Best new small car at reasonable cost

[ldo]

I got a new base level Elantra for $14,900 Sept 2013. Still has a/c, power windows, but no blue tooth.

 

[ironz]

I'll add a vote for the Honda Fit. They've redesigned it for 2015, with added safety features, and also some upgrades if you want to add them (leather seats, navigation, etc).
Yes, it's a little car and you're going to feel the road, but we've taken a long trip in ours and it was just fine. Storage inside is amazing for how small the car looks.
Very happy with it!

 

[daughtersrus]

I'm still driving my 2004 Ford Focus and it still gets great gas mileage. Luckily, I haven't had any major repairs in the last 10 years, so I've definitely have gotten my money's worth. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Focus in the future.

Good luck shopping!

DH's '02 Focus is still going strong. We have about 212,000 miles on it. MPG is pretty good (29) considering we have a special blend of gas in the Chicago area. It's much better when we get gas at the lake in WI. We do have some rust on the trunk lid and by the drivers side.

 

[PlutoPony]

We were too, but ultimately went with new because the rebates & discounts on the 2014's made them cheaper than the used 2013's and not much more than the 2012's. .

Same here. We had no intention of buying new in this particular instance but the used car prices were high, especially considering the mileage we were seeing. The new car deals we were quoted ( 2 different make/models at 3 different dealers each) were not much more than the used car prices. Some of it may have been the fact that we were buying at the end of 2013 and got especially good pricing

 

[Pigeon]

Same here. We had no intention of buying new in this particular instance but the used car prices were high, especially considering the mileage we were seeing. The new car deals we were quoted ( 2 different make/models at 3 different dealers each) were not much more than the used car prices. Some of it may have been the fact that we were buying at the end of 2013 and got especially good pricing

I had the same experience buying our Corolla. The used ones were as expensive as the new ones. We wanted the lowest trim line, and in fact, ended up with one that was less than some of the one year old models. There are so many features that are standard now even in the base models, we weren't going to pay for extras we didn't need or want.

 

[bethy]

I spent a week ruthlessly researching the same thing for my sis - a single mom on a tight budget who needed great gas mileage, reliability and safety, and low cost of upkeep.

My recommendations for her in the end were as follows:

#1 Mazda 3 hatchback

#2 Hyundai Elantra hatchback

#3 Honda Civic

Her first choice was the Mazda but they were a bit too expensive in the end. She got the best deal on the Hyundai in the end and bought a slightly used one with a long (and usable and valid) warranty left on it. I agree with everyone else that you need to take into account the entire cost to own the car. Warranties vary hugely in length of time and what they cover. Also for my sis it was important to buy from a local, large dealer that had a good reputation since she is on her own and needs to be able to just take it in when needed.

She ruled out the Civic because it is the #1 most stolen car in America and it would be devastating for her to have it stolen and have to deal with the related inconvenience of waking up for work one morning to find it gone.

I researched the Cruze, Kia Soul, other Kias, Corolla, Camry and a few others and none of them came close to the above 3. She drives in the snow and both on the highway and in town.

Finally, I don't personally entirely trust Consumer Reports for several reasons. So also take a look at kbb.com and Edmunds.com. And also search each car's independent forums on the broader internet. I found that data mining from individual discussions and looking for trends to be the best source of real and less biased info.

One last thing - I admit up front to a bias against GM cars and Fords based on prior experience - so that played into my recommedations as well.

My husband has a Jetta and adores it, btw - but it was out of my sis's price range.

 

[johde]

I purchased a new smaller car about 6 month ago. I ended up getting a Kia Forte. I actually traded in my fairly new Forte to get one of the updated Models It get's decent but not great mileage (the numbers aren't the best but after Kia's problems with MPG it can easily make those numbers) in an engine with some pep. I got the mid level EX trim with the 173HP engine. I don't drive it hard but I want some power occasionally for passing.

My EX trim came with backup cameras. On the safety front it scored well in all the tests except the latest one.

That being said, the compact car market is very competitive as you can see from everyones suggestions. All the car companies have stepped on their game in this market. For the most part, gone are the days of the cheap econobox.

If there's a car show in your area, I'd try to hit it. That way you can look at a bunch of cars all at once and narrow it down to a short list of 3 or 4.

 

[crazelion]

If had buy again would be still between Nissian Versa or Nissian Sentra. I end up with the Nissian Sentra. i love that car. Plus I get good gas miles.

 

[kathy884]

I just got my 19 year old a 2014 Ford Focus Titanium -- really cute car and loaded with so many great features for the money -- incentives too to lower the price. (leather seats, back up camera, navigation system, sun roof, upgraded sound system) all for under $20,000.

DH has a Mazda 3, and that's one that Consumer Reports loves.

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I test drove a Honda Fit, as on paper it looked like the right car for me and is the only compact car my big dog would be able to fit in. Nice little car, but the seats and head rest weren't comfortable to me which is number 1. I ended up getting a SUV and a dog ramp for our big dog to get in and out of the back.

I bought my SUV used from Enterprise car sales -- The one year old car with about 20,000 miles on it let me get an SUV for my compact car budget.

 

[suziespice]

its only the really old Honda Civics without anti theft that are stolen, the new ones are fine.
I have a 2007 Honda Civic and I love it, I have 220k on it, very few problems. my insurance is super low, and it gets great fuel mileage! Previously owned a VW and a Kia.. will NEVER buy those again, they were beyond horrible (VW's are very expensive to repair, KIA needed repairing every week!)