The next day, she found a slightly older, but better-maintained car through a certified pre-owned dealer, which came with a one-year warranty. It wasn’t as "blue," but the service history was spotless, and the inspection showed a healthy engine.

"It's a great price, right?" Dave said quickly. "Just need to sell it fast."

Maya stared at her bank app, then at her bank account. A new car was out of the question. With a modest budget and a desperate need for wheels, she turned to the online classifieds. After days of scrolling, she saw it: a 2017 midnight blue sedan with "only" 60,000 km—the listing said. It was perfectly priced.