Best Used Cars For Bad Credit Customers

Every year www.Edmunds.com puts out a used car best bets. So we went back to their 05 list and found an interesting mix of cars in our price range. They include a large car (03 Ford Crown Victoria, now around $10,200), a sporty ride (01 Mazda Miata), the best selling pickup truck in America (03 Ford F-150, as low as $9,800 depending on options) and even a minivan (00 Honda Odyssey, now around $10,250).

Another widely respected honor is the "Best Cars of the Year" from Consumer Reports. You have to go back a few years to see CR winners now in our price range, but from the 03 winners list, a search on www.autotrader.com found the 03 Volkswagen Passat to be about $14,800, the Subaru Impreza around $15,000 and the 03 Toyota Rav4 around $16,200.

The J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study looks at vehicles three years after the sale. The 06 study (for 03 models) rated the Buick Century as the most dependable mid-sized car and it can be found for under $10,000. The 05 study had three winners from Ford (Thunderbird, Windstar and E-series vans) and four from Chevy (Prizm, Malibu, S-10 and Silverado).

Also of note:
• Chevy Aveo. Cheapest car on the market. Thing is, the 05 and 08 versions reportedly hold up better than the 04 and 06 models.
• Jeep Cherokee. The 97 through 01 models have held up well, and can be found between $4,000 and $8,000.
• Kia Sedona. Experts loved the 04, and you can find one for under $10,000.
• Pontiac Vibe. Same as a Toyota Matrix, only cheaper. An 03 is under $10,000.