USED CARS - Family Sedans Reviews

The following report was originally published on ConsumerSearch to cover new cars manufactured and sold in the 2007 model year, and so can offer a good guide as to which cars from past model years are good bets as used vehicles. We are keeping this report on our site as a convenience to our readers who may be shopping for a used car.

Car and Driver is the most thorough reviewer we found for family cars. Cars are tested on everything from drive quality to fuel economy to cargo space. Edmunds.com also does a great job and offers a fresh view on the vehicles that it tests. Consumer Reports excels in evaluating factors that other publications gloss over, particularly long-term predicted reliability.

Consumer Guide isn't the best source for narrative reviews, but the website has great information on specifications, fuel economy, features, options and pricing. Consumer Guide also includes real-world gas mileage obtained during their tests. While not a scientific measurement, these figures give a better idea of what kind of mileage you can expect compared to the EPA estimate, which is based on a bunch of assumptions and mathematics. Kiplinger's and Money magazine also have good reviews. These publications also test family cars, with a focus on value, running costs and long-term reliability.

A couple of highly rated family cars get mixed reviews for long-term reliability, despite good scores for other aspects. The Volkswagen Passat (*est. $22,960 to $33,110) is a top pick at Auto123.com and in Kiplinger magazine, where it's noted for safety, with standard side-curtain airbags, ABS and stability control. The Passat also scores well in crash testing conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). However, the Passat is one of the lowest-scoring family cars for long-term durability as reported in Money magazine. This prediction was calculated by editors at Consumer Reports, who base predictions on massive owner surveys going as far back as 1998 for the Volkswagen Passat. While first-year ownership is relatively trouble free, above-average problems with the engine, fuel system and electrics start popping up in the second year of ownership. The Passat also takes some knocks at Consumer Guide for fuel economy. Compared with its government estimate of 19 mpg city/28 mpg highway, editors tested real-world mileage at just 18 mpg in mixed driving.

For the purposes of our report, a "family sedan" is a midsize or large four-door car with a starting price of between $18,000 and $30,000. More expensive sedans are covered in our report on luxury cars . Less expensive sedans and hatchbacks are included in our report on economy cars . We also cover hybrid cars in a separate report; if you are looking for a family sedan, you'll want to read about hybrid versions of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima, along with the Toyota Prius hybrid.  ... Continued