Used Cars

Electric cars have been on sale almost three years now, which means that some of them are starting to show up on used-car lots. To alleviate concern over the unknown future life of a used electric car, Nissan has now added its Leaf to the company's Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles program. Starting...

As you've probably discovered when hunting in the classified adverts for a used fuel-efficient vehicle, the latest batch of hybrids and small cars holds its value quite well. With high gas prices and limited supply, that's not much of a surprise. But the situation is getting better, and it's thanks...

Buying used cars is always a little bit of a risk--you can never quite be sure what condition the previous owner has left the car in. That's where manufacturer-certified used car programs come in, and Nissan is launching just such a thing for used examples of its Leaf electric car. While we still...

In the market for a used hybrid? Now could be the time to start looking, as prices are steadily falling. It's all down to stable gas prices, reports Wards Auto, which have seen used hybrid values fall faster than any other segment--down a full 9 percent from January. Where fuel prices in 2011 and...

It was small, unassuming, almost a shrinking violet, really. The first-generation Toyota Prius hybrid -- launched in the U.S. in 2001 -- was the first five-seat family car to offer hybrid-electric drive and unimaginably high gas mileage. Twelve years after its initial launch, the Prius family has...

Diesel cars are quite appealing to some drivers, and it isn't hard to see why. The current choice of diesel vehicles may not be that varied, but those available mix good performance with impressive efficiency (particularly on the highway) and refinement unheard of from their counterparts of...

If you bought a new electric car today, how much would you expect it to be worth after five years? Concerns about demand further down the line, and further concerns about battery life, initially led some commentators to suggest that electric vehicles would be nearly worthless a few years after...

There was a time when buying a hybrid car meant that you had to shell out big bucks for the privilege of better gas mileage. But with the first Toyota Prius hybrids now over 10 years old, can you buy a used Toyota Prius hybrid for $5,000 or less? We hit popular Internet auction site eBay to find...

Like so many Americans, perhaps you've been thinking you really have to replace your old car this year. And maybe you're thinking your next car should get much better gas mileage, to protect against fluctuating gas prices. (They're down this month, but who knows for the future?) Well, looks like...

There's lot of discussion about how the value of electric cars will hold up over time, depending on how long their expensive lithium-ion battery packs last and how quickly they may lose capacity. But now the folks who estimate used-car prices for a living, the NADA Guide, have weighed in with their...

The Ford Escape Hybrid occupies a special place in green-car history. It was the first hybrid built in the U.S., the first one from a U.S. carmaker, and the first hybrid crossover utility. That makes it one of our five best used green cars. A pet project of then-CEO Bill Ford, the Escape Hybrid was...

Last week we started a series of the Five Best Used Green Cars To Buy. We've already looked at two of the best-known green cars, the 2004-2009 Toyota Prius and the 2006-2011 Honda Civic Hybrid. Now it's the turn of a car known for its fuel, rather than its drivetrain--the Volkswagen Jetta TDI...

Now in its third generation, the Honda Civic Hybrid is one of the stalwarts of the compact hybrid class, having been around in one form or another since its introduction to the U.S. in 2002. Here we're looking at the popular 2006-2011 model, as one of our Five Best Used Green Cars To Buy. While not...

As cars get more reliable and last longer, the case for buying "gently used" cars gets stronger and stronger. But suppose you want to drive green, and you're aware that the newest cars get the best gas mileage. What used cars can you buy that will let you drive green and deliver the highest fuel...

We all know that battery packs are the biggest Achilles Heel of the electric car, which is why automakers like Nissan and General Motors are working hard to improve the energy density, cost and lifespan of electric vehicle batteries. But once you've designed a new battery pack, how do you prove its...

Unless you don’t own a car, or happen to drive an all-electric car, the chances are you’ll have noticed that gas prices have risen dramatically over the past few days. But as growing uncertainly in the Middle East -- not to mention the knock-on effects of a large gasoline refinery fire...

It's a common question: Which is greener, continuing to drive my old car or buying a new, more fuel-efficient one? As with many such questions, the answer is: It depends. But one of the things it depends on is doing the math right. As much as we love CBS's The Fast Draw segments, we think Mitch...

If you’re in the market for a used car -- especially a small car or hybrid that gets good gas-mileage -- you might know that used car prices have been dropping since early this summer. But according to Kelley Blue Book, if you want a really good deal on a used high-mpg car, you’re best...

Ask most people to name a classic or vintage car, and they’ll probably give you a list of V8 powered muscle cars not known for their high gas mileage. But the quest for fuel efficiency isn’t a new concept. In fact, there is a fairly large number of classic cars which when properly...

The venerable Toyota Prius hybrid is generally accepted as the car which changed consumer’s attitude toward hybrid-electric drivetrains. While the Prius wasn’t the very first hybrid to be sold in the U.S. (the original Honda Insight beat it by a few months), it has proven by far the...