Six of the Ten Hottest Cars in U.S. are Toyotas

A quick overview shows that most of the "not" cars are in their last year of production, with some soon to be cancelled,

Mitsubishi's Endeavor, which is one of the best crossover SUVs currently available, can be bought at a great price considering the lack of interest most buyers have for it.  (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

for good reason. On the other hand, there are no Toyotas, Hondas, Nissan, Hyundai, and, believe it or not, Mitsubishi within the bottom ten. Actually, only two of these brands appear in the bottom twenty, Hyundai with its soon to be replaced Santa Fe, a much-improved version already shown in Detroit and therefore well worth waiting for, and the Mitsubishi Endeavor, which is one of the best crossover SUVs currently available, soon to be enhanced with a five-speed automatic transmission. The fact that the Endeavor has Mitsubishi's slowest turnover rate is strange, actually, as it might be its best model - EVO aside.

Important to note, vehicles on the "not" list shouldn't necessarily be overlooked in your quest for a new car, as they are often stylish, reliable, and,

All top-ten list models should achieve higher than average resale values when it comes time to trade up or sell. (Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.)

thanks to being neglected, ripe for a sweet deal. Chrysler's Crossfire can be bought for thousands less, and when compared to a Solstice could represent a better value, depending on the sale price. If you're looking for a good deal, remember that with most of the models on the "not" list in their last years of production before being updated with all-new replacements, their 36-month residual values will be low thanks to greater depreciation. If you plan on keeping your car beyond the average four to five year model update cycle, then the depreciation won't be as noticeable.

The opposite side of this scenario is to purchase a car on either top-ten list, all of which should achieve higher than average resale values when it comes time to trade up or sell.