Cars With the Best Overall Value

May 22, 2014

When you find yourself ready to plunk down your hard-earned cash on a new vehicle, the last thing you want to worry about is whether you're getting a good value. You want to be able to bask in the new car owner glow -- not worry that what you just paid for will end up sucking money out of you for years to come.

Consumer Reports has recently put together a list of the cars that have the best overall value -- by factoring in things like reliability, total ownership costs, and depreciation -- and are also offering great incentives to make it an even better deal, with potential savings below MSRP as high as 15%.

The list is broken into three categories. Under small cars, vehicles such as the 2014 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L, 2014 Toyota Corolla S, and 2014 Acura ILX made the list. When it comes to Sedans, Consumer Reports likes the 2014 Toyota Camry LE, 2014 Buick Verano, and 2014 Hyundai Sonata GLS. And for SUVs, the 2014 Toyota Venza, 2014 Ford Flex SEL, and 2014 Chevrolet Traverse 1LT were named.

No matter what car you decide to purchase, make sure to use TrueCar No Haggle, CarsDirect and RydeShopper to see the best deals out there.

Small Cars

Vehicle	MSRP	Invoice price	Incentive Expiration Date	Potential Savings Below MSRP
2014 Kia Rio EX	$17,600	$17,001	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Chevrolet Sonic LT	$17,890	$17,549	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Hyundai Elantra SE	$19,010	$18,582	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Toyota Corolla S	$20,510	$19,734	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L	$20,815	$20,015	06/30/14	5%+
2014 Hyundai Elantra GT	$20,560	$20,040	06/02/14	10%+
2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI	$25,545	$24,557	06/30/14	5%+
2014 Volkswagen Golf TDI	$26,020	$25,012	06/30/14	5%+
2014 Acura ILX	$27,795	$26,573	07/07/14	15%+

Sedans

Vehicle	MSRP	Invoice Price	Incentive Expiration Date	Potential Savings Below MSRP
2014.5 Toyota Camry LE	$23,680	$22,501	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Mazda6 Sport	$23,490	$22,635	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Honda Accord LX	$23,545	$21,828	05/12/14	10%+
2014 Hyundai Sonata GLS	$22,260	$21,565	06/02/14	15%+
2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI	$27,495	$26,402	06/30/14	10%+
2014 Acura TSX	$31,530	$30,030	07/07/14	10%+
2014 Buick Verano	$27,825	$27,287	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Kia Optima LX	$22,300	$21,585	06/02/14	10%+
2014 Infiniti Q50 RWD	$38,055	$35,755	05/31/14	10%+
2014 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT	$24,435	$23,845	06/02/14	15%+

SUVs

Vehicle	MSRP	Invoice Price	Incentive Expiration Date	Potential Savings Below MSRP
2014 Toyota Venza LE	$32,080	$30,258	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T	$33,275	$31,914	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Nissan Murano SL	$37,940	$35,741	06/02/14	10%+
2014 Acura RDX	$36,815	$34,921	07/07/14	5%+
2014 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS	$32,525	$31,333	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL	$35,815	$34,418	06/30/14	5%+
2014 Chevrolet Traverse 1LT	$36,885	$35,805	06/02/14	10%+
2014 Buick Enclave	$41,815	$40,588	06/02/14	10%+
2014 GMC Acadia SLT1	$43,465	$42,189	06/02/14	5%+
2014 Ford Flex SEL	$34,745	$33,263	07/07/14	10%+

My Recommendation for Car Shoppers

TrueCar No-Haggle, CarsDirect, and Ryde Shopper are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. 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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