My friend Angie names all her cars.
Over the years, now that I think about it, she has gone through quite a few cars. They haven't been new cars, but she's loved each one of them just the same. I don't ride in them anymore. The last time I rode in one of Angie's cars, it was a 1996 Beretta in an unusual shade of purple that she named Patches. This particular car got its name because the body had about two dozen pieces of metal patching up holes.
I don't know how Patches got so many holes. I think it was a bank robber's getaway car-sold for a five and a dime when the owner went away to do a ten and a twenty.
Anyway, Angie and I were tooling along this stretch of road near Wheeling, West Virginia, and the road got pretty bumpy. There were lots of twists and turns, and Angie didn't seem inclined to slow down. Then she hit a pothole, and I found out there were unpatched holes on the bottom of the car when the water actually splashed up through the floorboard and got me all wet.
"Slow down!" I hollered to her, hanging on for dear life.
"I can't!" she yelled back. "The brakes will give out!"
That actually was the last time I rode anywhere with Angie. She calls her current car Boomwhacker, and I don't even want to know why. Maybe someday Angie will buy a new car-there are plenty of good but inexpensive rides out there.
So for all the Angies in the world, I am dedicating this advice on what to think about when you look for a cheap car.
Two of the industry's greatest little price tags these days come on the Hyundai Accent or the Nissan Versa, each around $10,000. About a decade ago, people joked about buying Hyundais. Now the company produces models in a wide range of styles and prices, all the way up to the Genesis at $32,000.
But let's stick with the Accent, because we're shopping for Angie. The mileage goes about 29 mpg, which is great. It's not the most powerful car on the lot, which is probably a good thing for Angie. If you look up reviews you'll see users are rating it at the higher end of a ten-point scale.
The Nissan Versa comes in at around the same price, and consumers have praised its safety ratings as well as the great gas mileage, also around 28 mpg. One user loved its roomy interior. And like Hyundai, Nissan also offers a huge range of other choices.
But you also have to consider: What does cheap mean to you? Most people think of the car's advertised sticker price. You can look up cars on the internet, or in industry catalogs or magazines, to find cars in the price range that fits your wallet. You can decide how many options you simply must have. But you also have to figure in the costs of insurance, financing, extended warranty coverage, and routine repairs and maintenance.
Yes, it is possible to buy a new, cheap car that will give you everything you want in a ride.
I think for Angie, though, we'll stick with recommending a Pogo stick.
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