So you want a new car, SUV or truck, but can't afford one. So buy a used one. But which are the best for value, quality and reliability, including off-road? That's a question car shopping and research site CarGurus.com answers with its first Best Used Car Awards. As with new car awards, the top-rated used cars are based on projections of long-term value, including maintenance and repair costs, … [Read more...]
Best 2017 vehicles for the money
It's awards season. We're not talking about the Oscars, Tonys or Grammys, but about the best vehicles of 2017. One of my favorite vehicle awards is the one for best overall value, because it is based on total ownership costs, including original purchase price, maintenance costs, even fuel costs via the model's MPG rating, when compared with similar models. Also included is resale value, an … [Read more...]
Good buys: cars discontinued in 2017
End-of-year car shopping? Get good buys on 2016 cars discontinued for 2017. It's the end of the road for these sedans, coupes and SUVs, including hybrids, cancelled entirely, or being replaced by similar models. Buick Verano - Unlike the popular luxury Buick LaCrosse, the mid-size Verano sedan never caught on. Maybe it was the "eh" styling, inside and out, even though it's a near match to … [Read more...]
New Car Buying Tips
The 2016 models are being replaced by the 2017s. If you are considering a new car, SUV, crossover or pick-up, these tips will save you money when you buy, or when you trade-in Old Breakdown for a new model. These are all links to articles ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter has written for top outlets including US News and World Report. Dealers often hide costs you should not have to pay, including for … [Read more...]
Best cars under $10,000: Elio E-Series
It sounds too good to be true: designed and made in America, gets around 85mpg, and costs under $7,000. That’s the promise of the Elio E-Series, a super fuel efficient vehicle Paul Elio and his backers plan to start rolling off the assembly line of a former GM plant in Shreeveport, La., later this year. (That's him behind the wheel of a prototype, above). I chatted with the company founder … [Read more...]
Kia top ranked for reliability and value
Kia now ranks in the top ten of all automakers on the J. D. Power quality rating scale, ahead of Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. That's quite an accomplishment, considering that when the first Kia cars arrived in North America twenty years ago, they were as reliable and well designed as the Yugo. That’s just one of the recent awards for Kia, which also has been rated as the best value brand by KBB, … [Read more...]
Best 2015 cars under $20,000: 2015 Toyota Prius c
What's not to love? 53 mpg city, 46 highway, roomy cabin, sporty handling, snappy styling and a base price of $19,080. The 2015 Toyota Prius c is best buy, one of the family of Prius models that are simply the best-selling hybrids on the planet. The Prius c is the baby of the family, smaller than its siblings the Prius v and the "regular" Prius, and rated as a subcompact. So it's sure to fit … [Read more...]
Best 2015 cars under $20,000: Mitsubishi Mirage
Top-rated fuel economy, sporty styling, fun to drive and a remarkably low starting price of $12,995, what's not to love about the 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage? Its EPA fuel mileage rating of up to 37 mpg city/44 mpg highway/40 mpg combined makes it the newest member of the 40 Plus club of non-hybrid vehicles offering better than 40mpg. That's best fuel economy for a non-hybrid in the USA, … [Read more...]
Best new cars under $20,000: 2014 Subaru Impreza
Standard all-wheel drive, thrifty fuel economy, roomy interior and responsive handling. The 2014 Subaru Impreza offers all that and more for a staring price just under $18,000. Even the top model with all the bells and whistles and a moonroof comes in at just over $23,000. No wonder it's rated as the top compact car choice by Consumer Reports, and gets a top safety rating from the Insurance … [Read more...]
Enter to win a Brabus Smart car
Mercedes-Benz and Brabus have launched a contest to win a Smart car. This is no ordinary Smart. This one is being designed by popular vote. The winning configuration goes on sale this fall, and if you voted for the winner, you could win one of the cars plus a trip to "smart times 2014" , the annual gathering of Smart enthusiasts. This year the Smart party is in Cascais, Portugal. Since this … [Read more...]
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