The cheapest car’s price of 2010 are Hyundai Accent Blue, Nissan Versa 1.6, Kia Rio Base Sedan, Smart Fortwo Pure, Chevrolet Aveo LS Sedan, Toyota Yaris 3-door Liftback, Kia Soul Base, Suzuki SX4 Sedan, Kia Forte LX, Nissan Cube 1.8
10. Nissan Cube 1.8, $14,710
2010 Nissan Cube
The Cube is all about cutting-edge style, so it may come as a pleasant surprise to learn that it’s also Nissan’s second-cheapest car. Even more surprising is the standard equipment list, which includes air conditioning, CD player, power windows and locks, antilock brakes, and electronic stability control — that’s more equipment and a lower price than a Hyundai Elantra (which the Cube helped bumped down to page two of this list). The Cube isn’t particularly thrilling to drive, but it’s fun to look at and has gobs of passenger space.
9. Kia Forte LX, $14,390
2010 KIA Forte LX
The Forte is Kia’s promising new compact sedan, a well-executed vehicle that rises well above the car it replaces (the Spectra) to give mainstream compacts like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra something to worry about. But while the mid-level Forte EX ($16,690) trounces its Japanese competitors on value, the same can’t be said of the base model, the Forte LX. It comes with a CD player, Bluetooth speakerphone, antilock brakes and electronic stability control (ESC) as standard, but adding an automatic transmission and air conditioning adds $2,500 to the price — bringing it to $16,890, just $110 less than a similarly-equipped Toyota Corolla.
8. Suzuki SX4 Sedan, $14,094
2010 Suzuki SX4 Sedan
The base-model SX4 is your classic “loss leader” — no air conditioning, no stereo, no automatic transmission, and you can get it in any color you like, provided the only color you like is white. That said, the SX4 does come with power windows and locks, antilock brakes, and a zinger of an engine — 2 liters and 150 horsepower, which makes it the muscle car of the bargain-basement set. The SX4 is one of my favorite small cars thanks to its cute styling, surprisingly spacious back seat, and high fun-to-drive factor, but if you’re shopping for bargain wheels, it’s a bit hard to justify.
7. Kia Soul Base, $13,995
2010 Kia Soul Base
The Soul, Kia’s stylish new mini-wagon, is an intriguing car and an outstanding buy. The $13,995 base model includes air conditioning, power windows and locks, CD stereo with USB input jack, antilock brakes and electronic stability control. So what’s the catch? Well, the base-model Soul only comes in white, silver or black, it’s not available with an automatic transmission, and its 122 horsepower 1.6 liter engine is less powerful than the 142 hp 2-liter unit found in other versions of the Soul — but it’s every bit as comfortable, practical and safe. If you can live with a stick-shift, the base-model Soul is a lot of car for the money.
6. Toyota Yaris 3-door Liftback, $13,455
2010 Toyota Yaris
The Yaris 3-door has always been one of the smartest cheap-car buys, what with its standard air conditioning and antilock brakes, and for 2010 it’s a better deal than ever — though the price is $430 higher than last year, the Yaris now gets electronic stability control as standard. Need something with back doors? The 5-door Yaris now comes with a manual transmission, dropping the price to just $13,655 ($300 more than the 3-door), while the 4-door Yaris sedan starts at $14,115. The Yaris is good looking, easy to drive, and the hatchbacks can be squeezed into impossibly small parking spaces. Epic reliability makes the Yaris a good choice for those who keep their cars forever, and strong resale values are a plus for those who don’t.
5. Chevrolet Aveo LS Sedan, $12,685
2010 Chevrolet Aveo LS Sedan
Like 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 and a provision for dealer-installed air conditioning (at extra cost, of course). The Aveo offers a tan interior with fake-wood trim, which sounds cheesy but actually looks pretty nice, and you can 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.
4. Smart Fortwo Pure, $12,635
2010 Smart Fortwo Pure
It’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.
3. Kia Rio Base Sedan, $12,390
2010 Kia Rio Base Sedan
For 2010 Kia has raised the base-model Rio’s price by $250 and dropped the standard stereo, leaving the Rio Base with four airbags and little else (the only options are floor mats and, inexplicably, a trunk-mounted spoiler). If you want anything nicer, including a paint color other than white, black or silver, you have to buy the Rio LX, which gets air conditioning, a CD player, and antilock brakes (ABS) — but at $14,490, it’s a whopping $2,530 more than a Nissan Versa 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.
2. Nissan Versa 1.6, $10,710
2010 Nissan Versa 1.6
Compared to the Hyundai Accent Blue, the Nissan Versa 1.6 offers two extra doors, a nicer and roomier interior, and better resale value — well worth the extra $20, if you ask me. That said, the base-model Versa is pretty well stripped. Color choices are limited, as are options — you can get air conditioning ($1,000), an automatic transmission ($1,000), and antilock brakes ($250), but if you want a stereo or power windows you’ll have to go for one of the pricier Versas. But even the pricier Versas aren’t that pricey — an automatic Versa 1.8S with a CD player, power windows and locks, A/C, and electronic stability control can be had for just over $16k.
And Finally, The Winner is . . . .
1. Hyundai Accent Blue, $10,690
2010 Hyundai Accent Blue
Last year, Hyundai chopped the price of the Accent to undercut Nissan’s Versa (see below) by $20, but you had to buy a more expensive model in order to get any options. The price is unchanged for 2010, but you can now add air conditioning for an extra $1,000, although you’ll still have to buy the pricier Accent GS if you want a stereo or automatic transmission. Hyundai has tweaked the powertrain for better fuel economy — hence the name change from “GS Base” to “Blue” — but they’ve also limited color choices to blue (of course), white, and shades of gray. The Accent is good fun to drive in a back-to-basics sort of way, but the lack of advanced safety features and mediocre crash test scores make it difficult to justify.
