4 Florida Cities Dominate Top 10 List for Cheapest Used Cars

We all know it's been a rough couple years for car buyers. It feels like prices never seem to lower and we keep watching them skyrocket. For people that didn’t want to purchase a new vehicle, you could find great deals on used cars, but not anymore. You might be wondering, "what are the cities with the cheapest used vehicles in the USA?" Car shopping is never easy, but we’re here to help you find the cities with the cheapest used vehicles in the USA and Florida has 4 cities in the top 10 … in the whole country. 

Let’s take Florida’s best selling full sized truck, the Ford F-150. There are many different trim levels and accessories to choose from but today we’re going to focus on the cheapest option, the XL 2WD (2-wheel-drive) Short Bed Regular cab. In 2019, the starting price for the XL 2WD Short Bed Regular cab F-150 was $28,155. That is the most basic package you could get. For the 2024 lineup, Ford still has the XL 2WD Short Bed Regular cab F-150, but the price tag is astronomically higher. Coming in at $38,565 in 2024, that is over a $10,000 jump in just 5 years for basically the same vehicle.

Higher mileage, used vehicles used to offer financial relief to many buyers looking for a solid vehicle at a lower price tag. According to Edmunds.com used vehicles with 100K-150K miles are costing buyers 40% more in Q2 of 2023 than they did in Q2 of 2019. Used vehicles averaging miles between 150K-200K are costing over 28% more than in Q2 of 2019.

Thanks to Caredge.com, they provide weekly updates on selling trends for used vehicles. At the start of 2023, full truck prices had started to stabilize. New truck inventory is rising again and we should expect to see prices drop even more over the next few months. In September 2023, truck prices fell 5% at auction leaving buyers facing a huge loss of value. Buying vehicles the last few years was a lot like playing the stock market, but soon we could see some lower prices across the board.

So, what are the most targeted vehicles for car theft in Florida? Well, there is one item on these cars that is being stolen and thieves want their hands on it. The catalytic converter is being targeted now more than ever. It contains precious metals and those metals are getting more expensive. The report come from CARFAX, who put together a list of the top vehicles for car theft in Florida.

So, what is a catalytic converter? CARFAX says, "Catalytic converters are a key component of a car’s emissions control system, reducing the amount of pollution coming out of the tailpipe. They transform hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides – the bad stuff – into oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide." Inside the catalytic converter there are precious metals like: palladium, rhodium, and platinum.

Catalytic converters have been on cars since 1975. Electric cars don't have them because they don't have an exhaust system. It also doesn't take long to remove it. A small saw can remove it in less than 60 seconds.

How to prevent thieves from stealing it? Experts say to buy a catalytic converter anti-theft device. It is a metal plate that shops can add on to your car. You can also get your VIN number engraved on the converter. That makes it much tougher for the thief to sell it.

Check out the top cars that are being stolen below.

[SOURCE: ABC Action News]

The F-150 is the most popular vehicle in history. It also comes in #1 on the list.

It is America's second most sold mid-size sedan in terms of popularity. It is only behind the Toyota Camry.

The Prius is a hybrid and thieves are targeting those vehicles more. They contain more of the precious metals.

The crossover has been produced by Honda since 1995.

The Explorer was introduced in 1991, but they can thank Jurassic Park for taking it to the next level. It was the vehicle featured on the tour they go on in the movie.

The Econoline is a full size fan that has been around for over 60 years.

Chevy announced an EV of the Equinox, but the gas powered version is on this list.

The signature truck for Chevy. Thieves like this truck also.

First released in 1995. It has been named <em>Motor Trend</em>'s Truck of the Year before.