10 Cars That Will Hold Their Value

We’ve written many times about how new car values plummet at purchase. Christian Science Monitor has rounded up the 10 2013 cars with the best expected resale values. Here are their top three…

1. Toyota FJ Cruiser

MSRP: $28,000

Resale value after 36 months: 76 percent

After 60 months: 63 percent

The FJ Cruiser is expected to retain its resale value better than other comparable off-road SUVs, including the Nissan Xterra and the Pathfinder. It’s one of the newer models on the list, first introduced in 2003. The vehicle is a fun off-roader, but it has some practical drawbacks – it ranks dead last in fuel-efficiency among other vehicles in its class, at 20 m.p.g., and it doesn’t have as much cargo room as its size suggests. Still, the FJ Cruiser is projected to have the best resale of any 2013 model.

2. Toyota Tacoma

MSRP: $18,000

Resale value after 36 months: 70.6 percent

After 60 months: 57 percent

The only pickup truck in the Top 10, the Tacoma has made Kelley’s list for 10 straight years, and it’s the best-selling compact pickup in the US. Kelley attributes the Tacoma’s success to being one of the few pickups on the market that effectively pulls double duty as a reliable worker and a family vehicle, with solid towing capability and a comfortable ride. It gets decent gas mileage for a truck, at 24 m.p.g.

3. Jeep Wrangler

MSRP: $23,000

Resale value after 36 months: 67.6 percent

After 60 months: 55.4 percent

The Wrangler, Jeep’s beloved off-roader, has had a relatively consistent look and feel since its debut in 1987, which may contribute to its high resale value. According to Kelley Blue Book, the 2013 model is larger and safer than in previous years and remains one of the last off-road vehicles available with a manual transmission. The 2013 Wrangler gets an average 21 m.p.g. on the highway.

It’s the lone American-made vehicle on the list.

See the rest at the Christian Science Monitor.