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Edmunds.Com Names Used Car Best Bets, Offers Consumers Advice for Buying a Used Car

Posted on: Tuesday, 12 July 2005, 09:00 CDT

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, today announces its recommendations for the best used cars and trucks, and offers advice for used-car shopping.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031009/LATH011ALOGO )

"Used cars and trucks, even those that are only a year old, are typically at least 20 to 30 percent less expensive than their new counterparts, allowing buyers to save money or to afford vehicles with better performance or more features," said Phil Reed, co-author of Edmunds.com's "Strategies for Smart Car Buyers.""Additionally, because a used car cost less to buy, it will also cost less to finance and insure."

Edmunds.com's 2005 Used Car Best Bets are: Economy Car: 1998-2003 Honda Civic Midsize Car: 1998-2003 Toyota Camry Large Car: 1998-2003 Ford Crown Victoria / Mercury Grand Marquis Luxury Car: 1998-2003 Lexus ES 300 Sporty Car: 1999-2003 Mazda Miata Mini-SUV: 1998-2003 Honda CR-V SUV: 1999-2003 Nissan Pathfinder Minivan: 1999-2003 Honda Odyssey Small Pickup: 1998-2003 Toyota Tacoma Large Pickup: 1998-2003 Ford F-150

Edmunds.com editors emphasized reliability, safety and availability as the most important criteria when developing this list. Based on these considerations as well as the fact that vehicles incur the most rapid depreciation in their first few years, a low-mileage two- or three-year-old car or truck tends to be the best choice.

"Generally speaking, used cars have never been more reliable than they are today, and dependability continues to improve for most models," asserted Reed. "Also, car owners have become more aware of how resale values are affected by vehicle condition, and many are taking better care of their cars as a result."

For those seeking additional peace of mind, Reed recommends purchasing a vehicle that qualifies for an automaker's certified pre-owned program. These vehicles have passed detailed inspections and benefit from extended warranties that will be honored at any franchise dealership for that make.

Reed warns against purchasing a vehicle that has been certified only by a dealership, and not by the automaker itself. Dealer certification does not offer the same level of protection. For example, the extended warranty is unlikely to be honored at any other dealership.

The articles referenced above can be found at: http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/bestbet/articles/index.html http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/78387/page001.html http://www.edmunds.com/cpo/index.html About Edmunds.com, Inc. (http://www.edmunds.com/)

Edmunds.com is the premier online resource for automotive information. Its comprehensive set of data, tools and services, including Edmunds.com True Market Value(R) pricing, is generated by Edmunds.com Information Solutions and is licensed to third parties. For example, the company supplies content for the auto sections of NYTimes.com, AOL, About.com and IGN.com, provides weekly data to Automotive News and delivers monthly data reports to Wall Street analysts. Edmunds.com also publishes a high-speed, on-screen car magazine called Inside Line available free at http://www.insideline.com/. Edmunds.com was named "best car research" site by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "most useful Web site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM) and was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif. and maintains a satellite office outside Detroit.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031009/LATH011ALOGOPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Edmunds.com

CONTACT: Pam Krebs, Director, Communications Strategy of Edmunds.com,+1-310-309-4912, or Media hotline, +1-310-309-4900, pkrebs@edmunds.com

Web site: http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/bestbet/articles/index.html

Web site: http://www.edmunds.com/cpo/index.html

Web site: http://www.edmunds.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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