My definition of inexpensive is under or around $20,000. I am looking at compact or midsized cars.
| Vehicle | Weight in lbs. | City / Highway MPG | Anti Locks Brakes | Side Air Bags | NHTSA Frontal Star Rating * | NHTSA Side Star Rating ** | IIHS Frontal Ratings | IIHS Rear Ratings | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Corolla LE | 2615 | 30/38 | Y | Y | 5 stars | 4 stars | Good, Best Pick Frontal | Poor | $18,184 |
| Honda Civic Sedan EX | 2668 | 32/37 | Y | Y | 5 stars | 4 stars | Good, Best Pick Frontal | Poor | $18,975 |
| Honda Civic Hybrid | 2736 | 48/47 | Y | Y | 5 stars | 4 stars | Good, Best Pick Frontal | Poor | $21,315 *** |
| Mazda3 4-door I | 2857 | 26/34 | Y | Y | 4 stars | 3 stars | N/A | N/A | $18,375 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5S | 3090 | 23/29 | Y | Y | 5 stars | 3 stars | Good | Acceptable | $20,960 |
| Nissan Sentra 1.8S | 2625 | 28/34 | Y | Y | 4 stars | 2 stars / not tested | Acceptable | Poor | $16,560 |
| Dodge Neon SXT | 2635 | 29/36 | Y | Y | 4 stars | 3 stars | Marginal | Poor | $17,340 |
* - The front star rating is for both the driver and passenger seats.
** - The side star rating is for front and rear seats. If there is only one item they are the
same, otherwise the first item is the front seat and the second item is the back seat.
*** - The Honda Civic Prius may be eligible for a $1500 one time tax deduction
for the year 2004.
All of the above vehicles have power locks, power windows, keyless entry, and automatic transmission.
The clear safety winners from this are the Honda Civics and the Toyota Corolla. The Nissan Altima is a decent runner-up with Acceptable Rear ratings, but it fails by not having good enough side impact ratings. The Mazda 3, Dodge Neon, and Nissan Sentra do not have good enough frontal ratings.
The best vehicles with respect to fuel economy also happen to be the Honda Civics and the Toyota Corolla. All three of them have both city and highway MPG in the 30s or higher in the case of the Civic Hybrid.
Based on a combination of price, options, and safety features I have decided to go with the Toyota Corolla. This is partially a case of familiarity, as I used to have a Toyota Corolla. However it is also the case that the Corolla also has excellent safety features and ratings. It is also the least expensive of the cars that have the best safety ratings.
Most of this information was gathered in late November of 2004.