Our Nanny Totalled The Car! What Should We Buy?

Barry and his family relocated from LA to St. Louis they were using a third car, an Acura RDX, that was supposed to be passed on to their teenage driver. They are looking for a similar replacement that will be safe and reliable, but also not too fancy. With a budget up to $25,000, what car should they buy?

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Here is the scenario.

We are SO sad! We are mourning our Acura RDX, which we bought used, after moving to St. Louis from LA. Our nanny recently totaled it (nobody was hurt). It was our winter beater/smelly dog/road trip car (I have an M2 and my wife’s primary car is a Tesla). Our daughter gets her license in June, and we had planned for the RDX to be her daily driver.

It needs to be safe for a teenager, have AWD, be nice, but not be SO nice that we’d feel bad about messing it up with dog hair, snow and whatever other messes happen. We want something about the size of the RDX (no third row needed), and I’d like it be at least not terrible to drive, if not actually fun. I love wagons, and my wife is open to that, even though she’d prefer a small SUV. Budget is up to $25,000.

Quick Facts:

Budget: up to $25,000

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: AWD, safe, nice but not too nice

Doesn’t want: Something too big

That’s too bad about your RDX, and often losing a car with good memories attached to it is the hard part. Fortunately, even in today’s tough car market, there are plenty of solid options for under $25,000. I wrote a post several years ago on how the Mazda3 was one of the best cars for new drivers, and I maintain that the entire Mazda lineup is a great way to score a quality import without paying the Honda/Toyota tax in the used market.

You can get a relatively new Mazda CX-5 with reasonable miles at the top end of your budget. These cars will have all the safety tech required for a new driver, but also look and feel a tad more upscale than the usual offerings. They are well built and easy to live with. Also if you wanted to replicate the extra punch that your RDX had, you can find the CX-5 with a Turbo engine, though you will take a hit in the MPG department. Here is a very nice 2025 Select model with under 30,000 right in your zone.

You know, Barry. Usually, when someone writes in asking us to recommend a car for them to buy their soon-to-be new driver, they tell us a little bit about what the child likes and doesn’t like. You know, “Aidin is obsessed with the Wrangler, but I’m hoping we can find something safer. Bonus points if you find something in blue, because that’s their favorite color.” Meanwhile, all I learned reading your letter is that you have a daughter, and she’s either just gotten, or about to get, her license. So we need a car for a teen girl with a driver’s license.

But let’s be real. This car isn’t for your daughter. The help wrecked the old beater you didn’t mind smelling like wet dog, and now you need a new beater that you won’t mind smelling like wet dog. “I’d like it be at least not terrible to drive, if not actually fun. I love wagons, and my wife is open to that, even though she’d prefer a small SUV,” is all about what you and your wife want. Why you’re worried about how fun the winter beater that’s soon to be covered in dog hair (and your daughter’s daily driver) when you drive an M2, I don’t really know.

That doesn’t mean I can’t still be helpful, though. Here’s a 2023 Nissan Rogue SV with 23,849 miles on it and a price that’s safely within your $25,000 budget. It’s a Nissan, so you won’t feel too bad about beating it up, getting it dirty, or leaving it smelling bad, and it’s new enough that all those safety features should keep your daughter alive long enough for you to post on social media about which college she decides to attend. Sure, it’ll be on the other side of the country or possibly the world, but as long as it’s prestigious, that’s all that really matters. That, and her leaving the Rogue behind so the nanny doesn’t mess up your wife’s Tesla when she takes the dog to the vet.

What you’re looking for is the heart of the modern automotive market, Barry, and that means there are a wealth of options open to you. The CX-5 and the Rogue will both do what you need (I’d take the Mazda over the Nissan, personally) but there’s a better option for you — especially since you say you want all-wheel drive. Allow me to introduce the lightly-used Subaru Outback.

The Outback has room for the family, the nanny, the dog, and whatever or whoever else you might need to transport. You can trip over these all day long in the low-$20,000 range, so take the time and pick the options and color you’d like. Here’s one picked almost at random from the menagerie, which will certainly get the job done.My real recommendation for you, though, is a little different. That $25,000 gets you a very solid Outback, for sure, but it’s also enough to get you a certified pre-owned Crosstrek. Not only would that get you some bonus warranty, but it gets you a car that’s probably a little better for new drivers still learning things like “where the corners of a car are.” I personally started driving in a big hand-me-down SUV from a Japanese luxury marque, and I certainly know the struggle of not brushing the edges of the bumper up against parking garage corners and roadside traffic cones.The Outback is a solid pick for you, one that’ll do everything you need, but the Crosstrek is a better option. Look at both, and see if the smaller Subie still had room for your dog. If so, I think your daughter would be better suited with the littler, more manageable vehicle.