Yahoo Autos 10 Cheap Cars That Consumer Reports Recommends In 2023
It’s no secret that people are spending truly absurd amounts of money on new cars these days. But what’s even more discouraging is that automakers continue to cut less expensive models from their lineups, making it even harder to find new cars that you could reasonably afford. That doesn’t mean you’re completely out of luck, though.
Consumer Reports recently posted a list of 10 inexpensive cars that it recommends buying. But this list isn’t made up of well-reviewed cars sorted by MSRP. Instead, Consumer Reports analyzed transaction prices since dealers are still marking up a lot of their more affordable models above MSRP. They’re then ordered by average transaction price so it’s more likely to reflect what you’re going to pay at the dealer.
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The 2023 Buick Encore GX Preferred has an MSRP of $25,900, but Consumer Reports found that it’s generally selling for less than that. With an average transaction price of $25,205, it’s actually selling for $695 less than MSRP.
Ford Maverick
The Ford Maverick XL FWD has an MSRP of $22,595, but demand is still high enough that dealers are still marking them up a good bit. On average, they’re going for $2,068 over MSRP, which means you’re looking at an average transaction price of $24,663.
Toyota Corolla Hatchback
The Toyota Corolla Hatchback SE CVT has an MSRP of $23,155, but you should still expect to pay over that if you want one. On average, people are paying $1,463 extra, bringing the average transaction price up to $24,618.
Toyota Corolla Hybrid
The Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE has an MSRP of $23,050, but with great gas mileage comes an even higher dealer markup. Expect to pay a $1,499 premium to get your hands on a Corolla Hybrid, bringing the average transaction price up to $24,549.
Mazda 3
The Mazda 3 2.5 S has an MSRP of $22,550, but don’t expect to get one for that. You’ll probably have to add an extra $1,898 on top of that, bringing your transaction price up to $24,448.
Chevrolet Trailblazer
The Chevrolet Trailblazer LS starts at $22,100, and wouldn’t you know it, is also going for more than MSRP. Expect to pay the dealer $1,555 more than that, bringing the average transaction price up to $23,655.
Nissan Kicks
The Nissan Kicks S should be one of the least expensive cars on this list since it has an MSRP of $20,590. In reality, though, it has the highest average markup on this list at $2,972. That means you’ll be paying $23,652 to put a Kicks in your driveway.
Kia Soul
The Kia Soul LX IVT starts even cheaper than the Kicks at $19,890, but like the Kicks, it’s still selling at a pretty big premium. Odds are, you’re going to have to pay $2,224 over MSRP, meaning it will actually cost you more like $22,114.
Subaru Impreza
The Subaru Impreza manual has an even lower base price than the Kia Soul. But good luck getting one at its $19,795 MSRP. Instead, you’ll probably have to pay about $2,041 above that, which means it will probably cost closer to $21,836.
Volkswagen Jetta
The Volkswagen Jetta S manual starts at $20,655. You probably won’t get a discount like with the Buick Encore GX, but you also won’t see markups nearly as large as the rest of the cars on this list. With an average markup of $466, you should be able to get one for about $21,121.
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