For shoppers looking at used vehicles, the bad news is that prices have never been higher, but the good news is that used cars have never been more reliable.
That reliability can vary widely by vehicle type, make and model.
Car search site iSeeCars includes a feature that estimates remaining reliable life for used vehicles. The data comes from what it calls its longest-lasting car study to identify five-year-old and 10-year-old vehicles that combine both the lowest resale prices and the longest remaining lifespan.
“We are now able to fairly accurately predict how a given year, make and model will last, or how long its life will be,” iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Bauer said. “We can’t guarantee a particular model will last that long, but we can give a very accurate prediction because of the millions of cars we’ve been tracking for over a decade and how long they last.”
Used vehicle buyers should not only be concerned about what they are paying, the condition of the vehicle and the features it has, but also how may more years the vehicle will provide reliable, low-maintenance service. Used vehicles should last much longer now.
“We used to think a car was used up after 100,000 miles,” Bauer said. “It is very common for a car to go at least twice that now, and not even need the level of maintenance and upkeep they used to need. Buying an older car isn’t the same thing it was even 10 or 15 years ago.”
The average five-year-old used vehicle currently costs just over $26,000, and has an average remaining lifespan of 7.6 years. The average 10-year-old vehicle costs just under $16,000 and has an average remaining reliable lifespan of six years.
Based on its research, iSeeCars compiled a list of the best 5-year-old used vehicles for the money, based on price and remaining lifespan. All are nice vehicles, but none of them are particularly sexy.
“There is a spectrum of reliable and unreliable cars, and a spectrum of expensive to inexpensive cars. These cars all land on the relatively reliable yet relatively inexpensive side of the spectrum.
iSeeCars’ full report is online. Below are the top 12 vehicles that make the list:
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