The Used Toyota That Makes More Financial Sense Than Buying New

Being a mainstream brand, Toyota tends to offer very good value for money and generally non-ridiculous starting prices. Models like the new Corolla have a starting price of just over $23,000, and something like a new RAV4 will set you back just over $30,000. For the most part, buying a new Toyota means getting a good warranty, a vehicle that can actually be used every day, high rates of dependability, and good value retention.

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In short, they tend to get you a lot of bang for your buck, but that is not the only way to get a vehicle that will last you years, and this now-discontinued Toyota is proof of that. It just makes more sense than buying new.

Buying New Doesn’t Always Mean Getting More For Your Money

There’s a certain appeal to buying a brand-new Toyota. You get the latest tech, a full warranty, no mystery over how it has been treated, and that nice feeling of being the first person to put miles on the clock. If you want all of that, there is a good reason to spend the extra money. But plenty of us are not particularly bothered about having the absolute latest version sitting in the driveway.

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Toyota has a habit of making gradual changes rather than completely reinventing its vehicles every few years, so a slightly older model can still feel very current. You might lose a newer screen or convenience features, but you can save a lot of money while getting something that gets the important stuff done. Take the 2023 Corolla: it still has an 8-inch touchscreen, the same as the 2026 model.

Depreciation Can Turn A Nearly New Vehicle Into A Much Better Deal

Toyota

CarEdge currently ranks Toyota first among brands for value retention, with its vehicles expected to hold onto 64.9% of their original value after five years. That’s great news if you own one, but it can make shopping for a used Toyota hard. A two or three-year-old RAV4 or Highlander can still be close enough in price to a new one that the choice seems obvious.

Things do change, though (eventually). CarEdge estimates that the average Toyota retains 56.9% after seven years, meaning there is eventually a point when the numbers do start to make more sense if the budget is tighter. A nearly new Toyota that has already lost a sizable amount of value to depreciation can give you much of what a new one offers, without making you pay for it.

The Toyota Venza Makes A Strong Case For Buying Used

Toyota

The Toyota Venza was dropped from the lineup after the 2024 model, so you have to buy a used one. It still looks as good as it did when it was released, and prices are starting to drop. The 2024 Toyota Venza had an original starting price ranging from $36,465 for the base-trim LE to $44,610 for the Limited trim. So, it wasn’t the most expensive Toyota in the lineup, but not the cheapest.

Recent Depreciation Is Working In Our Favor

Toyota

iSeeCars rates the Venza 8.4 out of 10 for value retention, while CarEdge says it will only lose 38% of its value over five years. So, while prices hold strong, the final model year of the Venza is now in a good position of being still up-to-date, while starting to lose enough money to make it look appealing.

CarEdge also says that after one year, 90.4% of value would have been retained, 77.5% after two years, 73% after three years, and 67.5% after four years. We are past the first couple of years now, and according to Kelley Blue Book, you can now buy a ’24 Venza LE for $30,600, an XLE for $31,900, a Nightshade Edition for $33,900, and a Limited for $37,200.

The Discontinued Venza Still Offers A Premium Package

Toyota

The now-discontinued Venza is an interesting part of Toyota’s lineup because it was never meant to be the cheapest way into the mid-sized crossover segment. Instead, it was positioned above the RAV4, giving a more refined take on the same basic idea without stepping all the way into Highlander territory.

You still get a modern package without having to put up with the size of a larger, more in-your-face SUV. It measures in at 186.6 inches by 73 inches, making it easy enough to handle every day, while five seats and 55.1 cubic feet of storage space still make it practical. It was never trying to be everything to everyone, and this is part of why it works so well as a used Toyota SUV.

The Venza Gives You Plenty For Your Money

Toyota

As we find with many, many Toyota models, though the price may be wallet-friendly, you are not missing out. First, the ’24 Venza is equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+, which means you get a pre-collision system, radar cruise control, and lane tracing. The IIHS chose the Venza as a Top Safety Pick as well, so it is good to go from the start as a family SUV.

You also get an impressive amount of space inside. There is 98.3 cubic feet of passenger space, which translates to 38.6 inches of front headroom (38.1 inches if you get a model with the panoramic roof), 40.9 inches of front legroom, 39 inches of rear headroom (36.9 inches with the panoramic roof), and 37.8 inches of rear legroom.

Standard All-Wheel Drive And Hybrid Power Make It Easy To Live With

Toyota

While a lot of SUVs require you to spend extra on all-wheel drive, the Venza doesn’t. Standard equipment includes electronic on-demand AWD. We wouldn’t recommend anything beyond some very light off-pavement driving, but it is very handy if you live in a wet part of the country or just want some extra assurance underfoot when pulling away or when the weather gets bad.

Also, despite having standard all-wheel-drive, the 2024 Venza is exceptionally fuel-efficient. Under the hood is a 2.5-liter Dynamic Force inline-four paired with three electric motors, and an e-CVT. Combined horsepower is 219, and 0–60 mph times are in the 7.1 to 7.6-second range. So, not bad for something that is both relatively plush and getting cheaper.

Toyota

According to FuelEconomy.gov, the 2024 Venza can achieve 39 combined mpg (40 mpg city/37 mpg highway). It is estimated to cost you, based on 15,000 miles a year and driving 45% on the highway and 55% in the city, just $1,600 a year for gas. The gas tank is 14.5 gallons and costs $59 to fill, giving you an estimated full-tank range of 566 miles.

Comfortable Cabin And Upscale Feel Help It Punch Above Its Price

Toyota

The money you save at the pump, which FuelEconomy.gov says is to the tune of $3,000 over five years compared to the average modern vehicle, doesn’t come at the expense of the cabin. The LE gets fabric seats and an 8-inch touchscreen, but when you step up to the XLE, you get SofTex upholstery and a much more comprehensive 12.3-inch screen.

The Nightshade follows the XLE’s interior but with a few more unique touches, while the Limited gets you perforated SofTex. The XLE is equipped with heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, driver-seat memory, and an eight-way power passenger seat, so you don’t have to go all the way to the top to get a properly equipped model.

Toyota

The Limited, being the most expensive, is obviously the most nicely kitted out, and here you get ventilated front seats. You also benefit from a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster sitting alongside the 12.3-inch center screen, and a 10-inch HUD. Toyota’s Panoramic View Monitor is also included.

To top off its luxury intentions, some models were fitted with the Star Gaze panoramic roof, which uses electrochromic tech to switch from transparent to frost at the push of a button. Find a model with the originally fitted JBL audio rig, and you’ve got yourself a very plush-feeling hybrid SUV for mainstream money.

The Venza Is A Toyota Worth Buying After Its Biggest Depreciation Hit

Toyota

The Venza isn’t completely free of things to watch out for, though. Some owners have complained about infotainment glitches and connectivity issues. More importantly, the 2023 and 2024 models were included in a 2025 recall because of a software fault that could cause the 12.3-inch instrument display to fail to show important information like your speed and warning lights. So, if you are looking at buying one, check the VIN against the NHTSA website for any outstanding recalls.

The Venza’s disappearance from Toyota’s lineup shouldn’t be mistaken for an admission that Toyota had built a dud, though. Yes, the last generation only debuted in 2021 after a five-year hiatus and was dropped shortly after, but it remains one of the most underrated Toyota SUVs out there. It was replaced with the Crown Signia, which fills a similar hybrid, all-wheel-drive crossover role, but with a newer design and a slightly different position in the range.

Toyota

This leaves the 2024 Venza in a strong position as a used SUV. You can get an SUV with plenty of equipment, sensible running costs, likely low mileage, some warranty remaining, and relatively low age, while somebody else has already absorbed the depreciation hit or is spending more on the Crown Signia.

Don’t just look for the cheapest one because it is a Toyota and likely to last; models with a larger screen and more equipment aren’t that much more expensive than the base trim, so start there. Regardless of trim, though, for a couple-of-year-old SUV in the $30,000–$40,000 price bracket, a well-kept Venza gives you a lot of high-end Toyota without having to pay for it.

Model

Venza

Engine

2.5L I4 Hybrid

Transmission

CVT

Horsepower

176 HP @5700 RPM

The Toyota Venza is a midsize crossover built on Toyota’s TNGA-K platform. It sources almost all of its mechanical components from the current RAV4 Hybrid, including the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson engine, but with one electric motor. The LE, XLE, Limited, and Nightshade Edition all produce the same 219 horsepower and 163 pound-feet to all four wheels via an eCVT.

Sources: Toyota, iSeeCars, Kelley Blue Book, FuelEconomy.gov, NHTSA, and CarEdge.