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Despite many automakers posting large sales declines, some individual vehicle models are making strides.

It’s been a tough year so far for automakers. Many manufacturers are posting large declines in sales compared to last year. However, some individual vehicle models are making strides. Reuters recently put together a list of the top-selling vehicles through October 2009 and it holds some surprises.

The Ford F-150 pickup continues to secure the top spot even with a sales decrease of 23 percent in 2009 over the first ten months of 2008. However, not all pickups held their

sales rank; the Dodge Ram drops from the 5th spot to 9th and the Toyota Camry bumped the Chevy Silverado down from 2nd to 3rd.

But the big news is the Ford Fusion.

The Fusion was freshened for the 2010 model year and has achieved a number of accolades. The Fusion hybrid is the highest scoring domestic family sedan inConsumer Reports testing. Most versions of the Fusion have above average predicted reliability in our survey data. In sales, it has jumped 10 spots to reach the top 10. Further, it is the only model in the top 10 to show a sales increase this year — 15 percent over last year.

Here is the list of the top 10 vehicles in sales and the change from 2008. Also, noteworthy is that all the models are recommended by Consumer Reports.

By Consumer Reports of Consumer Reports

Trading your car in to the dealer is usually the most convenient way to go.

Trading In Your Car

Trading in your old car is the easiest way to cope. In fact, because even dealers of used cars generally want your trade-in, they make the procedure as easy as possible. Trading in a car is usually a same-day transaction with minimal fuss and bother. The dealer assesses the condition of your car, its age, and other factors and determines its trade-in value. You can bargain over the trade-in value if you like, or simply accept the dealer’s value. In the end, the amount the dealer gives you for your trade-in is deducted from the amount you pay for your new vehicle.

Trade-in value is generally lower than the amount you could sell the car for yourself in a private-party sale, but by trading in you avoid significant pitfalls. You save time, effort and potential post-sale headaches. As Donna Reichle, spokeswoman for the National Automobile Dealers Association, explained, “If you sell your car yourself you are basically making yourself available to the buyer. When you trade in your car to a dealer you absolve yourself of liability.”

Trading in is about convenience—there are no advertisements to place, no test drives to arrange, and no legal battles to fight if your recently-sold car breaks down. For those people without the time or inclination to sell a car on their own, trading in makes sense. Once a car is in the dealer’s hands, it’s the dealer’s responsibility to prepare it and handle the resale. Of course, for those efforts and responsibilities a dealer is justified in setting a suggested retail value on the vehicle that is higher than the trade-in value. The higher price covers refurbishing, marketing costs, “and, frankly, dealer profit,” said Reichle. “The next person buying the car gets the advantages the dealer has put into it,” she added.

Trading-in may also offer a tax advantage if you are buying a vehicle at the same time. In most states, according to dealers and regional authorities contacted by MSN Autos, when your car is taken in trade you only pay sales tax on the difference in cost between its trade-in value and the price of the new car. For example, if a dealer gives you $10,000 on your trade-in and the purchase price of the car you are buying is $25,000, you’ll only be required to pay sales tax on the $15,000 difference between the two amounts. In states with a high sales tax, this benefit can help narrow the difference between trade-in value and private party price.

You don’t win 200 NASCAR Cup races without taking a few chances.

And you don’t win a record seven Cup championships without being a bit of a gambler.

But Richard Petty might be taking one of the biggest risks of his career this year as his Richard Petty Motorsports team merges with Yates Racing and switches from Dodge to Ford.

Either the move pays big dividends, allowing RPM to close the gap on the sport’s top teams and become a strong multi-car organization, or it could all fall apart, leaving the operation in jeopardy and Petty looking for yet another team to attach his famous name to.

Petty became part owner of the George Gillett-owned organization when his storied Petty Enterprises folded prior to last season.

Now Petty is part of another organization that seems to be in a constant state of flux. And though RPM is in much better shape than Petty Enterprises was near the end, this is a critical season for the organization.

Read the full article here.