What is the best car to buy? Given the recalls involving the very popular Toyotas, which were perceived as highly reliable, many in the market for a new car may be looking for guidance. The always reliable Consumer Reports has the new car best values of 2010 and surprisingly it shows the Honda Fit and Toyota Prius at the top of the list. Each earned a value score of 2.08, making them the best overall value. A score of 2.00 is equal to twice the value of an average car. How much do they cost? The Prius IV coming in a $26,750 costs more than the Fit at $16,020 and has a slightly higher cost per mile at 47 versus 42 cents per mile. In all, Consumer Reports considered reliability and value to be what it would cost to own the car for the first five years, including its performance and reliability. If a car performs well on road tests and is reliable, but costs less to own than comparable cars, it gets a higher rating.
Looking at the list of top eight cars, it includes: the Honda Fit, the Toyota Prius IV, the Hyundai Elantra Touring minivan, the Subaru Forester 2.5x, the Hyundai Santa Fe Limited, the Acura TSX (4 cyl.), the Infiniti M35 (RWD), and the Mini Cooper.
On the other side of the coin the worst values include the: Chevrolet Aveo5 1LT, the Dodge Avenger R/T, Dodge Caravan SXT, Dodge Nitro SLT, Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, Dodge Charger R/T, the Mercedes Benz 5550, and the Chrysler Sebring Convertible Limited. Visit Consumer Reports to also see the ratings of the car makers. #
