From worry free to problem plagued, the best and worst in used cars

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Joseph C. Cassini drives his 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria onto the winners platform after being awarded the Best of Show award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

2/31

Ben Rehm, 20, of Carmel photographs a 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Murphy Convertible Saloon at the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Mitzy from Salinas takes a moment to rest in the shade of a 1955 Lincoln Indianapolis Boano coupe. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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A Duesenberg with a tool kit mounted inside the driver’s door is displayed at the Concours d’Elegance. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Photographer Phillippe Carre takes a picture of a vintage Alfa Romeo. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Julia Binke, 6, walks in front of a 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Sporting racing-flag toenail polish, Lori TenEyck of Colorado was one of nearly 10,000 people enjoying the display of about 200 collector cars at the Concours d’Elegance. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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One of the nearly 200 collector cars greets the dawn as it rolls onto the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

9/31

Chewing on his cigar, Rick Rawlins drives a 1908 Prince Henry Benz, owned by Ann Bothwell but originally owned by race car driver Barney Oldfield, as nearly 200 collector cars greet the dawn as they roll onto the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach to begin the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

10/31

Spectators line up to see the nearly 200 collector cars at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

11/31

A rumble-seat passenger in a 1933 V-12 Packard at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

12/31

Wearing a variety of hats, contestants ride in their Rolls Royce. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

13/31

Adele Tanaka, left, and Jo Yuan capture the moment as the first of nearly 200 collector cars greets the day to begin the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

14/31

A 1957 Ferrari 250 GT 14-Louver Berlinetta is on display at the Gooding & Co. auction as part of the Concours d’Elegance weekend at Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

15/31

A prospective buyer looks down a line of cars up for auction at the Concours d’Elegance weekend at Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

16/31

A Shelby 289 Cobra Competition Roadster from 1964 is reflected in the fender skirt of a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante at the Concours d’Elegance weekend at Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

17/31

At the Concours d’Elegance weekend at Pebble Beach, a 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix is on display. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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A 1935 Avions Voisin C25 Aerodyne, featuring an early version of a sun roof, is on display at the Concours d’Elegance weekend at Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Sports Car magazine photographer Dave Tomaro photographs prospective buyers as they spend the afternoon ogling vintage and rare automobiles on display at the Concours d’Elegance weekend at Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

20/31

A Bentley radiator ornament at the Gooding & Company auction tent at the Concours d’Elegance weekend at Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

21/31

A man uses a camera to get a closer look at the undercarriage of a 1956 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS Carrera Coupe. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Expensive cars are lined up at the Concours d’Elegance weekend at Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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A racing rim signed by Carroll Shelby, the father of the Cobra, in Lynn Park’s garage. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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“If one’s good, two’s got to be better,” Park said of the cars, chuckling. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Park stands beside the second Cobra he ever bought. One of his sons is going to race in it. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Park checks the hoses of a Cobra he will take to Pebble Beach. This particular car is worth about $2 million. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Park opens the garage door in front of one of the Cobras he plans to take to Pebble Beach. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Lynn Park with his garage full of Cobra cars. Known in classic car circles as Mr. Cobra, Park has been collecting the marque since he bought his first after getting out of the Army in 1969. The first purchase got him hooked. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Lynn Park keeps his Cobras in his garage in La Cañada Flintridge. He and his sons plan to race race three of them at the Pebble Beach, Calif., event. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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“You can’t have any more fun than playing with old cars,” Park said of vintage racing. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Lynn Park drives one of his vintage Shelby Cobras around his neighborhood in La Cañada Flintridge. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

By Ronald D. White

March 12, 2013 9:15 AM PT

You’ve been here before. The old ride needs to be put out of its misery and the budget for a new car is pathetically small. So what used cars, trucks and SUVs can you trust, and which should be avoided at all costs?

Consumer Reports thinks it has the answers in a new analysis. The best of the best list is dominated by Toyota and Honda, but U.S. cars make a pretty good showing on Consumer Reports’ “reliable cars by price range” list.

U.S. vehicles dominate the “worst of the worst” list, which is reserved for models that have “multiple years of much-worse-than-average reliability among 2002 to 2011 models.”

Here are the best of the best:

For under $10,000, it’s the 2006 Hyundai Sonata with the four-cylinder engine and the 2004-2005 Scion xB.

A redesign for the Sonata that year “gave it refinement and standard curtain air bags” and made it “a great choice for teen drivers,” Consumer Reports said. The Scion was lauded as “an extremely roomy and practical small wagon.”

Photos: Top 10 cars with lowest cost per mpg

For $10,000 to $15,000, the 2003-2004 Infiniti G35 was praised as a car that provides “agile handling, and its ESC keeps it in check at its limits. The ride is well controlled, and the cabin is quiet.”

In the same price range, the 2004-2005 Toyota Highlander was “quiet, comfortable, and refined.”

For $15,000 to $20,000, the 2006-2007 Acura TL was “a near ideal blend of comfort, convenience, and sportiness.” The 2008-2010 Toyota RAV4 had “nimble handling, good fuel economy, and a versatile, easy-to-access cabin.”

For $20,000 to $25,000, the 2006-2007 Infiniti M35 “provides a good blend of sportiness and luxury.” The 2006 Acura MDX was “a well-rounded, family-friendly SUV.”

On the worst of the worst list from model years 2002 to 2011: Audi Q5 (V6), Ford Thunderbird, BMW 535i, GMC Acadia, Jaguar S-Type XF, Cadillac STS, Kia Sedona, Chevrolet Aveo, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Chevrolet Blazer, Mini Cooper Clubman S, Chevrolet Uplander, Mini Cooper Hatchback S, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Pontiac Montana, Montana SV6, Chrysler Town & Country, Saturn Outlook, Chrysler PT Cruiser (turbo), Saturn Relay, Dodge Caravan, Volkswagen New Beetle convertible, Dodge Grand Caravan.

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