Helping a friend out so this is out of my scope of expertise. West Coast CA/NV. Light credit history: $8k Wells Fargo CC (4 years) $1k Amex (3 months) Experian: 728 (not auto fico, unknown) Female, age 24. First time buyer. Income: $2k a month Prefer EV if possible, but open. 4 door, nav, basi…

So many may not agree with this car, but for a data point Toyota has a national program on the Corolla for $279 down $279 a month plus taxes and fees for a 36/10 lease on the LE model. They also offer $500 rebate for recent college grads. You could probably do slightly better if you grind some deal…

Why does this person want or need to lease versus buy? Simply to keep the cost down? $400 a month for 60 months buys a vehicle in the $20K range. You should look at both options so your friend builds some equity over time. A 2024 Corolla fits into this category and will likely hold its value pretty …

[image] ChipDiamond: Income: $2k a month Helping my friend would consist of advising her to buy something with cash, or finance (reasonably). Considering a lease at over 25% of gross is on the wilder side, especially for the circumstances here. Finance a Honda, Toyota, Nissan or Mazda.

I second this - although a 24 Corolla may be too expensive for her. Get into a cheap used reliable vehicle. Finance to build a payment history and work hard to improve income. PS: not being judgmental, but getting into student debt to make 2k/month is wild…

[image] AndreG: second this - although a 24 Corolla may be too expensive for her. Get into a cheap used reliable vehicle. Finance to build a payment history and work hard to improve income. The problem is reliable, affordable used cars dont really exist as they used to. For example, on Car…

Income $2K a month and she wants to spend $400 on a car lease? That’s insane. Add in gas and insurance and you’re talking 30-40% of income spent on a car. At that income level, you take the bus. If you absolutely do need a car, buy a 12 year old Corolla or something. Even at 100K miles those are ve…

[image] ski_bum: At that income level, you take the bus. In many areas of So Cal, taking a bus is not really an option.

Just a few brief off topics… [image] AndreG: student debt I don’t see OP mentioning that friend had student debt, just that they were a (new) college grad. [image] EC99: interning in entertainment industry The entertainment industry (referring to film/TV) in CA (well, at least Los An…

[image] paranoidgarliclover: I don’t see OP mentioning that friend had student debt, just that they were a (new) college grad. That’s why I’m not judging this specific situation, but weighting on the fact that people might go into debt to get that kind of pay afterwards. As mentioned, it cou…

[image] EC99: if your budget is $5K An older Corolla with the 1.8 and not the 2.4 Even older ES330 can be found for 5k without crazy miles. One of Toyota’s most durable powertrains ever.

Best car for college grad under $400/m <$2k DAS?

Ask the Hackrs

BYGFEET August 7, 2026, 5:23pm 13

A Subaru Solterra could be had for less than $300/mo $3K DAS