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Best Cheap(ish) car?

It REALLY depended on what I needed.

People hauling. Stuff hauling. Need good gas milage? What sort of options do I want - leather, sunroof, heated seats, power seats? Do I want some zip under the hood, or can I do with a small little four banger.

There's a lot of "best" cars out there for your price range depending on what it is you need/want.
 
Buy a used car. A car loses 30+% of it's value in the first year and is still basically a brand new car, buying new is for people with extra money in there pockets. I'll take a 1-3 year old car anyday over a new one, but I purchase outright, some people still lease.
 
Need more info on what type of vehicle you want/what you need it for.

You could squeak a new base 1.8T GTI just under $20k. That would be my pick.
 
Everyone has a different definition of "cheap" but I would define "cheap" as $12k and under, $20k is more "mainstream" than cheap to me.

Best overall value - Hyundai Elantra GLS or GT
Best econobox sports - Nissan Sentra
Best overall value, reliability & safety - Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, I'd go with the newly redesigned Toyota.

It all depends on what you're looking for in a car, how will you use it, what's important to you?
 
i dont see suzuki aerio in there..

For 20 K it depends on what you want.. sporty, family, more power? what are you reqs?

But since this is new.. I will say toyota or honda for reliablity.. and suzuki and kia and hyundai for value
 
If $20K was my limit, I wouldn't buy a new car, I'd get a used one. You can get much more car for the money buying one that's 1-2 years old with only a few thousand miles on it. You don't get the paper floormats but then again you don't get pounded by the depreciation, either.
 
Please-- add recommendations on used vehicles too. As stated, it will be mostly used for the 60+ miles round trip to work everyday. I to be able to have options without breaking the budget, and staying around/below 16k is even better. I'd have to find a hell of a deal to do a 20k car. I want a confident engine, as I am on the highway most of the time.
 
If you really want the best deal and don't mind an extra hour or two of work you could land a clearance loss leader deal such as a brand new 2002 Honda Accord LX or SE for anywhere from $15,444 (LX) to $17,244 (SE).
 
The altima is not in the same class as those. The Golf is a bit high as well. So to keep the prices low I would choose between a corolla and a sentra. I'd probably get the sentra, and try to squeeze into the SE-R with 165 HP.
 
Also, as stated before, I want better fuel effeciancy than the 23mpg average I have now.

Be easy on me boys, this is my first time doing this without parental supervision. 😉
 
Get the new dodge neon SRT-4 for 19995 or something. Turbocharged+good handling+low 0-60 and quarter mile times = good value.
 
Originally posted by: Dual700s
Please-- add recommendations on used vehicles too. As stated, it will be mostly used for the 60+ miles round trip to work everyday. I to be able to have options without breaking the budget, and staying around/below 16k is even better. I'd have to find a hell of a deal to do a 20k car. I want a confident engine, as I am on the highway most of the time.
Click to expand...
Well last week I spent $15,300 from a very cheap dealer for a 2000 Maxima SE with 37k miles. 5 speed with bose stereo and power sunroof, 16" alloy wheels.

Compare that to a bottom of the line sentra/corolla or something and it's about the same price, except I got a 222 HP beast of a car that feels like a ludicrously built champ on the highway. To me it was an easy option: Slightly used Maxima vs. bottom of the line gutless econobox.
I want better fuel effeciancy than the 23mpg average I have now.
Click to expand...
Gets high 20's on highway too.
 
Originally posted by: cjchaps
Get the new dodge neon SRT-4 for 19995 or something. Turbocharged+good handling+low 0-60 and quarter mile times = good value.
Click to expand...

But does it keep that value? I had heard these weren't the most reliable cars.
 
The Kio Rio should not be on that list . . . I could have bought THREE Rios for under $20K when I bought mine brand new last year.

So far, I am getting my $6K's worth . . . 25,000 trouble-free miles so far and 75,000 left on the warranty.
 
I drive a 2000 Sentra, I paid far less than $20K new, and I've enjoyed the car thus far. It's a good commuter car, it has been reliable and it gets good mileage.

The only thing I regret is not buying used. You can get a LOT more car for the money. But it was nice to get a *new* car since it was my first "on-my-own" car purchase.
 
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