Affordable is a matter of perspective, isn’t it?  What may be affordable to me may not be affordable to you and vice versa, so what I’ve done here is to do away with the “Most Affordable” list in general, and knock the following new vehicles out in chunks by price – because only you know what’s truly “affordable” for you. 

I’ve listed the following vehicles by high-end price for two reasons:

1. Obviously, when you include things like a CD stereo or air conditioning on some new makes and models, the price may be higher than the base price, but this doesn’t pertain to all vehicles; what’s standard on some may not be standard on others, so vehicles which fall between two Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price(s) (MSRP) will be listed on the higher end scale to include all the bells and whistles. 

2. One thing that has always bothered me about the car buying process is that sometimes a vehicle which seems like it will fit into our budget quite nicely at the onset, ends up costing us more when we realize those little “extras” we like so much or fell in love with - like a rear spoiler or alloy wheels - are going to hike the price up and by the time we leave the dealership, that Mitsubishi Lancer which was advertised at a nice $13,990 ends up costing us $17,500 (not including tax, title and licensing fees, as well as any interest rates we’ll pay if we finance) after the ink has dried.

As always, I encourage Cars for Girls readers to further research any vehicle they may be interested in purchasing. 

Under $12,000

• Chevrolet Aveo 5 (MSRP: $9,995 - $11,980)

Under $15,000

• Hyundai Accent (MSRP: $10,415 - $14,015)
• Kia Rio (MSRP: $10,770 - $13,495)
• Kia Rio5 (MSRP: $13,750)
• Toyota Yaris (MSRP: $11,150 - $13,525)

Under $17,000

• Nissan Versa (MSRP: $12,550 - $15,550)
• Kia Spectra (MSRP: $12,895 - $15,995)
• Hyundai Elantra (MSRP: $13,395 - $16,895)
• Suzuki Reno (MSRP: $13,599 - $16,149)
• Honda Fit (MSRP: $13,850 - $15,170)
• Suzuki Forenza (MSRP: $13,999 - $15,849)

Under $20,000

• Mitsubishi Lancer (MSRP: $13,990 - $17,490)
• Mazda3 (MSRP: $13,895 - $19,895)
• Ford Focus (MSRP: $13,715 - $17,550)

Under $25,000

• Ford Ranger (MSRP: $13,995 - $23,740)
• Dodge Caliber (MSRP: $13,925 - $20,495)
• Chevrolet Cobalt (MSRP: $13,175 - $20,975)

Tags: Advice, Car Shopping, General //