Used sedans for sale near Des Moines, IA under $12,000

I had a travel experience in January 2023, while vacationing in Florida, to save money I ordered a subcompact and was up graded to a Chevy Malibu. The LT has the smaller 1.5 L 4 Cylinder which was great on gas, performance was good, not great like my Chevy Avalanche. Missed my flight back to JFK NYC, My fault. Jet Blue got me to LaGuardia AP. Rental Company at JFK was About to Close. The same Company had a branch in LaGuardia they rented me a Malibu at no extra cost. It snowed and the front wheel drive just held the road. That's why I purchased a 2020 Malibu Premier it had everything but the Safety & entertainment. I loved everything else.

Great prices. Large selection of high quality cars and trucks. Low sales pressure. Jack was great to work with. They do stand behind their cars.Thanks

For buying a used car a manual 6speed at that, I would recommend this car if it has been taken care of like mine. Most definitely.

The Ford Fusion SE FWD has proved itself to be a solid choice. It is reliable in stop-and-go traffic and is nimble enough to overtake other cars on highways. It is also quite comfortable, although the headrest is quite uncomfortably placed. The suspension absorbs most of the road's vibrations. When turned on at lower speeds, the motor can be louder than expected, but the transition between electric and ICE power is quite smooth. The design is aggressive, and it looks quite good. The car is also reliable, and parts aren't hard to find. The infotainment system, however, is not as sophisticated as expected, but not in a pleasant way. Overall, I would still recommend the car; it's practical, reliable, and nimble.

Tom was great to work with. All staff was very nice. I would recommend to anyone looking for a great vehicle. I will be a return customer; )

its such a beautiful and fun car, I love the car for its personality. in fact I'm getting married to this car on April 8, 2025, which is also my 21st birthday. All of you are invited! it is also better than a megatron civic

We have now purchased two cars from Moss Motors. One for each of my daughters. The one car over 5 years ago and another just last weekend. I have nothing but good things to say about these guys. They are not hard sell and they work with you in anyway that they can. You will NOT be buying a new or certified car. What you will get is a nice newer car probably with a lot of miles on it but still in good shape. I WILL be bringing my business back to them in the future

The car has pluses and a few minuses. First the good things. It is by far one of the smoothest vehicles I've ever driven, especially highway driving. You barely feel the road. Breaking is quick and responsive which adds to the smooth driving experience. The car is agile and has a impressive turning radius. Engine performance is adequate but acceleration is a bit weak especially taking it from 0 to 60. so you will not be passing every car on the road with this. Also the car sways a bit in high winds so it feels like you have to fine tune the steering at highway speeds to stay in lane. Exterior stying of car is also a bit unorthodox with it's small 15 inch wheels and oversized headlights. Interior is very comfortable for most people seats are comfortable with good back support. The rear seating is large for a subcompact with excellent legroom . The dash is not terribly impressive though cheap plastic is used and the glove compartment is too small . Also audio system is subpar and basic. What I love about the car is the price, the gas mileage and the comfort and reliability. If your looking for fancy or fast look elsewhere.

I was looking for an SUV for my daughter and stopped by Kars to test drive a few cars. The first one was a little rough but we found a 2007 Chevy Trailblazer that we really liked. The staff was very friendly and gave us a competitive price. We have only had it a week but so far it is a nice car. I would recommend this dealership if you are looking for an older car for a pretty good price.

So I bought this car with no intention of owning it long... but now I love it! Have the SE with the 2.0 (which I read with the 6 spd is most reliable). My only complaint is that it could have more power for maneuvering into traffic... that said it's getting me 37+ mpg going 80 and even over mountain passes. It has great weight distribution and corners almost as well as my bmw 3 series did thanks to the Alpha Romeo chassis. The shifts are smooth - even in high traffic freeway driving and over the mountain passes (maintains whatever speed I want over the passes as well). It's comfortable on long drives - have a 5 hour drive 2x per month. I kind of hate that I love it so much - but also a value shopper - so I take that it was so cheap to purchase into consideration. It only has 68k miles, so interested to see how it holds up in the long run... haven't had any issues at all with it over the past 12k miles I've owned it. It was well maintained by the original owners.

Searched online and drove several trucks before I came across the one I purchased from Midwest Motors. The Truck drove and looked excellent in comparison to what everyone else in town had to offer just under the $15,000 budget. Was very impressed by the transparent way business was done here and even more impressed by the fact that this local dealer produced paperwork for all service/maintenance performed on it prior to them offering it for sale. I have bought many vehicles over the years and this experience was refreshing.

Super reliable car! I have yet to replace the brakes. Only major purchase was a set of replacement tires. Had a 90,000-mile full checkup, and had nothing noted as deficient. I only wish the batteries for propulsion could maintain a higher value. They have decreased from 22 miles of power to 12 miles.

I bought a 2016 Cruze Limited brand new in December 2015 and just this week parted ways with it at 100k miles. This was a great little car that I wouldn’t hesitate to buy again! The interior is comfortable and roomy and for the price, it has all the tech that you really need. Like most cars, it started needing more than the regular maintenance when it started getting close to 100k miles, but it’s still a reliable car and a great value. If you’re truly looking for a car to get you from A to B with a little extra in the way of amenities and you don’t have a complex about impressing people you don’t know with things you can’t afford, this car is a wonderful option.

I have had a great experience with this car. It now has over 130,000 miles on it. And still going strong. I've only had to do the brakes. I changed the oil every 3000 miles. I did have to change. The driver's side axle. Toyota had a recall on the paint. So I now have a new paint job. The car looks wonderful. Like brand new? It has a brand new set of tires. Very dependable. It's a little noisy on the highway. But I expected that. The entertainment system. Is excellent. So it drowns out the highway noise. It handles great. The steering is precise. Overall, I would recommend this car. Especially to anyone who is seeking a low budget. Car. With good reliability.

Very helpful personnel. Dealership a little difficult to get in to and parking was limited. Good selection of vehicles in the price range I was interested in.

Bought this used in 2019 w/65k miles. It's a solid A to B car, does what it needs to do, with little no to fuss. The interior isn't flashy, but rattles much less than most other entry level cars I've been in. Ride quality is commendable, a little lound (but I have a feeling that's more the fault of the budget brand tires the dealer threw on the car). But overall way better ride quality than a 2020 Trax I had as a loaner for a day (roughest car I think I've ever driven....and I've owed some really crappy econoboxes in my day). I've had one issue with the car thus far, the water pump went out on me, but hey, it happens. Been almost a year since and haven't had a single other issue with it. For the relatively small engine, this thing has some pep to it, but the transmission doesn't do it any favors and is the one negative about this car. The way it is geared is my one irritation. Its sluggish and downshifts aggressively making it obnoxious to drive in the city as it doesn't coast very well (in particular it downshifts hard from 4th to 3rd at 27mph and begins to engine brake, slowing the car down noticably), I usually just end up using the manual automatic so I can actually coast a city block to the next light. Overall, for the 10k I paid for the car, not too much to complain about. It's a safe, good driving commuter.

They were so helpful and so polite and was willing to assist me in all my stressful wants of a used or new vehicle. I can't wait to go back and pick out the beauty I want..

Love this car! I have 81000 miles on it,the only thing I’ve done is brake job and this the 3rd set of new tires. I’m going to be getting a new Toyota soon and using this for a trade in.

Very happy with the deal the did what they said they would do very easy to deal with on my end of the deal Happy

I recently bought a 2020 Elantra with very low miles (39k). It looks great, like new, and drives like a large sedan should. And the gas mileage is great! Driving around town yesterday it got 37 mpg in normal traffic, when the spec is 30. And on the freeway I was getting well over 57 mpg on a very slight, non-visible decline at 77 mph. It "feels" comfortable. My only knock so far is the information on the center console could be brighter and I haven't figured out how to make it yet. The owner's manual was not included in the sale.

Very easy to deal with. Shopped for a used truck. Wasnt pressured at all. They were fair on the price aswell. Would buy a truck from here again

My grandma drove this car off the lot, brand new. Has been a great car. After a few years it was passed on to my mom, then my dad, and now me. I’ve driven this car for 3 years now but unfortunately there is too much maintenance to be done for the money. Around 160k miles for us it has had minimal issues so I’d say it’s a great car. It started when we got back from a trip and one of the cylinders were misfiring (which was a spark plug and an easy fix). Around 170k miles we were driving it and it ended up overheating. We got it towed and it ended up being the water pump going out (as well as the serpentine belt needing to be replaced). After that we drove it for a few weeks but it started running rough, then we went to go home from work one night and it was idling super rough so we drove it home and decided not to use it until we could get it towed to a mechanic. It was blowing out lots of white smoke. Turns out the head gasket has blown (which we think was from the overheating done originally). Car has officially made it to 173k miles. We were hoping more but it’s not horrible considering. Something to look out for is this also burns a lot of oil. Be sure to check it often, every two weeks depending on how much you drive. Wish the engine had a recall or something for that issue. Overall great car but from my reading, don’t get a 2007-2013 if used since these are the years for oil consumption issues.

I've only owned this car since January 31, 2025. Bought it used from a small dealer in Tennessee with 136,652 miles on it. I bought it because I moved to Tennessee and will be starting a new job soon, so I needed a reliable car to get to/from work. I've always had Hondas; this is my first Toyota, and has not let me down so far. It's comfortable, fun to drive, starts right up every time and you can shift the transmission manually for more fun. All I've had to do to it so far is oil change and replace tie rod ends. I always look forward to driving it. I love the styling of the SE trim, it has the 4 cylinder engine. Only thing I'm going to need to do to it soon is tires. I gave it 4 stars for performance cause the 6 speed transmission seems to lag a bit unless you use manual shift mode and it seems to want to shift into 6th gear too soon. Other than that, I love this car!

I purchased my 3rd used car in five years from Efkamp Auto Sales LLC today 1/03/20. I shopped @Efkamp on the Merle Hay Strip knowing they'd have a selection of the absolute finest used cars available in the Des Moines Metro area. Not only was I thrilled to find a selection of Luxury vehicles I could afford; I was able to purchase a vehicle beyond anything I imagined I'd be driving today! Many thanks to Randy Efkamp and his son Taylor for all your help today. I'll be back in a year or so when my son needs his first car! Happy New Year!!!

Love my car! Usually drove a truck!still have a chev truck but husband drives it,car is so good on gas!just a great size for me,bought it with 42,000kl on it,little expensive ! Other than that great

I currently still drive my 2005 Buick Lacrosse CXL. I currently have 145,000 miles on it. Car is mechanically sound given the high mileage I've put on it. The only major downfalls are the ABS wheel speed sensors and HUB assembly as well as the engine coolant leaks at the intake...which I will be doing next. I've replaced the front and rear HUB assembly. I do all the repairs on my car as well as break jobs. Over all I must say this car is very dependable. Remember to get the transmission fluid changed and flushed twice as often when you have high mileage. Remember to put your car in neutral when at stop lights as this will greatly lengthen the life of your transmission...especially with this car.

My purchasing experience was great. I called Bryan a few days before I came asking about a specific pickup. He answered all of my questions and sent me the auto check report by email. I called the morning I went to the dealership to confirm the truck was still there and it was. The other salesperson informed me that he had it washed and pulled inside ready for me to take a test drive. We had a four hour drive that was well worth it. When we arrived were were greeted and shown the vehicle. Bryan grabbed the dealer plates and we were off on a test drive. There was no pressure and we came home with a great pickup. Thanks for the great experience.

2013 Taurus bought with 18,000 as a "dealer car". Now has 220,000 miles and have replaced nothing but shocks, brakes, battery, wipers, tires. Original alternator, water pump, air cond, steering, trans, engine - NO major expenses whatever.. Would run over 10,000+ miles with no need to add oil if you chose to do such a thing. Starts, runs, drives extremely well. Wife isn't scared to drive on 200 mile trips alone. Suspension is a little loose but what do you expect! This car has provided , and continues to provide outstanding performance.

I sent a request for availability of one of their cars via cars.com. I did receive a prompt email reply. However, I didn't proceed any further.

I recommend this car for city driving though interstate driving is ok. I bought it new with 54 miles on it. I don't even have 11000 mi on it in 9 years. I've only replaced the battery twice and engine air filter once. The car is comfortable and reliable including tire pressure warnings during snow.

Very knowledgeable and fair. I went to about 10 different places to drive cars and I could tell they knew more about the cars they were selling than anyone else I talked to. They will be my first stop any time I shop for a car in the future.

I have owned a Kia Forte for 7 years now. My husband and I love it! We do regular oil changes and maintenance, and keep the car in the garage. At almost 60,000 miles it needed new tires and brakes, but that's not a big surprise. We LOVE the performance of this car -- the turbo function makes it fun to drive and great for passing. It's compact enough that we can park anywhere. And the hatchback is surprisingly large! We ended up selling our Toyota Camry and keeping our Kia because the Kia is a workhorse that hauled furniture and boxes for my husband's business. Way more room than the Camry when we needed to haul things or take our electric bikes on an adventure.

Went in to buy a used Tundra. Got there, and the battery was dead. After negotiations were done, they still replaced the battery. Awesome experience, best I’ve had in awhile. I’ll be back.

Comfortable, well powered, quiet, Bose system excellent, interior attractive, exterior has style. The rear window is low so it is difficult to use rear view mirror. Front pillars are wide and obstruct view to the left. Trunk is spacious.