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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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