The Best Used Cars to Buy Right Now

It's that time of year again, when Edmunds.com trots out its annual Used Car Best Bet Awards.

Criteria for voting: reliability, safety and availability.

Only used cars originally sold from 2004 to 2009 are eligible for these awards. Older vehicles usually have logged too many miles, and newer ones haven't yet felt the large depreciation that makes a low mileage 2- or 3-year-old car the best value.

Editors looked first at consumer ratings, as well as personal experience and judgment.

Second, they considered how these vehicles performed in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests.

Third, they looked at availability; the bigger the model year spread the better.

The following vehicles won for 2011:

Vehicle Class	Winner
Compact Sedan	2004-2009 Hyundai Elantra
Midsize Sedan	2004-2009 Nissan Altima
Large Sedan	2006-2009 Hyundai Azera
Coupe	2004-2009 BMW 3 Series
Convertible	2004-2009 Mazda Miata
Wagon	2004-2009 Pontiac Vibe
Compact SUV/Crossover	2004-2009 Honda CR-V
Midsize SUV/Crossover	2004-2009 Ford Explorer
Large SUV/Crossover	2004-2009 Chevrolet Tahoe
Minivan/Van	2004-2009 Honda Odyssey
Compact Truck	2004-2009 Toyota Tacoma
Large Truck	2004-2009 Ford F-150
Luxury	2004-2009 Infiniti G35/G37
Hybrid	2004-2009 Toyota Prius
Sport Compact	2004-2009 Subaru Impreza WRX

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