Auto Trends

Continuing from our list of the best used cars from 1998 and up, we come to the letters L through M of the manufacturers alphabet:

Lexus ES-

Lexus ES-

Lexus GS (RWD)-

Lexus GX-

Lexus IS-

Lexus LS-

We had interviewed James Bell, editor of Intellichoice last year, and one of his favorite vehicles for 2007 was the Lexus LS. He raved about its bells and whistles and most importantly, its ease of accessing them. You can go from the air conditioning to the radio without any problem or stretching at all.

These are some of the little things that make the Lexus LS 430 stand out for us in particular. Not to mention that to own one of these ultra-luxury edition sedans from the generation of 2001 to 2006, will only cost somewhere in the range of $15,000 to $45,000, which isn’t bad for a vehicle that rates a 10 on comfort, ride quality, interior space, and quietness by most consumer guide ratings.

About the only thing you could have against this car, besides its looks (which is a personal thing), is its gas mileage which ranges somewhere around 18 city/25 highway. But when you are running a 290 horsepower 4.3 liter V-8 with 320 lb-ft of torque, how much more mpg can you really expect.

This type of power and crisp throttle response does not come cheap, but when your talking the reliability of a Toyota Camry, the maintenance aspect will certainly not be much of a wallet drain. One of the finest things about a Lexus is you drop your wad of cash once, then you can enjoy your vehicle for years to come with very little added expenses besides basic maintenance.

Lexus RX-

Lexus SC-

Lincoln Continental-

Lincoln Town Car-

Mazda Millenia-

Mazda MX-5 Miata-

Mazda puts out a good product on several fronts of this list, but the Mazda MX-5 has been their tried and true success for a number of years, which makes it one of their best bets for a used sport compact. While this series of blogs is called Best Used Cars from 1998 and up, truth be told, there isn’t a bad year for the Miata MX-5.

There are certainly a few differences, we’ll give you that. But not as many as you would think over its 18 years of existence. But Mazda must be listening to their inner Grandfather telling them to leave good enough alone.

The Miata is basically an adult go-cart to be quite honest. It is super small, nimble, light on its feet, and fast enough to get you a few tickets if your not careful. The Miata has never really been for the true hardcore performance enthusiast, so if your thinking Porsche, you better just get a Porsche.

The 1990 Mazda MX-5 began its humble beginnings with a 1.6 liter 4-cylinder capable of 116 horsepower and 0-60 in just under 9 seconds. In 1994, Mazda upped the ante with a 1.8 liter engine with 128 horsepower. 1996 squeezed out another 5 horsepower from the 1.8, and then in 1999, the MX-5 was boosted with more compression, bringing its total output to 140 horsepower and 0-60 in 7.6 seconds.

In 2001, horsepower was bumped once again to 155, although due to emission restrictions, the Miata still only saw about 142. Finally in 2004, 14 years after its opening, Mazda decided to offer a turbo charged version capable of 178 horsepower. The turbo also received some other nice touches, such as an improved sport suspension and a slicker exterior that not necessarily screamed, but whispered, this is not my Mommy’s Miata.

With 18 years of Miata’s to choose from, you can find one whether your price limit is $1,200 on up to $22,000. Now that’s what we call options!

Mazda Protegé-

Mazda3-

Mitsubishi Endeavor-

Mitsubishi Outlander-

(…to be continued)