good ideas, too.
I know, $20,000 isn’t a particularly low budget, but it’s right around the intersection of the cheapest new cars on sale today and some of the more desirable vehicles on the used market. If you’re on a tighter budget and want an enthusiastic take on what to buy, check out the answers given when I asked what the Jalopnik crowd would buy on a $10,000 budget, but otherwise let us know in the comments section what car you’d buy on a $20,000 budget.
I would buy a BMW 230i
I spend a lot of time searching online for cars around the $20,000 mark, so I have a few top picks, but I’ve had my eye on the BMW 230is the longest. The only new cars you’ll find in this price range tend to be boring, uninspiring vehicles meant to be used as a commuter, like a Mitsubishi Mirage, and not something that will excite you or make you want to chase down winding roads.
A used BMW may not initially seem like a smart choice for someone on a budget, and in many cases that’s true, but BMW’s reputation for reliability has improved dramatically in recent years, especially with its four-cylinder and six-cylinder offerings. I currently drive a 2017 Mini Cooper S, which is powered by a B48 BMW four-cylinder engine, and my odometer ticked just over 100,000 miles and I have had very minimal problems with it. I trust the drivetrain and I want something fun with rear-wheel drive, so I would definitely go for a BMW 230i. There are plenty of clean examples with relatively low mileage for sale around the $20,000 price limit, but what would you buy on that budget?
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