The used car market is increasing as buyers continue to find ways to make their money go further in the suffering economy. Kelsey Mays and Joe Wiesenfelder of Cars.com have compiled a list of the 10 best used cars available for $10,000 or less.
In the writers’ words:
“Whether it’s a weekday commuter or a Saturday grocery-getter, drivers need their set of wheels, but the average price of a new car — $28,929 including financing, according to Comerica Bank’s latest Auto Affordability Index — is awfully high for many people.
“Not to worry; we’ve singled out some good buys for you. With reliability, safety and bottom-dollar value in mind, we looked at new and late-model used cars whose retail values hover around $10,000. We crunched reliability and crash-test scores. We considered standard and optional safety features and looked at how easy it is to find cars with those options. Finally, we considered gas mileage along with our own qualitative impressions — things such as cabin comfort and driving enjoyment.”
Here’s the Cars.com list:
2009 Nissan Versa
2005 Ford Escape
2005 Ford Five Hundred
2005 Ford Freestar
2005 Ford Taurus
2005 Hyundai Tucson
2005 Hyundai XG350
2004 Ford F-150
2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
2004 Mitsubishi Outlander
Cars.com editors exlained their list: “We used retail values — not trade-in or private-party values, which vary greatly depending on the car’s condition — to pare down our initial list of 225 cars.
Sources for safety equipment and crash-test scores include the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and automaker data. Information on vehicle features comes from automaker data; reliability scores come from J.D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports. Gas mileage estimates come from the EPA, and used-car prices come from Kelley Blue Book. Installation rates for specific safety equipment come from Ward’s Automotive Group.
Article Last Updated: November 14, 2013.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
I recently purchased a 2010 Ford Focus and love its many features and safety options. I'd even considered a used Ford Focus for my daughter because I figured it would be a reliable car for her to have – that wouldn't cost me a lot of money. I'm happy to see it on your top list!
People should stop bias against pre-owned American cars. Their quality has improved over the years and we should give them a fair chance.