Best Small Cars for Your Money
Compact sedans like the Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic are very popular right now due to their reasonable price and solid fuel economy.
However, although a base model may start at a price you're happy with, once you start adding options like automatic transmission, remote entry and cruise control, the price can start to rise and suddenly not seem so reasonable.
Cars.com took all of these factors and put together a list of what they consider to be the most affordable compact sedans available today, even when factoring in five-years worth of fuel cost.
At the top of the list is the 2013 Nissan Sentra SV, which after everything was added in total $27,180, almost $2,000 lower than the average.
As always I recommend you use the free RydeShopper to get the best deals on any compact sedans.
| Vehicle | Options | Tested Price | Fuel Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Nissan Sentra SV | Driver's Package | $19,180 | $8,000 | $27,180 |
| 2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS | Preferred Package | $19,410 | $8,500 | $27,910 |
| 2013 Toyota Corolla LE | N/A | $18,975 | $9,250 | $28,225 |
| 2013 Honda Civic LX | N/A | $19,755 | $8,500 | $28,255 |
| 2014 Kia Forte LX | Popular Package | $19,100 | $9,250 | $28,350 |
| 2013 Ford Focus SE | N/A | $20,090 | $8,750 | $28,840 |
| 2013 Mazda3 iSport | N/A | $20,020 | $9,000 | $29,020 |
| AVERAGE | N/A | $20,159 | $9,000 | $29,078 |
| 2013 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Premium | N/A | $21,065 | $9,000 | $30,065 |
| 2013 Chevy Cruze 1LT | N/A | $20,465 | $10,000 | $30,465 |
| 2013 Dodge Dart SXT 2.0 | Bluetooth; Popular Equip Group | $20,830 | $10,000 | $30,830 |
| 2013 VW Jetta SE | Convenience Package | $22,225 | $10,500 | $32,725 |
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author
Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate
the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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