Ten Cheapest Cars To Own...

[MadMax]

Yep, you guessed it, the Yaris was on the list...

10 Cheapest Cars to Own

You've read it on Bankrate.com and heard it elsewhere: A well-informed consumer will get a better deal when buying a vehicle.

Research is the key. Every additional piece of information you have increases the likelihood that you will negotiate a fair price, lock in the best financing available and drive away in a car or truck you can afford. The emphasis here is on "afford." Affordability involves much more than down payment and monthly installments. It encompasses other costs such as insurance, fuel, maintenance, repairs and depreciation. You must factor these costs into your annual vehicle-ownership budget as well as into that magical dollar amount you feel you can afford monthly.

All of these factors, of course, may vary depending on the way you use and maintain your car.

Edmunds.com, a leading automotive Web site, features an interactive tool it calls its True Cost to Own calculator, which computes an estimated total five-year cost and the cost per mile based on driving 15,000 miles per year.

Here are the 10 cars that top Edmunds' current list of the most frugal cars to own and operate:

Toyota Yaris

Starting price: $12,955
5-year total cost: $29,595
Cost per mile: 39 cents

Toyota Yaris: You have to step up a trim level to get an audio system, but the base Yaris three-door hatchback does have air conditioning and a tilt steering column. Its power comes from a 106-horsepower, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. With an EPA rating of 29 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, its outstanding fuel economy earned it a spot on our list of top 10 fuel misers.

Cheers! M2

[twowheels]

I suspect that some of those cars are far more expensive in the long run than the Yaris. Their methods assume too much IMO.

[Tamago]

scion xA beats most of the cars on that list. beats the yaris for amenities vs $$

[roxy1]

cheapest car to own: one that was paid for 10 yrs ago.

[Tamago]

Originally Posted by roxy1

cheapest car to own: one that was paid for 10 yrs ago.

and gets 30mpg+



and is a toyota so it doesn't break down

[Reddog99]

Originally Posted by Tamago

scion xA beats most of the cars on that list. beats the yaris for amenities vs $$

But they don't make the xA anymore, do they? At least, not for the U.S.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by roxy1

cheapest car to own: one that was paid for 10 yrs ago.

I note that according to the article, the Honda Fit and the Yaris CTO are the same (39 c per mile over 5 years).

[Kal-El]

The Yaris' placement on the list is way off. Mazda 3 cheaper to own than a Yaris! The Fit also costs more to own as well.

I've seen other studies show the Yaris as the lowest cost to own vehicle.
The Aveo, Accent, and base Versa are the only cars that can be argued to cost less and that's only because they start out less expensive.

[foober]

plus you have to add in that the yaris is one of the best if not best built cars ever made. Henry fords model t was probably the best. But the yaris is right there. The car is built to run for many years without any service if taken care of.

Simplicity is cutting out the problems that more elaborate vehicles always have.

[Thirty-Nine]

Yep, it's good to see. I also own an '09 SX4. ;-)

[Bob Dog]

guess they can't put in they're own radio and save about half a grand

[wooverstone8]

Originally Posted by foober

Simplicity is cutting out the problems that more elaborate vehicles always have.

That's the reason why I went with the Yaris.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

The Yaris' placement on the list is way off. Mazda 3 cheaper to own than a Yaris! The Fit also costs more to own as well.

I've seen other studies show the Yaris as the lowest cost to own vehicle.
The Aveo, Accent, and base Versa are the only cars that can be argued to cost less and that's only because they start out less expensive.

on Car Talk, they were saying that the FIT is actually cheaper to own than the Yaris in the long run, when I was looking for a car. I wish I could find the link. I still went with the Yaris, though, with manual everything, and I just drive it conservatively. The Fit would have cost me more anyway because I would have had to finance it, and the rates were not that great back then, but I could afford to pay off the Yaris I got (Toyota didn't have 0% financing at the time or I might have looked at a new one).

So I'm guessing there are a lot of little variables like that, that they don't take into account and the CTO can vary depending on a lot more things.

Yeah, I don't believe that about the Mazda 3 either. Doesn't seem right.

[YarisDude]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

The Yaris' placement on the list is way off. Mazda 3 cheaper to own than a Yaris! The Fit also costs more to own as well.

I've seen other studies show the Yaris as the lowest cost to own vehicle.
The Aveo, Accent, and base Versa are the only cars that can be argued to cost less and that's only because they start out less expensive.

You get what you pay for...a guy where I live has a Aveo and I have seen it being towed out several times. For a few $ more he should have bought a proper car - the Yaris.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by tomato

on Car Talk, they were saying that the FIT is actually cheaper to own than the Yaris in the long run, when I was looking for a car. I wish I could find the link. I still went with the Yaris, though, with manual everything, and I just drive it conservatively. The Fit would have cost me more anyway because I would have had to finance it, and the rates were not that great back then, but I could afford to pay off the Yaris I got (Toyota didn't have 0% financing at the time or I might have looked at a new one).

So I'm guessing there are a lot of little variables like that, that they don't take into account and the CTO can vary depending on a lot more things.

Yeah, I don't believe that about the Mazda 3 either. Doesn't seem right.

Any way they try to add it up, a Fit is going to cost you more even in the long run.

- Initial cost - Fit is thousands more
- Fuel cost - Yaris wins again
- Maintenance cost - probably similar - basically just oil changes, new tires for the first 100K.
- Insurance - again, probably comparable.

What kind of math are they using?

And again, the Mazda 3's spot is laughable. It get's only a combined 26 mpg and starts at nearly $16K (for a rare base model that no one buys). It costs more to own than a Civic never mind the Fit that they rate below it.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

Any way they try to add it up, a Fit is going to cost you more even in the long run.

- Initial cost - Fit is thousands more
- Fuel cost - Yaris wins again
- Maintenance cost - probably similar - basically just oil changes, new tires for the first 100K.
- Insurance - again, probably comparable.

What kind of math are they using?

And again, the Mazda 3's spot is laughable. It get's only a combined 26 mpg and starts at nearly $16K (for a rare base model that no one buys). It costs more to own than a Civic never mind the Fit that they rate below it.

You're right in your analysis. I don't understand it either. I need to ask this woman in the neighborhood if she can track down the info for me, I sure can't find it. She bought the Fit because of their recommendation on Car Talk, told me not to buy the Yaris, and I bought a Yaris anyway. I liked the Fit, don't get me wrong, but the Yaris I think is more economical overall

[Kal-El]

Plus, the Fit is only "cheap" when you get the base model. Thing is, it looks awful in non-sport clothing.

I like the Fit Sport but not for $18K.

But with the Yaris, even the $13K models look great.

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

Plus, the Fit is only "cheap" when you get the base model. Thing is, it looks awful in non-sport clothing.

I like the Fit Sport but not for $18K.

But with the Yaris, even the $13K models look great.

I second that notion! I was looking at the base Fit (was about $400 more than the Yaris I drove, which had the spoiler and sport shifter knob that the car I have now doesn't)... But for me, I didn't like how the Fit handled...