Buying a used car can be tricky. While there is tons of information available on the internet and other resources about new cars, used cars bring with them their own special considerations.

For starters, every used car is different. Although potential buyers can look up information regarding how particular models tend to perform, two cars from the same model year with the same mileage may actually drive completely differently, depending on the vehicle’s history and maintenance.

Another consideration is reliability. Is the car considered to be a generally reliable model? Is it backed by a certified warranty? And if it breaks down, will parts be easy to obtain in order to fix it?

Finally, the most important factor for many consumers is price and resale value. These figures can fluctuate wildly depending on the make, model and overall market. A used BMW, for example, will most likely have better resale value than a used Toyota, simply because of the prestige that comes along with the brand name.

With that in mind, the most popular used vehicles differ quite a bit from the most popular new vehicles. According to data gathered during the second half of 2009 by Cars.com, there are significant differences between the two lists. The news source compiles the lists based on user inquiries and searches while shopping for a car on their site. And the results could influence car buyers in the market for a used vehicle.

Toyota and Honda dominate the new cars, for instance, with no other brand cracking the top 10. Toyota has six of the top 10 most popular new car models, including the first-place Camry. Other popular Toyota models include the Prius, Corolla, Rav4, Tacoma and Siena. Honda, meanwhile, has four of the top 10 spots, with the Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey models.

Yet the most popular used cars are considerably more varied. Honda and Toyota’s most popular models, the Accord and Civic and Camry and Corolla respectively, all make the list, but in different positions. The Accord is the most popular used car model, followed closely by the Civic – a big shift from their third and fourth positions on the new car list.

The Ford Mustang is the most popular domestic used car model, followed by its fleetmate, the F-150 pickup truck. The fact that these cars place so highly on the used car list but not the new car one suggests that car buyers look for performance and utility when buying a used car. Other entries on the list, like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler, also point to this conclusion.

Again, every used car will drive differently, and buyers should test out several models before deciding on a car that’s right for them. But the most popular used car list is a good indicator of the types of models that many buyers are satisfied with.

When buying a used car, one of the most important considerations is resale value. By their very definition, pre-owned cars have already been driven, and many drivers only expect used vehicles to be serviceable for a few years before trading it in for something different. When that time comes, no driver wants the vehicle’s value to have been completely depreciated.

There are many factors that contribute to the resale value of a car, including maintenance history, mileage and even aesthetics like color and interior trim. But the most important consideration is make and model.

Resale or residual values also contribute to the leasing of a vehicle. A car with higher resale capabilities will be worth more at the end of the lease, which means drivers have to repay less. That leads to lower overall monthly payments.

With these important considerations in mind, Cars.com helps potential used car buyers by maintaining lists of the cars with the best and worst resale values. While these values are for late-model used cars, those values generally dictate the value of older models within the same generation as well.

BMW‘s Mini brand is the big winner in overall resale value, with the Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S taking the top two spots. Both models retain a whopping two-thirds of their value. BMW also takes the third spot as well with its 1 Series Coupe. In general, used BMW vehicles have high resale value because of the prestige of the brand name and the high standards of engineering that comes with it.

The Ford Mustang, Mazda3, Toyota Prius Hatchback and Honda Insight take spots seven through 10 on the list, with each of them keeping 60 percent of their residual values.

The news provider also organizes resale values by class. Those looking for utility vehicles might be interested to know that the Toyota Sequioa, Ford F-150, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Tacoma all placed at tops of their class. Other class winners include the Range Rover Sport, Lexus LS460 and Nissan Maxima.

However, there are also a few pitfalls in the used car market, which the news source lists on its Worst Overall Resale Value list. Generally, cars with 2WD have a much lower residual value than their 4WD counterparts. The 2WD models of the Mitsubishi Endeavor, Jeep Commander and Dodge Dakota, for example, all made the list.

The worst resale value in America is currently the Cadillac DTS, a full-size sedan. Other passenger cars that placed on the list include the Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Grand Marquis and Chrysler Sebring, all of which retain less than one-third of their initial value.

Considering the current state of vehicle prices, the difference between a car with great resale value and one with poor resale value can be thousands of dollars. In addition, resale value is often a pretty good indicator of the general quality of the vehicle. The point is that those in the market for a used auto should do their research before committing to any vehicle, and sticking with models with a high resale value is always a good decision.

Test drives can only go so far – a driver needs to really have the car for a few months before they can be sure if the car is right for them. For those in the market for a vehicle, JD Power helps buyers arrive at that decision. Their annual APEAL survey (Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout) is designed to complement their Initial Quality Survey, which tracks problems with a vehicle in the first 90 days. While that is one measure of quality, APEAL looks more at the intangibles, asking recent owners to rate over 80 factors that get to the heart of whether they like the car or not. The results of this APEAL survey tracked 2010 model cars for sale, meaning that many of these vehicles can now be found on the used market.

Following the trend that started in the Initial Quality Survey, American brands posted the biggest improvement in this year’s survery, overtaking foreign cars in average rating for the first time since 1997. The study showed that redesigned vehicles from Ford and GM were among the highest rated models in the poll. Chrysler did not fare as well, but it was enough for the Big Three and their associated brands to top the foreign average.

"Historically, vehicle models achieving high APEAL scores have been shown to generate faster sales, higher profit margins and less need for cash incentives," the study said. "High levels of vehicle appeal also have a strong influence on customer recommendation rates."

Owners may want to rush out and throw down money on these used cars right away. However, the APEAL survey demonstrates the benefits of waiting. By showing patience, finding out which models are highly-rated and performing well without issues, and then waiting for these late-model vehicles to hit the used car market, drivers can save a bundle and get a car they know will be up to snuff.

Porsche took home the crown, as it did in the Initial Quality Survey as well. However, there were major discrepancies between the two results. For example, Land Rovers were last in initial quality, but fifth in APEAL. Jaguar, second in APEAL, was fifth from the bottom in initial quality.

Ford’s Lincoln brand was the best domestic brand, followed closely by GM’s Cadillac. Chevy and Ford placed around the middle of the pack, while Chrysler took last with its Jeep brand, third to last with its self-titled models, and eighth from last for Dodge. Its new Ram truck brand fared the best, but still placed slightly below Chevy and Ford. However, Chrysler has a slew of redesigned models debuting soon.

Ford continued its impressive turnaround by taking top marks in the most categories, with five. It won outright with its Explorer, Expedition, Flex, Fusion and Taurus models.

Other highly-ranked vehicles included the BMW 3 and 5 Series and the Mercedes E- and S-Class.