Vehicle issue platform AutoTechIQ analyzed 68,852 unique used and certified pre-owned car listings on Cars.com. The listings for each state were grouped to find the average cost of a used car. Exotic cars costing over $150,000 were not included in the study. The states were then ranked from lowest average cost to highest average cost to reveal the cheapest and most expensive spots to purchase a second-hand car.   

Washington ranks top as the cheapest state to purchase a used car. Of the 970 vehicle listings in the state, the average cost of a second-hand car is $24,673, almost $2,000 less than any other place in the country. For motorists looking for the best deals statewide, Deer Park is where the most affordable used cars are found, priced at an average of $12,043. Meanwhile, Bellevue is home to the state’s most expensive used cars, with the average cost at $48,404.   

Ohio is the second cheapest state to buy a second-hand car, with an average price of $26,605. Approximately 2,484 listings were counted statewide, with 401 Ford, 326 Chevrolet, and 197 Jeep vehicles available. Hamilton is the most affordable city to buy a used car ($17,159).   

Virginia ranks third with an average used car cost of $27,043. With the sixth-highest listings in any state (2,650), Virginia’s most popular used car brands are Ford, Chevrolet, and Nissan, with 307, 209, and 178 listings, respectively. Residents of Bedford live in the state’s cheapest spot for a second-hand car, where the average cost is just $6,354.   

Pennsylvanians pay the fourth-lowest amount on average for a used car. The average used car in the state costs $28,085 based on 3,633 listings. Ford and Jeep are the two most common car brands listed, with 446 and 350 listings. Manheim is the most expensive place to purchase a used car in Pennsylvania, where the average cost is $58,061, while in Hazleton, the average cost is just $12,455.   

Indiana rounds out the five states home to the cheapest second-hand cars. A used car costs an average of $28,213 for Hoosiers, with Chevrolet vehicles proving the most popular, accumulating 144 listings. Indianapolis has the state’s cheapest used cars ($26,546), whereas Evansville has more expensive vehicles, with an average cost of $32,259.   

Minnesota takes sixth spot, with the average cost of a used car at $28,256. Of the 1,063 listings available in the state, 17.22% (or 183) are for Ford vehicles. Bloomington has the state’s most expensive second-hand cars, with the average vehicle on sale for $35,405.  

Wisconsin is home to the seventh-lowest average price for a second-hand car. With 1,183 listings statewide, the average cost of a used car is $28,308. Milwaukee is where you can pick up the cheapest used car on average ($24,074), whereas Mount Pleasant contains the state’s most expensive used vehicles ($33,624).