Here Are The Cars That Would Replace Your Current Cars If They Got Totaled

Mortality is hard to face. Just ask Camus or any of the other existentialists. Everything dies or must be left behind somehow. Yes, even our beloved dailies. But, luckily, that doesn't spell the end for those of us who love to drive, because we can replace our cars with better, faster new ones. Or not.

We asked readers what they would replace their cars with in the event of a total loss or irreparable breakdown. And people truly are creatures of habit, aren't we? Some readers would go in different directions, while others say they would go right back to the devil they know, opting for the same make and model if it came down to a needing a replacement.

If that's not true love, then I don't know what is. In any case, here are the cars that readers would choose to replace their beloved dailies if those cars were to get totaled:

I've been saving for a few years. I'm getting older. Prices are declining. So is my sense of self preservation. It's my time, now. I'm gonna die historic on the Fury Road.

[...]

Submitted by: Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death

And...

as a daily? You're a wild man.

Submitted by: As the World Kerns

I've been living with my brown Toyota Camry for so long, I bypassed the whole "mid-life crisis" car. I would cry if it got totalled because my plan is to drive it until I die, but if I had to replace it, I would get the defacto 40-something-year-old-wanting-to-be-20-again car: a Jeep Wrangler.

Yeah, just kidding...it's gonna be a Toyota GR86. Affordable, reliable, fun, and I deserve a treat for driving an appliance for over a decade.

[...]

Submitted by: paradsecar

And...

Part of me wants something "special" (like a manual Aston Martin with a V12), the other part of me says: "just buy the GR86".

Submitted by: featherlite

2024 Outback Wilderness. I love my 2022 Crosstrek Outdoor, with two exceptions. I'd like a proper geared transmission and I'd like to be able to tow more. I'm not super sure I want to trade off for the length of the Outback, but I know I don't want the height of a Forester.

The Outback Wilderness ticks most of the boxes for my wife and I. She'd prefer the size of the Crosstrek but would also like the increased utility of the Outback. We've unequivocally loved the Crosstrek; it's the second Subaru in our family (our son has a 2002 bugeye WRX), and most of our friends have Subarus of some sort. We've absolutely drunk the KoolAid.

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Submitted by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

If my Mazda3 Grand Touring hatch was totaled today, I'd have around $4-$5k to work with after the insurance payout and paying off the remainder of the loan. I'd take that money right to my local Mazda dealer and buy a new base model Mazda3 hatch. The base model now has the features that I wanted on the prior gen Grand Touring, and I really don't give a shit about leather seats or a moonroof.

Yeah, I know, I'm boring. I know what I like and I like what I know.

Submitted by: IRegertNothing

I'd go for a Dodge Challenger that's about 5 years old.

[...]

Now hear me out. I'm not talking about a ragged-out Hellcat or some iteration that has a 6.2 Hemi under the hood where the former owner was an idiot constantly romping the motor, just a 5.7 Hemi so you've got great oomph and you're not killing yourself (too much) at the pump. There are scads of them on the market—gems are out there.

They've built them forever where the styling never really changed, so you'll blend right in with the Hellcats. Plenty of part availability and you won't be as boned for their cost and installation compared to a Germanmobile. And be prepared for a shock: the trunk is absolutely huge.

The Dodge Challenger: more practical than you thought.

Submitted by: the1969DodgeChargerFan

And...

I agree and exactly what I own now.

If I had to replace that, I'd go LC500 around a few years old. Oddly the same kind of car but also totally different.

Submitted by: elgordo47

I would replace my 911 with another 911 of a similar vintage.

Submitted by: TheSchrat

And...

Same but in Boxster. I bought the absolute perfect Porsche for my needs. It would be tough to find another.

Submitted by: It is too a real Porsche

The most affordable CPO E-Tron or Taycan I can find.

Submitted by: Voice of C. Montgomery Burns

Currently drive a 2012 Fiesta SE as my daily driver, and often for work.

Perfect size for me, and great for gas mileage.

So, if "Fiesty" got totaled out, I'd just use that as an excuse to grab a Fiesta ST before they are all gone.

Currently in my area, looks like I can still get a 2015-17 Fiesta ST with decent miles for under $16K.

[...]

Submitted by: Knyte

And...

As a previous owner of a 2016 Fiesta SE in Kona Blue, I wholeheartedly agree with this.

Submitted by: IstillmissmyXJ

I was thinking about that yesterday as I was enjoying my MANUAL transmission Mk 7.5 GTI and though to myself that I would be damned if I would replace it with the Mk 8 with the stupid haptic controls. So unless VW gets on it and updates the Mk 8 to have knobs and dials again it would be a manual Civic Si or, if I get a good settlement, Civic Type R.

Submitted by: 17 Seconds

Too soon. This just happened last week. No word if my car is totaled yet, but this was a meticulously maintained 1991 Thunderbird SC with manual transmission that I had just bought two months ago. Someone was going too fast when traffic slowed to a stop and rear-ended this pristine piece of history... Thankfully I'm ok, but I haven't been able to think much about what I'd replace it with. Not sure I will be able to find another SC like it, but if I can, that may be the answer. I barely got to enjoy this one.

Submitted by: Sid Bridge

And...

This happened to my glorious, late E550 V8. I replaced it with a tuned Audi A6 3.0t. It's been fantastic, but I still miss that 5.5 liter v8 rumble.

Submitted by: Segador

And...

If i lost my Ridgeline, I'd have to replace it with another Ridgeline. I've found nothing else that can do everything it does for the price. It rides and drives like a luxury SUV, decent-sized bed with 1500lbs payload capacity, N/A V6 with real automatic transmission, roomy interior, awesome packaging, perfect vehicle for a cross-country trip, one of the best commonly-available AWD systems for under $50k, one of the safest trucks, it is one of the best all-around packages available.

Submitted by: Grasscatcher2

If our Mazda CX-5 was totaled, I'd probably get a older Mazda3 or possiblya Honda Fit. My wife hates driving the CX-5 because of the high belting and thick A pillars so she wants to sell it and buy something smaller with better visibility anyway. If my pickup was totaled, just look for another cheap half ton, I've grown to like the jelly bean F150 but I'd take an OBS Ford or a GMT400

Submitted by: Slow Joe Crow

Nissan D21 – same as what I got but with a simpler engine:

[...]

Paying cash of course.

Submitted by: Gubbin

I'd go with another Tesla Model 3, but I'd bump up to the Performance trim. It's actually pretty crazy that due to the price drops, it'd be cheaper to get the Performance than what my mid-trim AWD cost when new 5 years ago.

Though if the Fiat 500e Abarth was out in the US yet, that would be a contender too.

Submitted by: StalePhish

With Manual Transmission and Blue Interior

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Submitted by: Bob

[...]

I would be replacing a 2015 Mazda 2 DJ with a 2023 Mazda 2 DJ.

Miata

Is

Not

The

Answer

2 People have a better answer.

And it's increasingly becoming the last cool funky wee car in a vast ocean of fat SUVs driven by a vast ocean of fat people.

AU$24,720.

Submitted by: Rollo75