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Best used-car deals

Save money on Consumer Reports recommended models

Last updated: January 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.

2011 Subaru Forester

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

The Forester has long been one of our top-rated Small SUVs with a quiet cabin and a roomy backseat. It has among 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 and old-school four-speed automatic. Safety equipment includes standard curtain air bags and stability control.  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 $17,760 $11,100 39%
2009 Subaru Impreza
 51,000 $20,995 $15,400 27%
2010 Toyota Corolla
 40,000 $17,750 $13,375 25%
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 Ford Fusion
 66,000 $22,900 $11,300 51%
2009 Honda Accord
 51,000 $22,705 $14,025 38%
2010 Mazda6
 40,000 $20,470 $12,625 38%
2011 Nissan Altima
 22,000 $24,740 $19,625 27%
2012 Toyota Camry
 11,000 $23,220 $20,875 10%

Small SUVs

Vehicle Mileage MSRP When New Buying From Dealer Avg Price Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Honda CR-V
 66,000 $21,900 $14,750 33%
2009 Mitsubishi Outlander
 51,000 $24,580 $13,950 43%
2010 Nissan Rogue
 40,000 $21,930 $16,700 24%
2011 Subaru Forester
 22,000 $21,695 $18,500 15%
2012 Toyota RAV4
 11,000 $26,280 $22,650 14%

Midsized SUVs

Vehicle Mileage MSRP When New Buying From Dealer Avg Price Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Acura MDX
 66,000 $43,695 $23,625 46%
2009 Honda Pilot
 51,000 $40,095 $27,775 31%
2010 Mazda CX-9 40,000 $28,805 $19,650 32%
2011 Toyota Highlander
 22,000 $33,300 $28,725 14%
2012 Toyota Venza
 11,000 $31,225 $28,025 10%

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 Scion xB
 51,000 $16,700 $11,825 29%
2010 Toyota Matrix
 40,000 $22,110 $14,975 32%
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 Acura TL
 66,000 $36,225 $18,150 50%
2009 Infiniti G37
 51,000 $33,250 $21,550 35%
2010 Acura TSX
 40,000 $37,950 $23,275 39%
2011 Lexus ES 350
 22,000 $36,725 $31,225 15%
2012 Lincoln MKZ
 11,000 $36,535 $25,800 29%

Luxury cars

Vehicle Mileage MSRP When New Buying From Dealer Avg Price Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Acura RL
 66,000 $49,900 $20,475 59%
2009 Infiniti M35 51,000 $47,950 $24,950 48%
2010 Lexus GS 350
 40,000 $46,950 $34,850 26%
2011 Lexus LS 460 22,000 $69,435 $54,575 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 LE
 66,000 $26,015 $15,525 40%
2009 Toyota Sienna XLE 51,000 $29,725 $21,325 28%
2010 Toyota Sienna Ltd. 40,000 $35,665 $27,975 22%
2011 Toyota Sienna SE
 22,000 $30,850 $25,750 17%
2012 Toyota Sienna LE
 11,000 $33,440 $26,925 19%

Pickups

Vehicle Mileage MSRP When New Buying From Dealer Avg Price Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP
2008 Honda Ridgeline
 66,000 $28,500 $17,975 37%
2009 Toyota Tundra
 51,000 $36,010 $25,825 28%
2010 Honda Ridgeline
 40,000 $31,555 $23,750 25%
2011 Toyota Tacoma
 22,000 $16,365 $15,750 4%
2012 Honda Ridgeline
 11,000 $30,095 $27,125 10%

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 460
 40,000 $51,970 $43,175 17%
2011 Lexus RX 450h
 22,000 $46,325 $39,700 14%
2012 Lexus GX 460
 11,000 $58,040 $56,825 2%

   

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