The Times They Are A Changing

There’s nothing like the smell of a new car, especially if it’s yours. My grandfather always said never buy a used car because you are just buying the other guy’s problems. I have to say, I’ve purchased more used cars in my time than new ones. And I have to say, at least in my case, the used cars always had some hidden glitch that showed up some months later.

Now, I’m not the type of person who has to have a new car every couple of years. Quite the contrary, I drive my cars until they are practically on their last leg. In fact, my current Mazda Protégé will reach the 100,000 miles this year. Resale, apparently, goes down considerably after a vehicle reaches 100,000 miles. But, the milestone did get me thinking about what I could actually afford in a new car in my present financial condition.

Nissan Versa 1.6 has a base price of $10,685. I figure you have to add at least four more thousand (if not more) to get seats, windows and a rear view mirror. Just kidding, but not about the extra thousands. However, it is said to be the least expensive car in America this year. The base car is pretty well stripped with manual transmission (strange as it is, I prefer this), no air, no stereo, and a smaller engine than the regular Versa. And the options are limited - can’t have power windows.

Hyundai Accent GS Hatchback has a base price of $11,745. This model is also stripped down pretty well. However, unlike the Versa 1.6, you can add power windows, mirrors and locks. But, no air or automatic transmission with the base model.

Kia Rio has a base price of $12,145. The base model comes only in black, white or silver. Any other color and you pay extra. It does, however, come with 4 airbags and a CD player. The Versa has better crash test scores and better resale than the Kia Rio - so, it’s something to keep in mind.

You may have noticed that none of the top three least expensive cars are American made. This might give us a clue as to how American car dealers have not kept up with their foreign competitors. In all fairness, the third most inexpensive car is the Chevrolet Avedo, base price of $12,623. But, the Avedo is weak on safety and doesn’t drive smoothly - may not be the best choice. It isn’t until we get to the fifth most inexpensive car do we see any “green” in the Smart Fortwo car, base at $12,635. Can we even get these here in the U.S. yet?

I think I’ll just stick with my Mazda for now. I’d love to be driving some kind of hybrid or other. However, a “no car payment” life is pretty nice.