The least expensive new car in America can be purchased for under $10,000, manages better than 30 mpg on the highway and earned very solid safety scores from the insurance industry.
It's the 2009 Nissan Versa. Kicking Tires explains, "The new Nissan Versa 1.6 sedan is the cheapest new car in the States, with an MSRP of $9,990." The model available for that price is a stripper. It's "powered by a 107-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder. That's 15 hp less than the regular Versa 1.8, but it's still competitive." It "comes with a standard five-speed manual" transmission. A four-speed automatic is available, but it bumps the cost up to $11,990. Even air conditioning is just optional on the Versa 1.6, costing an additional $1,000. The car is more fuel-efficient than other Versas, with EPA ratings of "26/34 mpg city/highway in the manual and 26/33 with the automatic. That's competitive with everything in the economy segment except the Yaris and the Smart ForTwo."
The deal significantly undercuts other very-inexpensive new cars. Jalopnik reports, "The cheapest cars currently are the 2009 Chevy Aveo ($12,625), 2008 Kia Rio ($12,145) and 2009 Hyundai Accent ($11,070), putting the Versa well below these competitive models." The car is also available with zero percent financing in November, and with a $500 discount for college students.
Research the best car deals for November with U.S. News' car rankings and reviews.
