Hi! I am looking to purchase a used car. I would like to know which
make/model/year cars would most suit the following requirements:

1) Budget: upto $9000
2) If I sell the car after 2 years, I should get maximum possible
resale value from the car.
3) It should be fuel efficient. EPA Fuel Economy ratings equal to or
better than 28 (City) and 35 (Hwy).
4) It should be available with automatic transmission.
5) I do NOT want to consider 1997 and earlier cars.

My location is San Diego, CA. I want to know the top 3
(make/model/year)s that I should consider which meet above criteria.

Thanks!

Top three?  There's plenty of great used vehicles on the road right
now. I am providing you with a Consumer Reports list of "Good Bets"
and showing you several available options that meet your criteria.

Consumer Reports - Good Bets
NOTE: This link may not work for you.  
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv4.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=113417&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=113261&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=333137&bmUID=1129068199618
..."These are the best of both worlds: vehicles that have performed
well in Consumer Reports road tests over the years and have proved to
have several or more years of better-than-average overall reliability.
They are listed alphabetically..."


My son sells cars for a living, he suggested three models that hold
their resale value very well, AND get excellent gas mileage. I
provided links to "for sale" classifieds in zip code 92109. At the
bottom is a link to the page where you can change the zip code, enter
other brands, models, and make changes to parameters, for instance, I
selected "sedans."

You can't go wrong with the three I selected, but please search for yourself.

Acura Integra
Acura MDX
Acura RL
Acura RSX
Acura TL
Buick Regal
Chevrolet/Geo Prizm
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Ford Crown Victoria
Ford Escort, ZX2

Honda Accord
Description ? 2002, 31-37 MPG, $7,900 (Or Best Offer), Silver 4DR
Sedan, 100,600 Miles, Automatic Transmission, 2WD, 4 Cylinders,
Excellent Condition.
http://cars.kbb.com/go/search/fs_search_results.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&cid=&dlid=&dgid=&amid=&cname=&zc=92109&makeid=18&modelid=212&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_18_%7CB-9000%7CD-_212_%7CN-N%7CR-30%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-92109&aff=carskbb&co=CA07
3&aff=carskbb
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=mpgData&vehicleID=17553&browser=true

Honda Civic
Description ? 2004, 30-32MPG, $8,999, HONDA 2004 Civic LX 4 cyl 23K
mi, 2dr, auto, CD, wht, $8999. 858-722-7076
http://cars.kbb.com/go/search/fs_search_results.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&cid=&dlid=&dgid=&amid=&cname=&zc=92109&makeid=18&modelid=214&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_18_%7CB-9000%7CD-_214_%7CN-N%7CR-30%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-92109&aff=carskbb&aff=car
skbb
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=mpgData&vehicleID=19582&browser=true

Honda CR-V
Honda Odyssey
Honda Prelude
Honda S2000
Infiniti G20
Infiniti I30, I35
Infiniti Q45
Infiniti QX4
Lexus ES300, ES330
Lexus GS300/ GS400,
GS430
Lexus IS300
Lexus LS400, LS430
Lexus RX300, RX330
Lincoln Town Car
Mazda 626
Mazda Millenia

Mazda MX-5 Miata - (I love this car)
Description ? 1999, 28MPG, $7,800, Red 2DR Convertible, 74800 Miles,
Automatic Transmission, 2WD, 4 Cylinders, Good Condition. New a/c
system, new ...
http://cars.kbb.com/go/search/fs_search_results.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&cid=&dlid=&dgid=&amid=&cname=&zc=92109&makeid=30&modelid=278&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_30_%7CB-9000%7CD-_278_%7CN-N%7CR-30%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-92109&aff=carskbb&aff=car
skbb
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=mpgData&vehicleID=14805&browser=true

Mazda Protegé
Mercury Grand Marquis
Mercury Tracer
Mitsubishi Galant
Nissan Altima
Nissan Maxima
Nissan Pathfinder
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry Solara
Toyota Celica
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Prius
Toyota RAV4
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Sienna
Toyota Tundra

Search Used Cars by Zip Code
http://cars.kbb.com/go/buyIndex.jsp?


Also, here's what CR had to say about the best Used Car deals:

Best used-car deals right now
Again, link may not work for you...
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv4.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=378569&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=17047&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=333137&bmUID=1129069616803
RANGE: $5,000 - $10,000
CAR: 2000 Subaru Impreza Wagon L
WAS NEW: $16,295
PRICE NOW: $8,550


FuelEconomy.gov
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList

Here's the Kelly Blue Book Online - Used Cars Home Page
http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/ke.kb.sp?kbb;;CA073;&92109&&usedCars;slp&


I hope this helps you get started selecting your next vehicle!


~~Cynthia


Search strategy used at Google:
Consumer Reports, Kelly Blue Book, FuelEconomy.gov

---

Clarification of Answer by cynthia-ga on 11 Oct 2005 15:49 PDT

ooops, looks like one of the links to the Miata is broken.  Copy and
Paste it into your browser, and remember to pick up the four
characters that fell to the next line.

Thanks Cynthia! This information is very helpful and it will put me to
a good start on my used car purchase. The "best bets" and "fuel
economy" reports that you have cited appear to be useful and reliable
resources.

It would have been great if a similar source for the "resale value"
parameter was included. However, I take your word (or your son's!!)
that the Accord, Civic and Miata have amongst the best resale value
:-)

Thank you SO MUCH for the 4 stars, the very kind words and the tip! 
I'm glad you found the information useful.  You can get bluebook
values from the Kelly Blue Book site, I didn't think about adding
those links because my son was right here and he rattled off the top
three (in his opinion) in resale value.  Thanks again, and I hope you
enjoy many years in your new car...

~~Cynthia