My Top Eco-friendly Used Cars

Last month I stood at the gas pump thinking, How many thousands of dollars have I have pumped into my hunk of junk? I mean, no offense to Ford, but my 2010 Ford Focus only excelled in burning gas, and I’m sure that’s not great for the environment.

Later, my brother complained about the same thing, adding how he’d like to get a hybrid car or electric vehicle (EV). I remembered the Bay Area’s Green Drive Expo, which I attended in September. It showcased the auto industry’s leaps toward making vehicles more eco-friendly and focused on hybrid cars and EV, which reduce carbon dioxide emissions. I asked my brother if he wanted to join me as I took a look at a few used hybrid cars, and he agreed.

Now, my brother doesn’t have the best credit, so I recommended he apply for one of those bad credit car loans from DriveTime and wouldn’t you know it, that knucklehead actually took my advice. Now he’s driving a nice environmentally friendly 2009 Nissan Altima hybrid.

So I decided that I best began my quest by going online to read reviews for a few used hybrids, and I came across this U.S. News & World Report article. It broke down the stats in a way that made it easy for me to compare the different models and years. The information was invaluable in helping me narrow my search until I came up with this list of my top three favorites:

Toyota Prius hybrid

Among the midsize used hybrids, the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid rated high for safety, reliability and fuel efficiency, according to the report. It gets 51 mpg, has lots of cargo and interior space, and five airbags (not bad for a four-door). The one drawback I found was that there wasn’t a whole lot of space in the back seat.

Toyota Camry hybrid

Another Toyota, but this one has more space and had a higher safety rating than the Prius. With seven airbags and a spacious cabin, the Camry also has an optional moon roof that I’d love to have for beach trips. The only drawback on this one was that the battery ate up lots of trunk space.

Honda Civic hybrid

I considered the 2010 Honda Civic hybrid until I remembered that Mom drove a Civic. That kind of killed it for me. It didn’t rate as well against the other hybrids in terms of reliability, performance and interior space, although it did score high in safety and fuel efficiency. However, it had limited cargo space and an engine that moved at a snail’s pace.

I am now the proud owner of a 2010 Toyota Prius. The price was right and I felt good about purchasing something that would help the environment while saving some green in my wallet at the same time.