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School is out and your teenager or you need a safe and reliable late model car.In the case of your teen, you cringe at the thought of them riding in any old car their friends drive. So where do you start? Read on to find out more about choosing reliable and safe late model used cars.

On April 6, 2011, an article was written by Joseph White in the Wall Street Journal titled The Top Cars for Teens: Better Safe Than Sporty. The criteria used to pick the best safe and reliable cars were: decent performance without too much power, top crash scores with advanced safety features and high reliability scores. Request AppointmentMany late model used cars now have very high safety ratings due to the introduction of features like side air bags and stability control. Because of the use of stability control, some SUVs now have high safety ratings.

For safety ratings, the author used the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ratings and those of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For reliability ratings he went to Consumer Reports. The best cars for teen drivers by score according to White are:

• Honda Pilot (06-08), CR-V (05-06), Accord (03-07)

• Subaru Legacy (05-09) and Forester (03-08)

• Acura MDX (01-06) and TL (04-08)

• Lexus ES 330 (04-06)

• Ford Five Hundred (05-07)

• Mercury Montego (05-07)

These are the top vehicles. You can see the complete list or read the entire article.

I decided to look at these vehicles using a reliability rating from a different source. I used J D Powers because I think their methodology for determining reliability is better than the reliability methodology used by Consumer Reports. I found the top five to be:

• Honda CR-V

• Acura MDX

• Lexus ES ES 330

• Honda Accord

• Mercury Montego

As always, if you're not sure or you have questions, you can always contact us. We've been serving the Denver area for more than 30 years.