Consumer Reports Names Best, Worst Used Cars

Consumer watchdogs say that you should have an independent mechanic check out any used car before you purchase it.

That is especially true in Florida, because the state's lemon law does not cover used cars.

Consumer Reports magazine recently tested dozens of used cars to determine which ones are overall best bets and which ones are reliability risks.

The used car best bets include:

• Ford Festiva '93
• Geo Metro '95-'96, Prizm '93, Tracker '94
• Honda Civic '93, Civic de Sol '93
• Mazda B-Series 2WD '93
• Infiniti G20 '93-'94
• Mercury Tracer '98-99
• Nissan Altima '97, Maxima '95, Pickup '95-'96, Sentra '98
• Saturn SL/SW '98
• Subaru Impreza '97-'98, Legacy '95-'96
• Toyota Avalon '95, Camry '95-'96, Celica '95, Corolla '99-'00, Echo '00, Previa '94-'95, RAV4 '96-'97, Tacoma '97

The used car reliability risks include:

• Audi A6 '98, A6 2.7T '00
• BMW Z3 '97
• Buick Park Avenue '97-'98, '00, Riviera '95, Roadmaster '96, Skylark '93-'94, '96
• Cadillac Catera '97-'99, DeVille '97, '00, Fleetwood '93-'94, Seville '98-'00
• Chevrolet Astro '93-'00, Blazer '95-'98, Camaro '95-'00, Caprice '96
• Chrysler 300M '00, Cirrus '95-'96, Concorde '93-'98, LeBaron Sedan '94, LeBaron Coupe/Conv. '93-'95
• Dodge Avenger '95-'96, Caravan '93-'97, Dakota 2WD '96-'97, Dakota 4WD '94-'95
• Eagle Talon '93-'96, Vision '93-'96
• Saab 900 '95-'96
• Volvo 960 Series '95, '97; S70/V70 '98-'99; S80 '99; S90/V90 '98

Consumer Reports created the lists based on test results as well as reader responses to an annual survey.

Experts say that you should also check on a used car's title history with the Florida Division of Motor Vehicles before you buy it.

For a complete list of the used car best bets and reliability risks, you can log on to the Consumer Reports Web site. The information is free if you have a subscription to the magazine, but there is a cost if you do not.