Automobiles are crazy expensive, and nobody wants to buy a shoddy product that bleeds us dry, whether it’s new or used. We want long-term quality, but nearly every single one of us is blinded by our past experiences and by the billions spent on advertising campaigns that aim to keep us on a straight and narrow path of popular brands and models. We miss the better deals because those screwy headlights in our minds automatically assume that the marketplace ahead is limited to a few good choices.
But sometimes the reputedly worst new cars can later become the best used cars for two simple reasons: They get the least exposure, and their values often fall through the floor because of it. This is why a 10-year-old luxury convertible like a 2007 Saab 9-3 2.0T (photo above), which cost more than $40,000 when new, now sells for roughly the same price as a 2007 Toyota Corolla S, which a decade ago cost about half as much as the lavish Swede. Was that Saab a terrible product" Absolutely not. It finished third in a five-car comparison test here at Car and Driver. Owners love it. Reliability studies show it makes the grade, including one from my own Dashboard Light website. But no one ever hears about the car, in part because Saab itself is no more.
But that?s where some great deals are made. Sometimes a good buying opportunity comes because a brand is defunct for reasons unrelated to the quality of the actual car. Other times, a particular model may offer several hidd...