There are lots of little-known automotive bargains. These ten cars give you more for your money, that "more" being more performance, more comfort, more value, or more gadgets and goodies. Check out this list and see if you can't find a car that suits your needs for less than you were expecting to pay.
Toyota expects the LE and S models to be the best-selling versions of the Corolla; the base-model CE is basically a loss-leader, allowing Toyota dealers to advertise $14,000 Corollas. In order to save costs (it's cheaper to build cars alike than it is to build them differently), the CE gets goodies like a 130 horsepower engine, CD player, air conditioning, and a handsomely trimmed out Camry-grade cloth interior, all standard. As budget cars go, this one's downright luxurious.
Dodge's souped-up Neon is the only car that offers 0-60 speeds under six seconds for $20,000. (The actual number is around 5.6 seconds, in the neighborhood of sports cars like the Nissan 350Z.) The wind-it-up-and-go feel of the turbocharged engine, the drag-racer burble of the exhaust, and the slot-car handling add to the fun. If you love driving, this car will put a smile on your face that will require surgery to remove. Definitely the best performance bargain on the market.
For about the same price as an entry-level Toyota Camry, you can get a top-of-the-line Sonata GLS with all the trimmings: V6 engine, automatic transmission, alloy wheels, side airbags, power driver's seat, wood-trimmed interior, even leather seats, all standard. If you're happy with the simple things, then check out the four-cylinder Sonata, which offers lots of room plus convenience and safety kit for the cost of a mid-level Honda Civic. A long warranty rounds out the deal.
Suzuki's oft-overlooked subcompact may look a little homely (ok... a lot homely), but it's a pretty darn good deal. The little 'Zook packs a powerful engine, comfortable interior, lots of standard equipment, and a refreshingly simple dashboard. Best of all, it's a top performer in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's offset-barrier crash tests. Aerios aren't exactly flying out of the showrooms, so bargain hard and you should be able to nab a killer deal.
People spend thousands of dollars to turn their imports into pseudo-racers. The Mazdaspeed Miata offers a host of go-faster kit that's available on the aftermarket: A turbocharger for the engine, performance springs and shocks, lightweight wheels, and high-performance tires. So what? I'll tell you: All this kit adds only about $4,000 to the price: easily half (if not less) of what you'd pay on the aftermarket. Best yet, it's all factory-installed and covered by the warranty. Zoom zoom, indeed!
Subaru's base model Legacy comes loaded with power everything, a CD player, A/C, antilock brakes, airbags all around, and -- most importantly -- the safe, secure handling of all wheel drive. Outside, standard alloy wheels and dual exhaust with chrome tips bely the fact that you bought the cheap one. All this for $22K, with a wagon for $1k more. Not bad for all you get -- and even more of a deal when you consider that the Legacy is so closely related to the Outback.
The turbocharged, all-wheel-drive "Evo" offers true no-holds-barred supercar performance for around US$30,000. Plus it does something your average exotic can't: It easily hauls a family of four and their stuff. Try that in a Ferrari! The Evo is a handful to drive, with it's bone-jarring ride and hair-trigger turbo. It has an appetite for tires and insurance rates that would make Donald Trump go pale, but it goes like a rocket ship and clings to the road like Krazy Glue. You've been warned.
Well, what do you know, the xB has shown up on another cars.about.com Top 10 list! If you haul stuff, you simply can't beat the xB's combination of cargo volume, fuel mileage and small size. Plus it's easy to find in the supermarket parking lot. The trick to Scion savings is to forgo the functionless "accessories" (extra lights, tape stripes, etc.) and spring for the basic xB; almost all of the comfort and convenience features come as standard equipment. Plus it'll last forever. Score!
Here in California, there's a waiting list for hybrids. If you live in a state where VW sells their turbodiesel (TDI) models, you've no need to wait. The last TDI I drove (a 5-speed Jetta) returned 46 MPG, same as the Civic Hybrid I'd driven the week before. Plus the TDI had lots more power and the fuel was cheaper. And unlike gas-electric hybrids, diesels can run on renewable fuels (biodiesel, made from vegetable oil). Europeans buy diesels in droves; we should be doing the same.
Another little-known way to cut your fuel costs is the CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)-fueled Civic. CNG cars have a shorter range (200 miles; most gas cars are around 300), but fuel is dirt cheap and piped to most homes. CNG is safe (would you heat your home and cook your meals with gasoline?) and the GX drives like any other Civic. The big payoff, of course, is emissions; CNG is simply way cleaner than any gasoline or gas-hybrid car.
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