The Best Pre-Owned Vehicles For Your Money

On Thursday, December 6th Forbes.com released an article titled "The best used cars for your money". In the article Forbes places an emphasis on value and dependability in vehicles that often have a somewhat less expensive retail than their competition. Two pre-owned Ford vehicles made the list, with the Ford taking the title for "Large Pickup" and the Ford Fusion taking top honors in the competitive "Midsized Car" segment.

Large Pickup: Ford F-150

Ford’s popular full-size truck was redesigned for 2009 with bolder styling and added capabilities, and you’ll find used examples in myriad cab styles and cargo bed sizes to suit a wide range of needs. Power comes from a choice of a 320-horsepower 5.4-liter V8 engine (recommended) or two less-powerful 4.6-liter V8s. While the 2009 Toyota Tundra beats out the F-150 in the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, the Ford takes top marks in initial quality and design/performance rankings, and Kelley Blue Book estimates its retail prices will be considerably lower than the Toyota as well. However, since trucks are typically driven hard and are often close to being abused in the course of their workman-like duties, it’s imperative you have any pickup under your consideration given a full checkup by a good mechanic.

Midsize Car: Ford Fusion

This is essentially the non-luxury version of the Lincoln MKZ, which can be found with a 2.3-liter 160-horsepower four-cylinder engine and either a five-speed manual or automatic transmission or a more-willing 3.0-liter 221-horsepower V6 and a six-speed automatic. It remains a roomy and comfortable ride and can be found with myriad high-tech options. The Fusion gets top marks for reliability from J.D. Power and an above average rating for design/performance; this not only beats the Toyota Camry in both regards, Kelley Blue book estimates a 2009 Fusion will cost between $2,250 and over $4,000 less at retail value than will a comparable Toyota Camry, depending on the version.

Also making the list was the Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country. Stop by Ed Koehn Ford Lincoln Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Greenville and see our impressive selection of these pre-owned affordable values that are sure to help fill your needs.

TW