Best Used Cars to Purchase
Apr 24, 2014
All the attention is always on the new car. It’s bright, shiny and updated with all the latest gadgets. It’s great to buy but along with all the glitz and glamour comes a hearty price tag. Sometimes keeping cost low is more important and families turn to used cars for purchase.
Common sense says that a new car loses its value as soon as it drives off the lot so those buying used vehicles will want to be on the right side of the depreciation curve. Used car purchases are typically less about the glitz and glamour and more about the practical. Purchases are based on owner satisfaction, true cost-of-ownership and resale value.
Thankfully, all that information has been calculated and results listed below.
Sedans
Compact: Hyundai Elantra - A used version can be typically purchased for less than $10,000 and gets great gas mileage.
Midsize: Honda Accord – The accord constantly scores high on the J.D. Power and Associates long-term-dependability study and it maintains a high resale value year after year.
Large: Mercury Montego – Produced from 2004 to 2007. Pricing shows a fully loaded Montego can be had for around $13,000
SUVs
Small: Honda CR-V – This vehicle tops J.D. Powers 3-year dependability ratings and its resale ratings. This 4-cylinder SUV is spacious yet affordable. The perfect blend of car and truck.
Large: Toyota Highlander – With recalls affecting the 2008-2010 models because of floor mats, these vehicles can be a steal and may actually be better than buying new. If looking to transport the entire family look for models after 2004 which is when Toyota added the third row seating.
Trucks
Midsize: Toyota Tacoma – With great reliability and resale value the Toyota Tacoma is a great choice. Add in a variety of body styles to choose from and you will most certainly find what you need in a Tacoma.
Large: Ford F-150 – This has been America’s bestselling vehicle for a number of years so there is plenty of selection. Couple that with the F-Series’ high dependability scores and you have a no brainer here.
Luxury
Luxury Coupe: Infiniti G35 – Although the company has updated the G35 to the G37 for new models, among used cars, the G35 still is a great choice. With cost of ownership lower than its competitors, a used G35 owner could save a lot of green over the long haul.
Luxury Sedan: Cadillac DTS – With great ratings in the dependability column it has a lower cost of ownership than most of its competitors and a fully loaded 2006 Cadillac DTS can be snatched up for around $22,000.
