QOTD: What Brand Makes the Best Used Cars?

by Tim Healey

Published: September 20th, 2024

On today's podcast, we spoke with Consumer Reports about their ranking of brands that make the best used cars.

Their approach is data-driven and quite interesting. But I am curious if your anecdotal experience matches up.

That's not to say anecdote is data -- we know it's not. I prefer CR's data-based approach, since it will help you see the big picture.

That said, some of you have had experiences that don't match up to what companies like Consumer Reports or J.D. Power or find. Others of you will read the Consumer Reports piece or listen to the podcast and nod your head in solidarity.

So which is it? I want to see what your experiences have been as you've purchased used cars over the years.

Sound off below.

[Image: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock.com]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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3 of 20 comments

Scott 10 hours ago
Who makes the best used cars? I thought they all made new cars. (silly me)

1 Reply
Tassos 8 hours ago
IF ALL you care about is reliability, buy a Lexus LS460, but be prepared to pay TWICE what you will pay for a used BMW 7 series, which is far superior in handling and performance........................But if you also factor in price, you can't beat a used S Class, cars going for 125k-250k new, which you can buy, SLIGHTLY used (not when they are 20 year old, like TIm's IDIOTIC picks), for 10% of their price new, AND still LAST FOREVER AND take you to the TOP OF THE WORLD every time you drive them.

1 Reply
- MacTassos 2 hours ago
  This story reminds me when I was a SLIGHT young ‘un and not even 20 years old when me dear Da drove me to the TOP OF THE WORLD in Scotland. There in a field was a daft sheep LOST FOREVER walking in a circle bleating the same noise. Soon I took a fancy to the sheep and ALL I cared about was goin’ BAA 7 times in series at her. Mine was a far superior performance. Then I realized me Da was gone and at least 150-250km away. It took me TWICE as long to get home and I had to pay 10% more for a SLIGHTLY used ticket for the train. The lesson I learned is that listening to sheep makes you a bampot just like them. As the great Sean Connery once said, "I haven't changed my opinion... If you have tried everything else – and daft sheep are pretty good at this – they can't leave it alone. They want to have the last word and you give them the last word, but they're not happy with the last word. They want to say it again, and get into a really provocative situation” and “they want a slap."
  
  Like Flagged comment
- Bd2 57 minutes ago
  Genesis by Hyundai G90 is better reliability, and higher ATP.
  
  Like

Recent Comments

Redapple2 For this price you can find some sweet german stuff
Redapple2 You need raptor upgrades to hit the hard trails. But the hard trails are the ones smash, dent and crumple the expensive bits. So you pay a ton more - to do something you shouldnt. While getting 14mpg. I ll stick to the forest service roads.
Bd2 Tim - Toyota and Lexus does not make good vehicles. Hyundai, Kia, Genesis make the best vehicles in the world.
Tassos NO THEY DO NOT, TIM........................ ACCURATELY: These brands make the most reliable cars AS PROVEN BY.... NOT SCIENCE, but OWNER-REPORTED failures to COnsumer Reports. .............,WHich, for flagship luxury cars, are often Statistically INSIGNIFICANT SAMPLES (this one went right over Tim's head, and many other heads here, but I will not give a lecture to you to explain it, even if you pay me my $400/hr. ................IN ADDITION, buyers already know that, AND DRIVE THE PRICES OF THESE USED CARS UP. I still recommend them for peace of mind, to people who are NOT CAR ENTHUSIASTS, but they will NOT get any BARGAIN when they buy them.
Tassos IF ALL you care about is reliability, buy a Lexus LS460, but be prepared to pay TWICE what you will pay for a used BMW 7 series, which is far superior in handling and performance........................But if you also factor in price, you can't beat a used S Class, cars going for 125k-250k new, which you can buy, SLIGHTLY used (not when they are 20 year old, like TIm's IDIOTIC picks), for 10% of their price new, AND still LAST FOREVER AND take you to the TOP OF THE WORLD every time you drive them.