Best and Worst Used Cars
Reliable models to look for—and troublesome ones to avoid.
Click to see more pictures Is it time to replace your car? Owners of 27 percent of the vehicles in our latest Annual Car Reliability Survey acquired them used last year, and they're definitely on to something. Data from our exclusive survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, show that hundreds of used-car models provide good reliability. And they can be safe, fuel efficient, and affordable.
Used vehicles are often some of the best values you'll find because you sidestep the biggest expense associated with buying a new car: depreciation.
For example, a seven-year-old
Lexus RX SUV, a safe and reliable vehicle that typically costs $40,000 when new, can be found for $12,000 to $14,000. And young drivers don't have to settle for a new small car like the
Toyota Yaris when they can find a fairly new, roomier, and better equipped used vehicle in the same price range, such as a
Honda Accord,
Nissan Altima, or
Toyota Camry.
To minimize the risks, look for vehicles that have proved to be reliable. The following lists of models from 1998 through 2007 will steer you to the gems (and away from the duds) among the thousands of used vehicles on the market.
The Best of the best and Worst of the worst are based on our larger lists of
Reliable used cars and
Used cars to avoid (both available to subscribers).
These comprehensive lists give you a rundown of all the models that were found, from our data, to be above or below average in reliability. Owners reported on any serious problems they had had with their cars, minivans, SUVs, and pickup trucks in the previous year.
BEST OF THE BEST- These are models that have performed well in CR road tests over the years, and have proved to have several or more years of better-than-average reliability. Listed alphabetically.
Acura Integra, Acura MDX, Acura RL, Acura RSX, Acura TL, Acura TSX, BMW M3, Buick LaCrosse, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot, Honda S2000, Infiniti FX, Infiniti G20, Infiniti G35, Infiniti I30, I35Infiniti, QX4Lexus ES
Lexus ES, Lexus GS (RWD), Lexus GX, Lexus IS, Lexus LS, Lexus RX, Lexus SC, Lincoln Continental, Lincoln Town Car, Mazda Millenia, Mazda MX-5, Mazda Miata, Mazda Protegé, Mazda 3, Mitsubishi Endeavor, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Murano, Pontiac Vibe, Porsche 911 (except '03), Scion tC, Scion xB
Subaru Baja, Subaru Forester, Subaru Impreza, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Camry (except '07 V6), Toyota Camry, Toyota Solara, Toyota Celica, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Echo, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Matrix, Toyota Prius, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Sequoia, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Tundra (except '07 V8 4WD), Volvo S60
WORST OF THE WORST- These vehicles showed multiple Used Car Verdicts that were much worse than average, according to our survey respondents. They consistently had more problems than other models overall.
Buick Rendezvous (AWD), Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Astro, Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet Colorado (4WD), Chevrolet S-10, Pickup (4WD), Chevrolet Uplander, Chevrolet Venture, Chrysler Town & Country (AWD), Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD), GMC Canyon (4WD),
GMC Jimmy, GMC S-15 Sonoma (4WD), GMC Safari, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Kia Sedona, Land Rover Discovery LR3, Lincoln Aviator, Mercedes-Benz SL, Nissan Armada (4WD), Nissan Titan (4WD), Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Silhouette, Pontiac Aztek, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Montana, Trans Sport, Montana SV6, Saturn Relay, Volkswagen Cabriolet, Volkswagen Jetta Sedan (turbo), Volkswagen Jetta Sedan (V6), Volkswagen Touareg
About these lists: The lists on these pages are compiled from overall reliability data covering 1998-2007 models with above-average or much-below-average reliability. CR Good Bets and Bad Bets include only the models for which we have sufficient data for at least three model years. Models that were brand-new in 2006 or 2007 do not appear. Problems with the engine major, engine cooling, transmission major, and drive system were weighted more heavily than other problems.
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