For writing an article about the “best five new vehicles for college students” you must try and find a way to be inside the mind of a college kid long enough to know what they will be doing with a new car and exactly how will they be using that new car in their new environment for their first few college years.
Some basic criteria for the foundation of what makes a car perfect for a college student would have to include a low price, decent fuel mileage, and a reasonable amount of cargo space.
The fuel economy of any college car is important because lets face it there is very little reason to even have a car if the college you are attending is close to home! Another thing that is important to most college kids is to have enough room for a friend or two, and some extra space to haul their futon, some comic books, a computer and other dorm supplies. And finally the best priced cars are what parents and college kids are looking at when it is all said and done.
So finding five cars that fit this profile is not really that difficult here in 2010. There are easily over 15 cars for 2010 that fit all three of the major profile requirements that I felt are necessary for any college persons new car.
The five choices I have selected are the; Chevrolet Aveo, Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa, Smart for Two, and the Toyota Yaris.
1) Chevrolet Aveo is a four door hatchback with seating for five adults. The engine in this model is a 1.6 Liter four cylinder engine. This package yields 27 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. A decent entry level Aveo could still cost you only about $11,667 which is not too bad for a college car! Chevrolet has continually moved this model forward with plenty of good basic amenities which includes their decent sized cargo area weighing in at 15 cubic feet of storage.
2) Hyundai Accent, two door hatchback that seats five. The engine option that saves you the most on cost and on fuel is their 1.6 Liter four cylinder engine. This car gets 17 mpg city and 36 mpg on the highway! You can get into this model for about $12,444. The storage area in this model is 15.9 cubic feet which is second highest in this small group of five car models. Hyundai has been making a name for themselves as a reliable car with a really decent sticker price!
3) Nissan Versa, four door hatchback that has seating for five adults. The Nissan engines are usually really smooth and very reliable. The 1.8 Liter four cylinder engine gives plenty of power for this zippy little car. Fuel economy is rated for 24 mpg in the city, and 32 on the highway. The cost of this neat ride is: $13,971. Storage space for this car is generous at 17.8 cubic feet. Overall Nissan gets really high marks for quality and reliability.
4) Smart For Two, two door hatchback that only seats two! However it gets such great fuel mileage that you can always run back and get more friends and gear. This car has a tiny 1.0 liter three cylinder engine that requires you to use high test fuel. This model can be purchased for around $13,990. The mileage estimate is 33 mpg for city driving, and 41 mpg on the highway! Cargo space is limited and has only 7.8 cubic feet of storage space. No matter what this is a fun little car to drive and they are amazingly easy to find a parking space for them!
5) Toyota Yaris, two door Hatchback with seating for five adults. Using the ultra reliable 1.5 Liter four cylinder engine that gets amazing fuel economy. You can expect to get around 29 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway. The storage space on this model is larger than the Smart for Two car at 9.3 cubic feet. This car configured like this would cost you about $13,365. Any Toyota model is a very wise investment for a college kid car since the mileage will typically be low when they are done with the car and the resale on Toyota models has always been very strong.
This list primarily consists of smaller cars which get good mileage and still have plenty of storage space for all your college kids needs. Of course many folks sending a kid off to college and can afford a more expensive car will probably end up in an SUV or larger wagon to accommodate the basic necessities that college persons think they need to drag along with them!
Thank you for reading my articles here on AC-Yahoo! Please feel free to leave a comment anytime!