2019 Subaru Forester by Kevauto — CC BY-SA 4.0 The Subaru Forester is a small SUV made for big adventurers. In a competitive field of crossovers and SUVs, manufacturers not only have to keep up with the standard technology offered by new cars, but they have to differentiate themselves somehow. The Forester fills its niche as an off-road ready SUV that can take on the rough trails to get to your favorite campsites while having the cargo space to carry everything you need up there.

2017 Chevy Cruze by KevAuto - CC-BY-SA-4.0 The days of domestic cars offered as both sedans and hatchbacks seem to be coming to an end. But if you’re looking for a used model, there are a wide variety of options offered by the Chevy Cruze from the 2015 model year until it was discontinued in 2019. Whether you’re looking for a sedan or hatchback, a gas engine or turbodiesel, manual or automatic, the Cruze has what you’re looking for.

2017 Ford Focus RS Hatchback by EurovisionNim — CC BY-SA 4.0 While Ford has been producing some great SUV and truck offerings lately, they have unfortunately halted several lines of smaller cars, including the popular Focus. Nowadays, the smallest Fords you can find are both under the Mustang badge: the classic Mustang coupe and the Mach-E hatchback. But if you are looking for a Ford that doesn’t break the bank at the dealership or at the pump, you can still find a wide variety of used Focuses from the 2015 to 2018 model years.

When it was introduced in 2007, the midsize crossover market was still relatively small, with not nearly the number of models offered today. But the Ford Edge has been popular, selling over 100,000 cars in the United States every year outside of 20091. Fortunately, most people who bought those million-plus cars got reliable midsize CUVs. With the oldest models celebrating fourteen or fifteen years at this point, there are plenty of them still on the road today.

Since 1966, the Toyota Corolla has been reportedly the best-selling car in history, having sold over 44 million units as of 2016 (though some will debate that the Corolla is several different models and shouldn’t all count). It has managed to build its reputation as an affordable car that you can depend on for years. And while it lives up to this reputation, the model isn’t without any flaws. Some years have seen their fair share of issues, while others have much cleaner service records.

With the rise of subcompact SUVs, essentially the more rugged and versatile cousins of hatchbacks, more niches have arisen for new cars to fill. And if you’re looking for an off-road capable vehicle that you can parallel park easily, you have two options: the Jeep Renegade and the Subaru Crosstrek. Jeep beat Subaru to the punch, releasing the Renegade for the 2015 model year, but Subaru came in quickly behind with the 2016 Crosstrek.

While Ford and Chevy both took breaks from their midsize pickup options, the Nissan Frontier has been chugging along steadily since 1997. And while there were a few years in the mid-2000s that sullied the reputation of the Frontier, it has been a solid offering with relatively few problems once the ship was righted. It has even been J.D. Power’s most reliable midsize pickup three years in a row. If you take our advice on which Nissan Frontier years to avoid, you should easily be able to find a strong, dependable midsize pickup.

Leasing is an auto industry shorthand term for a long-term rental of a new vehicle, a method often used by businesses that provide company cars for their employees. But leasing is incredibly popular in the consumer market as well. Experian reports 26.66% of all new vehicles were leased in the first quarter of 2021—down from 30.68% in the first quarter of 2020, before the coronavirus hit the U.S. economy and workforce.

The Equinox first debuted in showrooms back in 2005 and has seen pretty consistent success over the years as a popular crossover SUV. It was a first, as all Chevy SUVs models were designed with body-on-frame construction, and the Equinox was the first to have the body and the frame be built as two independent entities in body-on-frame construction. This means the structure and body were built as one. Does this new styling mean there are specific Equinox model years to avoid?

While it’s generally considered a pretty reliable and popular vehicle for crossover enthusiasts, the GMC Acadia has had some lingering problems throughout the years. There are some specific Acadia model years to avoid if you’re in the market for a used 7-seater. The issues have ranged from minor inconveniences to significant safety concerns that can cost thousands of dollars, so keep that in mind when looking for your next used Acadia.