What is the cheapest, safest, 2ish year old vehicle out there?

[Gypsy]

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May need to purchase a budget vehicle, but don't want to compromise on safety!

Give me some suggestions please

[carseatcoach]

I drive a 2006 Kia Optima. For a 4-year-old vehicle the safety scores are pretty impressive, and since they don't hold their value well, they're darn cheap.

[Defrost]

Mazda 5?

Actually, I'm thinking my sister's car would fit those criteria as well - a Mazda 3.

[erikanohelani]

This article might be helpful to you in a reverse way... it is an article about cars that lose their value fastest. If they depreciate quickly you might be able to get it for a low price on a 2 year old model.

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...e-the-fastest/

www.safercar.gov for crash ratings data

One of the models on the list was the Kia Spectra... I looked up the crash ratings on it and they were good for an '07 model.

Good Luck =)

[gecikuh]

Originally Posted by erikanohelani

One of the models on the list was the Kia Spectra... I looked up the crash ratings on it and they were good for an '07 model.

where did you look? they really aren't good at all on informedforlife.org

[erikanohelani]

I was looking up a 2007 model...

From safercar.gov
http://www.safercar.gov/portal/site/...&model=Spectra
4 star in side crash, 5 in frontal

I just checked the informedforlife

the score does seem low... sorry thanks for looking that up!

[bobandjess99]

I drive an 07 kia optima (there was a big change between 06 and 07 model year, be sure to get 07 or newer) they just topped the list of vehicles which lose their value, lol. You can get a 2 year old one for less than half price. But, it's a really nice car, good safety ratings. Sedonas also lose their value...you can get 06's for uber cheap.

If you're looking for a smaller car with better gas mileage, brand *new* Nissan Versas sell for $9999.

Here's a link to an 07 optima for $8500 in columbus. You know Kia's warranty is tranferable, so you'd have some security there. It's awful for 3-across though.

[carseatcoach]

This is not snark -- but I'm pretty happy with my 2006 Optima. What makes the 2007 much better? I've seen 2006s as low as $6K around here.

[bobandjess99]

I didn't mean to be rude, it's just they redesigned it between My06 and 07. the 06 didn't get anywhere near as good of safety ratings, is the biggest concern for me personally.
As you can see here at the IIHS site, the 06 gets an "acceptable" for frontal, and a "poor" for side, whereas the 07 gets a "good" for frontal, and an "acceptable" for side.

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=513

That's just a significant difference for me.
as to any other differences, I can't say. I never drove an 06 or anything...I immediately ruled out all "poor" ratings in either frontal or side impact from my vehicle search. Quite possibly, it is a great car. I was speaking mainly just to the safety differences.

I know we've discused this before, but there are 2 different 06 models. They switched partway through the year, and 06 models produced prior to Sept 05 are the same as the 05 and earlier models, while 06's produced after Sept 05 are the same as the 07+ models. Sometimes those later 06's are referred to a 2006.5's, but also i've seen a lot of people refer to them as just plain "06's"
So..if you have one of the 06's which is the same as an 07, then the safety ratings and stuff are the same as an 07....but if it is an earlier 06 that shares its design with the 05's, then it is the earlier model which has the lower safety ratings. Confusing, right, LOL??
I knwo when we spoke of it before, you told me you believed you had an earlier 06, the kind with the lower safety ratings, and not the redesigned 06.5, which is essentially an 07 they started selling at the end of MY 06.
Stupid Kia and their midyear rollout of a new redesign.

Anyway..Lisa - Ihope that made sense to you, lol!!! If you can find an 06 that looks like an 07 (the body style is quite different , it's obvious) then it has the higher safety ratings, but if it looks like an 05, it has the lower ratings/design.

[carseatcoach]

I'm not offended, just curious. I guess I relied more on the NHTSA ratings since they tested the exact vehicle, and IIHS tested a 2004 Sonata. Still, I agree that newer is better, but if she's looking for cheapEST, I wouldn't rule it out.