“Make sure you have a mechanic you can TRUST!”
Anyone shopping for a big three-row SUV on a used-car budget right now is entering a market with more supply than it knows what to do with.
One TikTok creator went through it model by model, picked four, and told viewers how many days each one typically sits on a lot before selling, so they would know when to push back on the asking price.
In a 1-minute, 30-second video that has drawn more than 56,900 views, Kalthdsstfb (@hfjfg286) says, “If I was on the market for a massive, highly depreciated, well-optioned SUV under $35,000, I think there are four options worth looking at.”
He puts the size of the pool at “over 200,000 seven- or eight-seater SUVs under $35,000 for sale across the country right now” and describes his filter as “the intersection of the best bang for buck in depreciation and spec, reliability, and the sweet spot of price and mileage.”
His advice on each model rests on two numbers. One is how long currently listed vehicles have been sitting unsold. The other is how long similar ones that found a buyer took to sell. When listings of the same model have been waiting considerably longer than the ones that moved, he identifies cars that failed to sell at the normal pace, with the suggestion that they may be overpriced with room to haggle.
His first recommendation is a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 at around $26,000 with 65,000 miles or less. He identifies a group of listings that have hung around for a long time.
“The average one has been for sale for 45 days. However, it’s been taking an average of 22 days to sell these things,” he says. “So, any of these that have been out there for sale for more than 30 days, clearly the price needs to come down.”
A 2020 BMW X7 xDrive40i is his second recommendation, priced at around $32,000 with 65,000 miles or less. For that, listings average 39 days against a 34-day average sale.
A 2022 Volvo XC90 Inscription T6 priced at around $33,000, ideally with the Bowers & Wilkins stereo, is the real outlier. Those sit for 67 days on average and take 69 days to sell, which he argues is reflective of a whole segment of the market being overpriced.
The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas SEL Premium R-Line at around $32,000 with 35,000 miles or less is the tightest gap, at 32 days listed against 31 to sell.
The creator’s premise mostly holds up. iSeeCars, which analyzed more than 950,000 five-year-old used cars sold between March 2025 and February 2026, put average five-year depreciation at 41.8% and found the losses concentrated at the top of the price range.
“Luxury vehicles almost always lose more value than mainstream models, and with 18 luxury models in the top 25 of this year’s highest-depreciating cars, the trend continues,” the study reads.
Large luxury SUVs sit among the worst, with the Range Rover down 61.7% over five years and the Infiniti QX80 down 62.8%, a drop the firm valued at $52,631.
The luxury vehicles Kalthdsstfb focuses on may be overpriced, even though the overall market is not especially soft. Cox Automotive reported a days’ supply of 46 in July, up a single day year over year, with the average used listing price at $27,028 and rising 6% on the year. Vehicles under $15,000 had thinned to 16.4% of inventory, so the bargains are concentrated further up the price ladder, roughly where Kalthdsstfb’s four picks sit.
Few commenters argued with the depreciation, but some did have strong views about what causes it.
“Never own a European luxury vehicle unless someone else is paying for the repairs,” wrote pairofboxers.
Hissgoescobra was even more blunt: “Any of those German vehicles out of warranty is a giant mistake.”
R_andy_b offered the old joke: “BMW stands for bring my wallet once it is out of warranty.”
Those instincts do have some support from the data. CarEdge estimates a BMW will run $16,021 in maintenance and repairs over its first 10 years, with a 47.26% chance of needing a major repair in that time.
Its figures for a Volvo are $10,082 and 34.92%. For a Volkswagen, $6,764 and 20.90%. The steep depreciation and the exposure to higher repair bills are two sides of the same coin: second owners expect significant discounts for the repair bills they expect to swallow in the future.
The thread featured differing accounts of the costs of owning luxury European SUVs.
“I have a 2019 X7 that I bought new. It’s been a fantastic vehicle. I’m surprised that they are selling for as low as they are,” wrote joshthompson202.
Aboutjtp4 split the difference on the Mercedes: “I love my GLS 550. I’ll drive it until it explodes, but the maintenance is expensive and it runs through tires very quickly.”
Others suggested avoiding European SUVs altogether.
Pdxsteelhead6 had two words for the thread: “pre-turbo Highlander.”
And User760658117 had the shortest piece of advice in the thread: “Make sure you have a mechanic you can trust.”
Motor1 reached out to Kalthdsstfb via TikTok direct message for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.
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