Sep 4, 2008 5:11 pm US/Pacific
Save Wtih Dave: Car Choices For Students
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
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Kelley Blue Book just came out with its lists of the top ten new and used back-to-school cars. The criteria: reliability, practicality, safety, and most importantly, overall value -- all the new cars are under 18,000.
Smartmoney.com broke down the Kelley Blue Book lists into its own five favorites.
The best value goes to the Mazda 3. It costs less than $15,000 and is the only car on Kelley Blue Book's new and used top 10.
The company names the Subaru Impreza as the safest back-to-school car. Even though it's small, it received the insurance institute of highway safety's highest overall safety rating.
Then there's the Ford Focus, Smart Money's best fuel economy pick. It gets 24 miles per gallon in the city, 35 on the highway.
Honda's Fit is the most reliable. Maintenance costs over five years come to just more than $1,100, the lowest on Kelley Blue Book's list of new, back-to-school cars.
Finally the coolest award goes to the Volkswagen Rabbit.
The Rabbit's interior is a step up from the other cars on the list, plus the radio comes with 10 speakers and an input jack for MP3 players.
Gas prices are at the forefront of everyone's mind these days, so let's use the Ford Focus for an example. Remember, it gets 35 miles per gallon on the highway.
Choose the Focus over another car that gets 30 mpg on the highway and your student saves $223 dollars a year on gas.
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