A 3-Year-Old Car Used To Be Affordable — Now the Same Price Gets You a Car More Than Twice as Old

As car inventory remains low and inflation drives prices higher, many prospective used car buyers are being forced to purchase older cars due to budget constraints. According to a new study from iSeeCars.com, buyers with a $23,000 budget could afford the average 3-year-old car in 2019, but that same amount is not enough for an average 6-year-old used car today.

“Plant shutdowns and limited new car production during the pandemic are still playing havoc with the used car market,” Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com, said on the site. “With 28% fewer 1- to 3-year-old used cars today compared to 2019, today’s buyers have to shop 6-year-old — or older — cars to find a comparably priced vehicle.”

Here’s a look at the popular used car models that buyers will have to resort to buying at 8 years old or older to pay comparable prices for the price of a 3-year-old car in 2019, as identified by iSeeCars.com.

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $9,878
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 9 years old
• Average 9-year-old price in 2023: $9,692

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $10,095
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $10,148

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $10,435
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $10,387

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $10,659
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $10,552

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $10,464
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $10,609

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $11,766
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $11,320

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $12,031
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $11,525

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $12,222
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $11,925

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $14,575
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $14,464

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $14,497
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $14,530

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $14,876
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $14,758

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $14,373
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $14,788

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $16,351
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $15,460

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $16,570
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $16,194

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $23,584
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $23,755

• Average 3-year-old price in 2019: $53,527
• Age of car with closest average price in 2023: 8 years old
• Average 8-year-old price in 2023: $52,759

Data is sourced from iSeeCars.com and is accurate as of Sept. 21, 2023.