NEW CAR IS NOW NEARLY $50,000, AND THAT IS SENDING A LOT OF BUYERS TO THE USED CAR MARKET FOR THE FIRST TIME. CONSUMER REPORTS IS RANKING USED CAR BRANDS TO HELP YOU FIND THE RIDE. THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU. CHRISTINE AMMERMAN WAS IN THE MARKET FOR A BIGGER CAR FOR HER GROWING FAMILY. SHE DECIDED TO RESEARCH USED CARS. I WAS REALLY LOOKING FOR A FAIR PRICE. AND WHILE PRICES HAVE COME DOWN OVER THE PAST YEAR, MOST PEOPLE STILL END UP PAYING AROUND $30,000 FOR A USED CAR. SO BUYERS LIKE CHRISTINE KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE A CHOICE THAT WILL LAST FOR THE MILES AND YEARS AHEAD. I WAS SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR BRANDS THAT WERE KNOWN TO BE DURABLE, HAVE GREAT SAFETY QUALIFICATIONS, AND SOMETHING THAT WAS FUEL EFFICIENT. CONSUMER REPORTS JUST RELEASED ITS FIRST EVER BRAND RANKING FOR USED CARS TO HELP BUYERS REDUCE THEIR RISKS OF EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. OUR SURVEY FOCUSED ON VEHICLES FROM THE 2014 TO 2019 MODEL YEAR. ESSENTIALLY, 5 TO 10 YEAR OLD VEHICLES LOOKING AT DATA FROM 150,000 VEHICLES COLLECTED IN OUR SURVEY. LEXUS AND TOYOTA TOPPED THE LIST OF 26 BRANDS, WITH MAZDA COMING IN THIRD. ALL THREE BRANDS HAVE CONSISTENT, AVERAGE OR BETTER RELIABILITY RATINGS OVER THE YEARS. ACURA AND HONDA ROUND OUT THE TOP FIVE BRANDS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST. TESLA, DODGE, AND CHRYSLER. AND EVEN THOUGH SOME CARS ARE KNOWN TO STAND THE TEST OF TIME, NOT EVERY MODEL YEAR FROM EVERY BRAND, EVEN A SOLID ONE, IS CREATED EQUAL. BRAND RELIABILITY CAN DIRECT YOUR INITIAL RESEARCH, BUT AS OUR DATA CONSISTENTLY SHOWS, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR BUYERS TO FOCUS ON THE MODEL AND THE YEAR THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING. AMONG CONSUMER REPORTS TOP PICKS, THE 2017 CHEVROLET CRUZE. A GREAT CHOICE FOR UNDER $10,000, AND THE HONDA HR-V FROM 2018 IS AVAILABLE WITH TOP SAFETY FEATURES. IF YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR A PICKUP TRUCK. THE 2015 TOYOTA TACOMA STRIKES THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN DEPENDABILITY AND TOWING POWER. AND SOMETHING ELSE TO KEEP IN MIND HERE. USED CAR NEEDS TO BE WELL MAINTAINED OVER THE YEARS TO MAKE SURE IT WILL KEEP RUNNING SMOOTHLY. WHILE YOU MAY GET A BETTER DEAL BUYING FROM A PRIVATE SELLER. CONSUMER REPORTS SURVEY RESULTS SHOW THAT CONSUMERS WHO BUY CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED CARS, SAY FROM A