After being fortunate enough to buy a new Tesla Model 3 in mid-November of last year, I was blown away by the car’s advanced technology and agility that give cars twice its price a run for their money. While it’s obvious corners had to be cut, the car price is placed in areas that matter the most. Just by being inside the car, you can tell that corners were cut, and cheaper materials were used to create the minimalistic yet comfortable interior, leading me to believe you’re paying for the cars technology and electrical components when purchasing the car.

Looking at other cars in this scary new car market made me wonder, what cars provide the best value given their price? With all the cars being sold in the U.S. market, some brands stand out for their value within the sub 40k price range. Toyota, Subaru, and Honda seem to be the best brands here in the Pacific Northwest for providing the best realiability, in-class performance, and lower costs to run. Looking for cars, I mostly stuck to these brands when searching because of my trust that they create reliable cars. It wasn’t until I found out that Tesla gives out test drives to literally everyone that I considered Tesla as a legitimate option. As a 17-year-old with a driver’s license, I was able to test drive one of their fastest cars with the only promise being that I had to return the it in 30 minutes.