YONKERS, N.Y. –

As the summer gets underway and many families are readying themselves for beach trips and vacations, long hours in the car make a comfortable, efficient vehicle almost a necessity.

In light of the travel season, Consumer Reports’ Liza Barth compiled a list of the best deals for small and midsized SUVs this spring from the 2007–2008 model years.

The units that made it onto the list range from the 2007 Kia Sportage to the 2008 Nissan Rogue. But interestingly, no domestic models made the cut.

“Buying a used car has many benefits. Most important is that the original owner takes the initial depreciation hit, as new cars lose much more value in the first and second years than those that follow,” Barth noted.

“And, if you look for a used vehicle from a recent model year, you can still find one that is safe and reliable with key safety features such as electronic stability control and curtain air bags, while also saving on the purchase price,” she continued, stressing that late-model used cars posses many of the same safety features buyers can expect in a new vehicle.

And it might end up being a much cheaper option, since the models listed by Consumer Reports are between 21- and 41-percent less than the retail price when the vehicle was new, according to Barth.

The following chart from Consumer Reports shows the publication’s choices for the best deals for model year 2007–2008 small and midsizes SUVs, starting with the least expensive.

 

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