5 Used Cars That Are Cheaper Than The 2TB iPhone DuoJalopnikMarko MikulicSat, September 19, 2026 at 12:05 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleBenjamin Fanjoy/Getty ImagesBuying a car is one of the most expensive purchases a person is expected to make in their life. So is buying a phone, apparently — at least if that phone is Apple's $3,199 2TB iPhone Duo. It's a strange sign of the times that a smartphone can now sit in the same price bracket as a used vehicle with four wheels, a functional engine, and the ability to get you to work every morning.Higher gas prices caused inflation to triple from one month to the next this year. Household budgets are already stretched by the cost-of-living crisis, so it's worth stepping back and asking what else that kind of money could buy. As it turns out, quite a lot. For the price of Apple's top-tier handset, a buyer could walk away with a genuinely capable used car from Mercedes, Volvo, Ford, or BMW. From each of these brands on the secondhand market, you can find models under the $3,200 target that can stil satisfy your need to drive from point A to point B.This list isn't about bashing Apple or defending secondhand car shopping; it's about perspective. Once the price of a phone starts rivaling the price of a car, it's fair to ask which purchase actually holds its value — and which one just depreciates the moment you walk out of the store. Below are five used cars that currently cost less than Apple's priciest iPhone, offering proof that even four wheels can still be cheaper than a pocket-sized screen with chips in it.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: These Car Brands Aren't Making It Through The Next RecessionW204 Mercedes-Benz C-ClassHarazaki Ananta Hondro/ShutterstockA top-tier iPhone is not something you buy because you absolutely need it. It's more of a luxury item you want to have. A Mercedes follows a similar trajectory because you don't need to own a luxury car, though you might still want one. If you love luxury and you decide to skip the new 2TB Duo, you can treat yourself to a used W204 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a relatively modern compact luxury sedan that can do just about everything.Engine-wise, $3,200 is more than enough for a pre-facelift C 300 (2009 to 2011), which offers a six-cylinder engine pushing out 231 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. You can also find the post-facelift C 300 (2012 to 2014), which pushes out 248 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. That's enough for both models to boast a 0-60 mph time of under 7 seconds.We included the W204 in our list of the best Mercedes models worth buying used. Granted, it's not an AMG model — but we're still talking about smartphone prices here. Overall, the C-Class is as practical as it gets from a car of this size, and it can comfortably seat four people with a decent set of luggage. It does the grocery runs flawlessly, it's quiet on the highway, and it has relatively modern technology. If you pay a bit extra to retrofit it with Apple CarPlay, it can even do things a new $3,200 iPhone does.First-Gen (P3) Volvo XC60Best Auto Photo/ShutterstockWhether they're being bought by a wealthy tech entrepreneur or a suburban soccer mom, it seems like SUVs are outperforming every other type of car at a rapid pace. Brand-new models are also quite expensive, with Volvo's cheapest new SUV costing more than 12 times the price of the iPhone Duo. Regardless, for the price of the latter, you can find first-gen Volvo XC60s — Volvo's best-selling car of all time.AdvertisementAdvertisementEngine-wise, $3,200 is more than enough for a base-trim XC60 running a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter inline-six making 240 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. If you want more punch, the turbocharged T6 trim's 3.0-liter inline-six pushes out 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet. Like with the C-Class, both models manage a 0-60 time of under 7 seconds. And at 182.8 inches long and 74.4 inches wide, riding on a 109.2-inch wheelbase, the XC60 offers up to 67.4 cubic feet of cargo room with the rear seats folded. That's plenty of space for grocery runs, and it gives a more commanding view of the road.Safety was also a strong suit for this generation of XC60 since the 2010 model won the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick, a feat continued by every subsequent model year in the generation. Tech-wise, though, don't expect a giant touchscreen like modern Volvos. This generation runs a smaller center display, and like the C-Class, it'll need a CarPlay retrofit if you want your $3,200 SUV to talk to your $3,200 iPhone.Early S197 Ford MustangBenedek/Getty ImagesWhile it's easy to assume the cheapest cars on this list are all going to be old economy sedans and worn-out luxury cars, that's not necessarily the case. If sedans and SUVs aren't your thing and you want something that will also be exciting, you can find a wide array of fifth-gen Mustangs (2005 to 2014) for around $3,200. Finding a usable GT at that price is a bit more difficult, but it's not impossible.Most of what you'll find at this price is the base V6 model, running a 4.0-literengine making 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. It's no rocket, but that's still enough to make the rear-wheel-drive chassis genuinely fun on a back road, especially when paired with the standard five-speed manual. If you do manage to track down one of the rarer GT-trim cars in this price range, you're looking at a 4.6-liter V8 putting out 300 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. That's good for reaching 60 mph from a standstill in under 6 seconds, along with a top speed of 155 mph.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe GT trim also came standard with a limited-slip differential and ventilated disc brakes on all four wheels, giving it hardware to back up its numbers rather than just look the part. Again, you'll have to do some extra work to get Apple Carplay working, so the iPhone Duo still has an edge for immediate compatibility with Apple's ecosystem. But that's still a fine trade-off for the price. When we listed your favorite Ford Mustangs, one response said that a good Mustang is one that only costs five grand — and you can certainly find many fifth-gen models for much less.12th-Gen (P415) Ford F-150Artistic Operations/Getty Images$3,200 is not a lot of money for a car, relatively speaking, but that doesn't mean you can't get a lot of car for $3,200. If you want to go big for a work-built truck that can haul, tow, and go places the Mustang can't, America's favorite — the 12th-gen (2009 to 2014) Ford F-150 – can also be had for iPhone money. There are even a few 13th-gen models available for that price, though the 12th generation has plenty of inventory to pick through.Engine-wise, this generation spans two very different eras. Trucks from 2009 and 2010 top out with the 5.4-liter Triton V8 making 310 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque. Starting in 2011, Ford gave the F-150 a huge power train overhaul, introducing a lineup of four all-new engines. This included the 5.0-liter V8 and and the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 — two engines that, according to Ford's own technicians, remain among the most dependable ever offered by the F-150.Depending on which side of that changeover your $3,200 lands you on, you could end up with an old-school V8, a turbocharged EcoBoost truck, or something in between. Plenty of trims are covered at this price point, too, with XL and XLT work-truck specs being the most common. The FX4 off-road packages and even the occasional STX do show up in the sub-$3,200 range if you're patient and lucky. Even if you miss out, though, you'll still be getting an iconic truck known for being exceptionally reliable.F01 BMW 7 SeriesD. Lentz/Getty ImagesThe BMW 7 Series is a full-size, top-spec sedan that can make you feel important. It has also been one of the quickest-depreciating luxury sedans in the U.S. market — and that means you can find 2011 and 2012 models for under $3,200. For such a price, you should not expect them to be in a state worthy of a 7 Series, but you'll have to make some sacrifices for the cost.AdvertisementAdvertisementEngine-wise, the trim you're most likely to actually land for $3,200 in this year range is the 750i, which runs a 4.4-liter V8 with 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. What you should budget for, though, is what comes after the initial $3,200. According to RepairPal, the 750i averages $1,061 per year in repair costs, and that figure climbs to $1,411 for the all-wheel-drive 750i xDrive — both well above what a typical used car costs to keep running. BMW owners are also estimated to visit repair shops 0.9 times a year on average, more than double the industry average, so buying cheap here is really just buying the entry ticket.The real cost of 7 Series ownership shows up gradually, one repair bill at a time. Unless you're breaking your iPhone Duo's screen every year, it's not going to burn through your bank account quite as quickly over time. But that up-front cost is still devastating, and by comparison, getting a functional 7 Series for $3,200 can feel like winning the lottery.Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and follow us or add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on Jalopnik.