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Top 30 New Cars for the Budget-Minded
April 23, 2015
When shopping for a new car, price is usually the most important factor besides safety. After all, no one wants to be saddled with a new car payment they will be struggling with every month.
The good news is that for those on a tight budget -- such as new college graduates -- there are lots of great vehicles available today that will not break the bank. To prove it, Forbes recently released a list of 30 new cars that each come out to under $300 a month (assuming 20% down payment and 5 year loan). Vehicles on the list include the Hyundai Elantra GT, Ford Focus, Toyota Prius c, Jeep Patriot, and Kia Soul. Below is the full list of 30.
And for even more savings on these new cars, make sure to use TrueCar No Haggle and CarsDirect to help get the lowest price possible.
Top 30 New Cars on Tight Budget
| Vehicle | Monthly Payment* |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Spark | $178 |
| Mitsubishi Mirage | $189 |
| Smart ForTwo | $193 |
| Kia Rio | $203 |
| Ford Fiesta | $203 |
| Nissan Versa Note | $206 |
| Chevrolet Sonic | $207 |
| Hyundai Accent | $214 |
| Toyota Yaris | $216 |
| Kia Soul | $221 |
| Honda Fit | $227 |
| Kia Forte | $231 |
| Chevrolet Cruze | $235 |
| Nissan Sentra | $239 |
| Dodge Dart | $239 |
| Jeep Patriot | $243 |
| Toyota Corolla | $246 |
| Fiat 500 | $249 |
| Ford Focus | $250 |
| Hyundai Elantra | $251 |
| Nissan Frontier | $261 |
| Jeep Renegade | $262 |
| Hyundai Veloster | $262 |
| Honda Civic | $266 |
| Kia Forte Koup | $270 |
| Hyundai Elantra GT | $273 |
| Toyota Prius c | $284 |
| Kia Forte 5 | $286 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | $300 |
| Nissan Versa | N/A |
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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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