Least Expensive Cars of 2011
Used Cars may be the cheapest cars^^
Research News from http://cars.about.com, we have some information below:
1. Hyundai Accent GL, $10,705
Despite a modest price increase and its third name change in as many years (first it was the Accent GS Base, then the Accent Blue, and now it's the Accent GL) , the little Hyundai hatchback is once again the least expensive car in America. As you can imagine, the Accent GL is pretty well stripped down; air conditioning is a $1,000 option, but if you want anything else -- power windows, an automatic transmission, or even a radio -- you'll have to step up to the $13,415 Accent GS -- and for that price, there are better cars.
Not that the Accent GL is a bad car; it comes with power steering and an eager 110 horsepower engine, and it's good fun to drive in a back-to-basics sort of way. Still, limited safety equipment and mediocre crash scores make it difficult to justify.
Not that the Accent GL is a bad car; it comes with power steering and an eager 110 horsepower engine, and it's good fun to drive in a back-to-basics sort of way. Still, limited safety equipment and mediocre crash scores make it difficult to justify.
2. Nissan Versa 1.6, $10,740
For $35 more than the Accent GL, the Nissan Versa 1.6 Base offers two extra doors, better resale value, and -- most importantly -- a lot more interior space, even more than some mid-size sedans. That makes the Versa 1.6 the cheapest set of family-friendly wheels available, though the lack of power locks or a remote trunk release becomes a real pain in the neck when shuffling the kids around town.
Like the Accent GL, the Versa 1.6 is pretty Spartan: There's no stereo and color choices are limited to blue, silver and black. However, you can add antilock brakes, air conditioning and an automatic transmission and still keep the price (just) under $13,000. If you can afford a bit more, the bargain pricing extends throughout the Versa lineup -- a Versa 1.8 S with a stereo, A/C, power windows and locks, cruise control and electronic stability control lists for just $15,780.
3. Chevrolet Aveo LS Sedan, $12,685Like most cars at this end of the price scale, the base-model Chevy Aveo is a stripped-down model, though it does get an AM/FM radio with an input jack for an MP3 player, OnStar, and a provision for dealer-installed air conditioning (at extra cost, of course). The Aveo offers a full color palette (unlike the Accent and Versa, offered only in a few dull colors) and a tan interior with fake-wood trim, which sounds cheesy but actually looks pretty nice. You can even get a hatchback version for $200 more.
On the flip side, the Aveo doesn't drive very well, it's weak on safety equipment, and adding factory A/C, a CD player, and power windows pushes the price well past $15k. For that kind of money, you can do much better.
The Kia Rio Base is much like the Hyundai Accent GL and the Nissan Versa in that it offers little standard equipment (no stereo, limited color choices) and few options (floor mats and, inexplicably, a trunk-mounted spoiler). The Rio has an eager engine, but the non-power-assisted steering feels lousy in the curves and makes parking a workout. The next step up from the Rio Base is the Rio LX, which gets air conditioning, a CD player, and antilock brakes (ABS) -- but at $15,690, it's a staggering $3,700 more than a Nissan Versa 1.6 with optional A/C and ABS. (At that price, the Versa lacks a stereo, but that's easily solved with a trip to Best Buy.) And the Nissan has better resale values and crash test scores. Just goes to show that a low price doesn't always mean good value.
5. Smart Fortwo Pure, $13,240It's no surprise that the smallest car in America is also one of the least expensive, but the cheapest version of the Smart Fortwo, called the Pure, is pretty sparse -- no power windows or mirrors, no air conditioning, not even a stereo. But it does include an automatic transmission and lots of safety gear, including side airbags, antilock brakes, and electronic stability control (ESC) -- in fact, it's the least-expensive car to offer this life-saving technology as standard. And the creature comforts missing in the Fortwo Pure come standard in the Fortwo Passion, which costs only $2,000 more.
