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To combat depreciation, check out these used-car gems

Any number of factors determine a car's resale value – color, optional equipment, and model scarcity, among others. As you might imagine, however, reliability is a major consideration. So say the folks who produce the annual Kelley Blue Book, the bible of automotive pricing guides. They say that the average car loses 65 percent of its original cost over the first five years, while the dependable models on their most-valued used cars list sell for about half their sticker price. That is, if they've been well maintained and not driven more than 15,000 miles a year. The cars, with a base sticker price of no more than $60,000, with the best resale value, according to the Kelley Blue Book:

Sedan Acura TSX
Coupe Honda Civic
Convertible MINI Cooper
Station wagon VW Passat
Hatchback MINI Cooper
Luxury BMW 5-series
Pickup Toyota Tacoma
SUV Acura MDX
Minivan Honda Odyssey
Hybrid Toyota Prius