People are hanging on to their vehicles for a longer time than in the past, and in addition to causing the well-documented slump in new car sales, it has also put a premium on quality used cars. That’s why this list of top used car deals from Cars.com may be of interest.
The service notes that the standard law of economics applies: Selection is down, and at the same time, prices are up – both effects that land in the bad news category if you are a consumer in the market for a used car.
Hence this list – the top ten cars priced at or below $10K.
“Although the price gap between new and used cars has decreased, many shoppers
are still going the used route,” said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com’s editor-in-chief. “We took a look at cars from 2006 or later and came up with the best 10 used cars that shoppers should be able to find for around $10,000. To make our list, the cars had to pass crash tests and have key standard safety features. We also analyzed reliability, drivability and practicality.”
And the winners are:
* 2006 Ford Escape
* 2008 Ford Focus
* 2007 Ford Freestyle
* 2007 Ford Fusion
* 2006 Honda Civic
* 2006 Hyundai Azera
* 2007 Hyundai Sonata
* 2008 Kia Optima
* 2008 Nissan Versa
* 2007 Scion tC
“The used car market is unpredictable, so you may be able to negotiate a better deal for one of these cars or get a better-equipped model for the same price,” said Olsen. “Also keep in mind that buying a used car is going to rely a great deal on the stewardship of the car’s previous owners, so shoppers should get the car checked out by their mechanic before signing on the dotted line.”
RBR-TVBR observation: If you have clients out there with a nice selection of vehicles in stock that are mentioned on this list, they may want to trumpet the fact that they are a top pick of a impartial national car-rating service to your audience. Both you and the dealer should be able to turn this list into a cash payoff.
