The Best Deals on Used Small Cars
The cars featured here are recommended by Consumer Reports and are priced in the low teens - and even some below $10,000.
They made sure these cars have safety features like side air bags and stability control.
One bonus of buying used is that the original owner takes the initial depreciation hit.
It's smart to choose cars that scored well in Consumer Reports' tests, show good reliability, and do well in industry crash tests.
As always, before buying any used car, make sure you have a trusted mechanic give the vehicle a thorough inspection.
Here are the recommended small cars from the 2006-2008 model years.
Make & model |
Mileage |
Original Price |
Current Price |
Depreciation |
2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5 |
75,000 |
$19,095 |
$11,300 |
41% |
2006 Scion xB Release Series 3.0 FWD |
75,000 |
17,140 |
10,675 |
38% |
2006 Honda Civic DX |
75,000 |
15,560 |
9,750 |
37% |
2006 Toyota Corolla CE |
75,000 |
14,905 |
9,425 |
37% |
2007 Suzuki SX4 |
47,000 |
16,099 |
10,275 |
36% |
2006 Mazda3 s |
75,000 |
17,370 |
11,300 |
35% |
2007 Honda Civic Hybrid |
47,000 |
22,600 |
15,050 |
33% |
2006 Toyota Prius |
75,000 |
21,725 |
14,750 |
32% |
2008 Suzuki SX4 |
36,000 |
16,370 |
11,450 |
30% |
2007 Subaru Impreza 2.5 |
47,000 |
18,795 |
13,600 |
28% |
2007 Toyota Corolla LE |
47,000 |
16,315 |
11,800 |
28% |
2007 Mazda3 s hatchback |
47,000 |
18,630 |
13,825 |
26% |
2008 Honda Civic EX coupe |
36,000 |
20,710 |
16,325 |
21% |
2007 Toyota Corolla LE |
36,000 |
16,415 |
13,175 |
20% |
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author
Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate
the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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