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Best used-car deals

Save money on Consumer Reports recommended models

Last updated: May 2013

A late-model used car can be one of the best values you'll find when buying a car. With relatively low mileage, modern safety and convenience features, and usually a much lower price than similar new vehicles, these used cars are in the sweet spot of auto deals.

We've scoured through the used car options and put together this list of best deals on 2008-2012 vehicles in ten categories. Each of the vehicles featured are models recommended by Consumer Reports. In making these selections, we focused on models that show the greatest depreciation from their original retail price and their current value, then culled the list to just those vehicles that meet our stringent criteria to be Recommended, including good performance in our tests, average or above safety scores, and average or better reliability. For some car types, this may mean limited diversity in the recommendations, though in all cases, we have focused on balancing the quality of the deal and that of the vehicle.

See all current deals on recommended used vehicles. Continue your research by comparing ratings, reliability, reviews, fuel economy, performance, and much more (available to subscribers). For a list of the most reliable used cars covering ten model years, see our best and worst used cars report.

To get detailed pricing on a used car or for vehicle comparisons, subscribe to our ConsumerReports.org Cars Best Deals Plus and used car price reports.

2009 Subaru Forester

Current price from the dealer $18,500 (original MSRP: $21,695)

The Forester has been one of our top-rated Small SUVs with a quiet cabin, very good fit and finish, and a roomy backseat. It has the most comfortable ride of any small SUV yet also has agile and secure handling. Fuel economy is 22 mpg overall with the 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine. Safety equipment includes standard curtain air bags and stability control, and crash-test results are excellent.

Small cars

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Honda Civic	66,000	$19,510	$12,225	37%
2009 Toyota Corolla	51,000	$16,750	$11,100	34%
2010 Subaru Impreza	40,000	$18,495	$16,150	13%
2011 Honda Fit	22,000	$19,240	$15,850	18%
2012 Volkswagen Golf	11,000	$19,095	$17,975	6%

Family cars

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Honda Accord	66,000	$23,860	$15,200	36%
2009 Nissan Altima	51,000	$19,900	$11,825	41%
2010 Toyota Camry	40,000	$21,900	$15,350	30%
2011 Ford Fusion	22,000	$19,720	$14,075	29%
2012 Toyota Prius	11,000	$24,000	$23,800	1%

Small SUVs

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Honda CR-V	66,000	$24,150	$16,700	31%
2009 Subaru Forester	51,000	$21,195	$15,625	26%
2010 Infiniti EX35	40,000	$35,200	$26,525	25%
2011 Toyota RAV4	22,000	$25,460	$19,300	24%
2012 Nissan Rogue	11,000	$22,780	$19,250	15%

Midsized SUVs

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Mazda CX-9	66,000	$30,700	$17,425	43%
2009 Toyota Highlander	51,000	$25,705	$18,625	28%
2010 Acura MDX	40,000	$42,230	$30,525	28%
2011 Honda Pilot	22,000	$32,495	$27,500	15%
2012 Toyota Venza	11,000	$28,875	$26,475	8%

Wagons

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Pontiac Vibe	66,000	$16,855	$8,175	51%
2009 Toyota Matrix	51,000	$20,500	$12,625	38%
2010 Pontiac Vibe	40,000	$16,100	$10,325	36%
2011 Scion xB	22,000	$16,950	$14,775	13%
2012 Scion xB	11,000	$17,250	$16,275	6%

Upscale cars

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Infiniti G35	66,000	$33,250	$17,740	38%
2009 Lincoln MKZ	51,000	$32,695	$16,475	50%
2010 Lexus ES 350	40,000	$34,800	$27,400	21%
2011 Acura TL	22,000	$35,305	$26,900	24%
2012 Acura TSX	11,000	$29,810	$26,550	11%

Luxury cars

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Acura RL	66,000	$46,280	$20,025	57%
2009 Lexus GS 350	51,000	$46,950	$29,650	37%
2010 Infiniti M35	40,000	$47,950	$28,225	41%
2011 Lexus LS 460	22,000	$72,675	$57,700	21%
2012 Infiniti M37	11,000	$49,850	$43,025	14%

Minivans

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Toyota Sienna CE	66,000	$24,490	$14,250	42%
2009 Toyota Sienna LE	51,000	$26,065	$17,050	35%
2010 Toyota Sienna Ltd.	40,000	$35,665	$27,975	22%
2011 Toyota Sienna LE	22,000	$29,200	$23,050	21%
2012 Toyota Sienna Base	11,000	$26,300	$22,825	13%

Pickups

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Honda Ridgeline	66,000	$28,000	$17,125	39%
2009 Toyota Tacoma	51,000	$19,130	$16,425	14%
2010 Toyota Tundra	40,000	$33,115	$27,550	17%
2011 Honda Ridgeline	22,000	$31,605	$25,950	18%
2012 Toyota Tacoma	11,000	$22,105	$20,225	9%

Luxury SUVs

Vehicle	Mileage	MSRP When New	Buying From Dealer Avg Price	Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Infiniti FX35	66,000	$39,550	$23,225	41%
2009 Lexus RX 350	51,000	$39,100	$26,175	33%
2010 Lexus GX 350	40,000	$51,970	$43,175	17%
2011 Lexus RX 450h	22,000	$46,325	$39,700	14%
2012 Lexus RX 350	11,000	$40,475	$37,850	6%

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