Entries Tagged 'cheap' ↓

There’s no doubt about it. We’re addicted to our cars. I live in the semi-rural ‘burbs, where commuting is a chore. While it’s not impossible to live and work out here without a car, it can be tough to manage. Being car free isn’t a cakewalk.

On occasion, I need to pick up or drop off a review car in New York City. Thankfully, it’s easier to get to NYC from my place than it is to get to a random corporate marble and glass palace in suburbia.

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As the mad rush for the cheap new car has begun, we must bear witness to historical precedent. Look back in our (relatively) recent history and you’ll find a smattering of cheap new cars from Detroit. Though they may have faded from memory – and precious few have survived the onset of rust – cheap cars like the Ford Maverick and Pinto, Chevrolet Vega, and AMC Gremlin defined a 70s genre that many would like to forget.

Although each of the Big Three have domestically produced vehicles in our list of the 22 Cheapest Cars of 2009, the bulk of today’s bargain-priced rides hail from overseas. The Nissan Versa 1.6 Base Sedan was the cheapest new car on the market, ever so briefly last fall … until Hyundai lowered the price of the Accent to twenty dollars below the Versa.

While the tiny Smart Car is the only European-built car currently on the list, your next cheap new car might just come from Italy. With the recent announcement of Fiat’s stake in Chrysler, our inexpensive transportation options have taken a step in a positive direction. Seeing that Fiat is a world leader in remarkably fuel-efficient clean diesel engines, that new little runabout won’t just be cheap to buy, it might be cheap as beans to drive, as well.

The Ford Fiesta holds great promise, as well. With Ford’s announcement that the acclaimed Fiesta will soon return to our shores, we’re in for a treat …

… cheap is the new black!

At some point in your life, you’ll end up needing to buy a cheap car. Whether it’s your first car, or your kid’s first car, a solid dependable cheap used car is a good bet for a beginning driver (or any driver on a tight budget, for that matter). If you buy a car outright, you can avoid paying for expensive collision and comprehensive insurance. And when you focus on cheap cars that get good gas mileage, you tackle the issue of the overall expenditure.

Everyone has a favorite story about the cheap cars in their past. I’m no exception, having bought my first car (from its original owners) for $800 and my second (a multi-colored mongrel) for a whopping $350. I worked two jobs while I was in high school to scrape up enough money to buy those dream rides … and I spent thousands whipping them into shape, while saving a bundle by doing my own paint and bodywork.

It should come as no surprise that inexpensive vehicular transportation is one of the most popular topics here at MPGomatic.com. Of course, we look at fuel efficiency as part of the big picture.

Cheap cars hold a place in my heart, for as much as I enjoy driving the latest and the greatest, I still remember, plain as day, the freedom that set of wheels can bring …
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Update: Hyundai has lowered the MSRP on the entry-level Accent GS to $9,970 … making it the cheapest new car in America … for now …

A new version of Nissan Versa is the second cheapest new car in America today. With a starting price tag just under $10,000 ($9,990 to be exact), the Nissan Versa Sedan 1.6 Base sits atop the chart of 2009’s Cheapest Cars, delivering the goods with a roomy interior and very good gas mileage.

Folks looking for the cheapest car on the market need look no further than this value-priced four-door. While we haven’t had the chance to spend time with the 2009 Versa Sedan 1.6 yet, we did spend a week with its five-door hatchback sibling earlier this fall. It’s a pleasant little car. Our Versa review clearly shows the car’s strengths.

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Thinking about buying a new cheap car? We haven’t just assembled a list of 2009’s cheapest cars, we’re going out of our way to review them first hand. There’s one thing we can say so far; the cheapest cars of our time have come a long way from the days of the Pinto, Vega, Gremlin, and Yugo.

Although we’ve only had the chance to put less then half of cars on the list through an exhaustive week-long test drive (so far), we aim to have most (if not all) of the cheapest cars reviewed by mid-2009. Properly reviewing cars – while producing video reports – is a rather time-intensive process (no matter whether the cars are cheap or not). Our goal isn’t to shower you with flowery words and the personal preferences of the reviewer … we’d rather put you in the driver’s seat with a real-world perspective of what it’s like to live with each car.
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