Investing in a new car often means coughing up a lot of cash, some of which goes beyond the sticker price. Maintenance fees, gas costs and personal touches all add up, which can make buying an automobile a larger expense than drivers initially think.
The website Cars.com decided to do its part to help sift through this challenge by looking at the new compact sedans on the market, as well as what their expected fuel and vehicle maintenance costs add up to. In the end, the 2013 Nissan Sentra was found to be the most affordable new compact sedan on the market.
"The redesigned 2013 Nissan Sentra topped the list with its affordable price tag, generous feature offerings and low fuel costs," said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief of Cars.com. "With an estimated $8,000 in fuel costs for five years, the Sentra topped out at just $27,180, which is about $2,000 less than the average compact sedan over the same period of time."
It narrowly edged out the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS, which had a total price of about $27,910. Both of these vehicles were significantly less expensive than cars like the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta SE and the 2013 Dodge Dart SXT 2.0.