Yahoo Autos We Still Like Cheap Cars—but They’re Harder to Find
Sticker price range for the Mitsu Mirage is $17,840 to $20,040 (including destination and delivery). The Nissan Versa sedan, too, starts below that magic number, at $17,820, on up to $21,830 for a Versa SR.
Mitsubishi says Mirage hatchback sales more than doubled in the second quarter of this year, from the second quarter of 2023, but that pace is still well short of Nissan Versa sales of 17,812 for the first half of this year.
The psychological MSRP wall of $20,000 will have to be breached. But for a few dollars more per month (depending on interest rates), there are some viable alternatives.
Combine a 78-hp 1.2-liter inline three-cylinder engine with continuously variable transmission in a small, un-hot hatchback body, and you’re not likely to be favorably reviewed by the automotive press.
But keep the manufacturer’s suggested list price under $20,000, and you are bound to get some love from the mainstream media.
That’s what happened when Mitsubishi announced its under-$20,000 Mirage would soon be discontinued in the US. With average transaction prices in the US above $48,000 for the first half of 2024, the story for non-auto press is that the affordable new car is a thing of the past.
Sticker price range for the Mitsu Mirage is $17,840 to $20,040 (including destination and delivery). The Nissan Versa sedan, too, starts below that magic number, at $17,820, on up to $21,830 for a Versa SR.
The Versa S comes with a five-speed manual standard—which is good news for enthusiasts—while all Mirages come with CVTs, the way most people want them. Mitsubishi dropped the manual option for 2023.
In late 2022, Mitsubishi announced the Mirage would exit the US market, but that does not take effect until next year.
A Mitsu spokesman says the Thailand assembly plant where the Mirage hatchback and G4 sedan are built for global markets will weld together its last for the US market this December—two years after its US discontinuation was announced. Expect good dealer supply into summer 2025, he says.
Mitsubishi says Mirage hatchback sales more than doubled in the second quarter of this year, from the second quarter of 2023. First-half sales of all Mirages were up 85.5%, to 9,862 units.
That’s still well short of Nissan Versa sales of 17,812 for the first half of this year, but there are two factors that make the Mirage a happier shopping experience for anyone looking to break two Salmon P. Chases on a brand-new vehicle.
First, it is unusual for an automaker to keep supplying dealerships with large numbers of a lame-duck model well past official discontinuation. Dealers will want to “sell down” such models, leaving a handful of remaining units collecting dust on lots long after the last of the brochures have been thrown out.
Second, Mitsubishi remains a much smaller brand in the US. Nissan sold nearly 10 times as many vehicles—all its models—as Mitsubishi sold for the first half of this year.
Nissan has 1,071 US dealerships as of August, to about 320 Mitsubishi stores. That means on average, each Nissan store sold a fraction under 17 Versas in the first half of 2024. Each Mitsubishi store sold nearly 31 Mirage/G4s. This level of Mirage inventory means better deals against MSRP.
If you are an entry-price absolutist, you will be very pleased to learn that the base ES is the most popular trim level for the Mirage. For most other models mentioned here, the base trim level is meant for fleets, and you may be hard-pressed to find anything under a mid-trim level at your local dealer.
Even when we added as many options, accessories, and packages as we could to the Mirage GS on the mitsubishi.com configurator, we came up with a Monroney of $21,550.
Nissan is tipped to be ready to discontinue the Versa after the 2025 model year, so their supply could go away shortly after the supply of ’24 Mirages dries up.
A new subcompact crossover is rumored to functionally replace both the Mirage and the Outlander Sport in the Mitsubishi line for model year 2026, but the current Outlander Sport, at $24,840, is $5,000 to $7,000 more expensive than the Mirage.
After the Versa, Nissan’s next-cheapest is the CVT-only Sentra S at $22,320 while a newly redesigned ’25 Kicks compact crossover is its most affordable utility vehicle, at $23,220.
The psychological MSRP wall of $20,000 will have to be breached. But for a few dollars more per month (depending on interest rates), there are some viable alternatives:
Chevrolet Trax
With a base-price of $21,495 including destination, this attractive, large-subcompact Chevy Trax crossover undercuts most other value-brand’s price leaders by a grand or two. And it’s working, as General Motors sold 90,463 of them in the first half of the year.
Problem is, at that base price, the front-wheel-drive LS trim model is more likely to be found on a rental lot than on a dealer lot. Nevertheless, for maybe $25,000 to $27,000 list price the Trax is poised to become the next cool thing among affordable cars. (NOTE: GM sibling Buick Envista begins at $23,495.)
Hyundai Venue
Technically, this subcompact hatchback also slides under the $20,000 limbo pole until you add $1,395 freight, for a base of $21,295. Unlike the Chevy Trax, the Venue does not have much of a future and is expected to be dropped after the ’25 model year. Next up the Hyundai price ladder is the very handsome Elantra sedan, which starts at $23,020.
Kia Forte
Another car with a base price a Hamilton shy of $20k, the compact sedan starts at $21,145 with destination and delivery. It is to be replaced by the K5 sedan for 2025, with a hatchback soon to follow. The Soul, starting at $21,445, will be retired after next model year.
Toyota Corolla Hatchback
Eminently reliable, the question you must ask yourself is, are you willing to hold onto this rather anonymous sedan past 2036? Of all the vehicles mentioned in this story, this entry Toyota is most likely to last that long.
Volkswagen Jetta S
Base price for the refreshed 2025 Jetta S is $23,290 with destination, and there are meaningful improvements for the new model year. But there’s no more six-speed stick coupled to the 1.5-liter turbo four—an eight-speed automatic is standard across all Jettas. If you gotta have a manual, it’s available in the 228-hp 2025 Jetta GLI Autobahn, which is priced above $33k.
No other brands have models that start below $25,000 MSRP with delivery and destination. The Mazda3 sedan is the brand’s cheapest model, at $25,135 while the Honda Civic LX sedan is $25,345. Subaru’s popular Crosstrek starts at $26,540, and the Jeep Compass Sport with front-wheel drive has a $27,495 sticker.
The Maverick pickup truck is Ford’s least expensive model, beginning at $25,515. The next cheapest model from the automaker that put the world on wheels with the $850 Model T is the Escape crossover, at $30,255.
Could you make do with a new car that sold for $20,000 or less? How about $25k or less? Please comment below.
