Our oldest will be turning 16 in a month, and what better way to celebrate than getting them a new car? Like, an actual new car. But what is out there? What does “affordable” mean?
My wife distinctly remembers getting her 2005 Honda CRV for $20K. It was the cheapest model available. $20K in 2005 is $32,237.17 in 2024. We’re probably not getting a lot of car for $20K, but what about for $32K?
I started using Carsheet to understand all the possible cars available for under $32K. I was surprised to see how many were available—79 Models. I was quickly reminded that GM car brands still exist. Also, the base model for some cars may be under $32K, but once you get dealer add-ons and any trim level, you will be over $35K. My wife’s beloved Honda CR-V is the perfect example of this. If you want it in grey, with no USB charging and a manual seat, you can have it for $30.1K.
Easy Eliminations
Although I drove a manual car and have shown my oldest how to use one via Gran Turismo, they have no interest in driving a manual car. It used to be the case that you could get a base-level manual vehicle for less than the automatic, but the Versa, Jetta, and Wrangler seem to be the only cars that offer that today.
Cars like the Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86, and the now retired Chevy Camaro will not appear in our driveway.
There also will be no trucks showing up at our house. The Ford Maverick is a powerful and affordable vehicle, but not only does my oldest not need a pickup truck, but they also don’t like how they look.
Ratings and Reviews
I am familiar with Car and Driver and its print days. It is a good starting point and provides ratings for free. However, it doesn’t offer many hot takes. Almost all cars receive a 7.5 rating or higher. Motor Trend, Edmunds, and Kelly Blue Book aren’t much better. Some of the sites don’t offer scores for some vehicles, making you wonder if the manufacturers asked to have them removed.
Most reviewers demolish Mitsubishi, even though the Mirage is the cheapest vehicle Americans can buy. It is slow and small, but that’s all most people need. The Chevy Malibu, Nissan Leaf, GMC Terrain, and Jeep Compass are quickly eliminated from contention because of their reviews.
I aggregated as many review sites as I could, and it at least provided a good starting point.
Warranty and Reliability
| Company | Basic Miles | Basic Years | Drivetrain Miles | Drivetrain Years |
| Buick | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| Chevrolet | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| Ford | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| GMC | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| Honda | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| Hyundai | 60,000 miles | 5 years | 100,000 miles | 10 years |
| Kia | 60,000 miles | 5 years | 100,000 miles | 10 years |
| Mazda | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| Mitsubishi | 60,000 miles | 5 years | 100,000 miles | 10 years |
| Nissan | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| Subaru | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| Toyota | 36,000 miles | 3 years | 60,000 miles | 5 years |
| Volkswagen | 50,000 miles | 4 years | 50,000 miles | 4 years |
Warranties are not that different between car companies. If you own a Hyundai, Kia, or Mitsubishi, you get a 5-year/60,000-mile and 10-year/100,000-mile warranty. Otherwise, except for Volkswagen, you get a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty.
Up Next
Expect a post about the top performers in specific categories and then break down the top contenders.
