Edmunds.com Announces Used Car Best Bets, Predicts Sales

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Edmunds.com picked a vehicle in total of 14 different segments for a list the site dubbed the Used Car Best Bets for 2010.

Toyota had the most selections as analysts went with the Camry in the midsize sedan segment, the Tacoma in the compact truck division and the Prius among hybrids.

Honda and Hyundai each placed two vehicles on Edmunds.com's list while General Motors had a pair of mentions, too, one from Chevrolet and another from Pontiac.

The site based its choices on reliability, safety, value and availability. Analysts added all vehicles from the 2003 to 2008 model years were eligible.

"In general, we recommend used-car shoppers choose a vehicle between two and three years old, if financially possible, and no older than seven years," explained Edmunds.com editor John DiPietro.

"A focused search should yield a good car with minimal wear and tear," DiPietro added.

The Edmunds.com Used Car Best Bets for 2010 include:

—Compact Sedan: 2003-2008 Hyundai Elantra

—Midsize Sedan: 2003-2008 Toyota Camry

—Large Sedan: 2006-2008 Hyundai Azera

—Coupe: 2003-2008 BMW 3 Series

—Convertible: 2003-2008 Mazda Miata

—Wagon: 2003-2008 Pontiac Vibe

—Compact SUV/Crossover: 2003-2008 Honda CR-V

—Midsize SUV/Crossover: 2004-2008 Mitsubishi Endeavor

—Large SUV/Crossover: 2003-2008 Chevrolet Tahoe

—Minivan/Van: 2003-2008 Honda Odyssey

—Compact Truck: 2003-2008 Toyota Tacoma

—Large Truck: 2003-2008 Ford F-150

—Luxury: 2003-2008 Infiniti G35

—Hybrid: 2004-2008 Toyota Prius

Edmunds.com Shares June Sales Forecast, Potential for Used Operations

Echoing predictions from other industry analysts, Edmunds.com projects that June's new-vehicle sales performance likely will be lower than what automakers enjoyed in the previous month.

The site contends manufacturers will move 992,500 units this month. Edmunds.com analysts calculated the figure to be a 16.6-percent increase from June 2009, but a 9.5-percent decline from last month.

They also predict that June's Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate will be 11.2 million, down from 11.6 million in the previous month.

Edmunds.com believes the combined monthly U.S. market share for Chrysler, Ford and General Motors is estimated to be 47.3 percent in June. That mark is up from 46.1 percent in June of last year but down from 47.4 percent the site computed for May.

"The industry is still recovering from the pull-ahead sales generated in March and over Memorial Day weekend, when automakers — led by Toyota — offered unseasonably high incentives and drew out a lot of bargain-hunters who may otherwise have waited to buy cars during the summer," explained Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis for Edmunds.com.

Michelle Krebs, senior analyst of Edmunds' AutoObserver.com, elaborated on Caldwell's point about how automaker strategy is resulting in current sales performance. Krebs also alluded to a trend that could be beneficial to used-vehicle dealers.

"Especially in months like June when there is no special holiday weekend ‘sales event,' a lot of new-car shoppers are shifting to lightly used cars, seeking value," Krebs noted.

"There is optimistic talk of a groundswell of demand building, but that may be off the mark because of this substitution," she went on to say.

"This hurts the automakers, but it presents a great opportunity for dealers, who typically make a much bigger profit on a used-car sale," Krebs added. 

Edmunds.com June 2010 New-Car Sales Market Forecast: