Many of us are experiencing a squeeze on our finances right now thanks to a rise in living expenses, and buying a used car rather than a new one is one way to save money. But which used cars offers the best balance of affordability and reliability? Thrifty readers, we have an answer, and it’s called the Chevrolet Impala.
A recent study from online automotive search engine iSeeCars crunched data from 2 million used vehicles to see which came with with lowest price, and which offered the most remaining life to work out the best value buy.
Related: What Are Your Best Used Car Buying Tips?
The firm analyzed 10-year old vehicles priced between $9,000 and $10,000 with an average remaining lifespan of more than 100,000 miles (161,000 km), as well as five-year old models priced between $18,000 and $26,000 with more than 150,000 (240,000 km) left in the tank.
Chevy’s Impala came out the clear winner thanks to its average purchase price of just $9,706 and remaining lifespan of 111,996 miles (180,000 km), which give it a price-per-1k miles (0.6 km) figure of $87. Second spot went to the Toyota Prius ($107 per 1k miles), while the Honda Civic bagged third with $108.
Best Cars for the Money, 10-year-old Used Cars
Buyers looking for a little more practicality should hunt out a Kia Sedona MPV, which came in fourth. Its $9,640 price technically makes it more affordable than the Impala, but a lower 87,747-mile (141,000 km) remaining lifespan hurt its overall rating.
You’ll notice, but probably aren’t surprised to see, that Asian brands dominate the top 10 list. The Ford Fusion (eighth place, $119 per 1k miles) and Dodge Caravan (ninth, $120) were the only vehicles from American automakers besides the Impala to make it into the top 10.
Last month iSeeCars revealed which cars had the longest lifespan overall, and found that Toyota dominated the league table, its cars occupying 10 of the top 20 places, with first place going to the Sequoia, which has a potential lifespan of almost 300,000 miles (483,000 km).
