Although this is not a definitive review by any means, I have looked around to find some small automobiles with good features "for the money." If you are interested in reliability ratings then I would highly suggest purchasing the Consumer Reports annual car buying guide. This guide has just about every car in it and has always been a great reference for me.

Quality Ratings

In spite of quality ratings, even the most expensive cars can still have manufacturing flaws and other unwanted problems. In most cases the more technoloy on a car the more problems that it will have. It's reassuring for me to be protected with a longer warranty and not have to worry about shelling cash out of my pocket. It also says something when a car company is willing to stand behing it's product for a longer period of time than the competition.

Price & Fuel Economy

The cars displayed here offer good fuel economy and only cost between $15K and $22K. This is affordable for most people and it's better than settling on a Chevy Cavelier. Fuel Economy is based on models with automatic transmission except for the Civic Si which is only available as a stick.

Longer power-train warranties exist for many of these cars after the standard 3 or 5 year warranties run out. You should be careful with any warranty though because there is a whole lot of fine print involved. This and a few other car buying tips are discussed later in this article.

The numbers on this page also do not mean that one car is better than another car. That's for you to decide and that's why we've provided links to the product info pages for further information. We tried to make this an easy place to begin looking for a new car, specifically a nice car between $15K and $22K.

Sporty Cars

#1 Honda Civic Si

• sporty design
• fast (197-hp, 2.0-Liter K20Z3 engine)
• 21/29 MPG
• midline with most features for $22,000
• 6 speed stick
• 3 year, 30,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty

The Honda Civic SI is an excellent car and it looks a bit sleeker than the Mitsubishi Lancer. It gets some good MPG and has more horsepower than most cars in this price range. A well-equiped Civic Si costs a couple thousand more, but it may be worth the extra horse power since it is one of the most powerful cars for around $22K. I'm sure the Lancer is just as fun to drive for most people, so you may want to give both cars a test-drive. Also consider that a stick is a real pain if you frequently drive in stop-and-go traffic.

#2 Mazda 3 S

• sporty design
• (156-hp, 2.3L DOHC 4-cylinder with VVT and 2-balance shafts)
• 22/29MPG
• grand-touring model w/ 5 speed sport automatic transmission for $21,480
• 5 speed stick or automatic
• 3 year, 30,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty

This is just another great deal and the Mazda 3 S comes equipped with excellent features such as heated from seats at this price. If you really want something fast then you could spend a couple of thousand dollars more for the Mazda Speed 3 model with 263-hp and a 2.3L DOHC 16-valve inline 4-cylinder engine!

#3 Mitsubishi Lancer CVT

• sporty design
• fast (152-hp, 2.0-Liter MIVEC engine)
• 22/29 MPG
• top-of-the-line model for $19,500
• 5 speed stick or automatic
• 5 year, 60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty

For a small sports car, the Mitsubishi Lancer is a great buy and it has a great warranty too. The fact that you can get a top-of-the-line model at an MRSP of $19,500 (without nav package) is pretty amazing as well. Gas mileage is good for the horsepower provided and the Lancer was also rated as the best compact sedan on the market by Car and Driver.

Economy Cars

#4 Hyundai Sonata SE

• nice looking sedan
• 19/28 MPG
• best features for the money
• a 4-cylinder (162-hp for $19,500)
• a V6 (234-hp for $22,000)
• 5 year, 60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty

The Sonata is a great car and it probably has the best features available for the money. It's got some decent gas mileage, the warranty is pretty amazing, and good luck finding a V6 engine for around $22,000 anywhere else! Sure, it's a Hyundai... but it seems that most problems with cars occur after the standard 3 year warranty is up. You won't have to worry about paying for major problems with the 5 year warranty offered from Hyundai.

#5 Toyota Corolla S or LE

• basic design (126-hp)
• looks like the 2002 Honda Civic
• 26/35 MPG
• great features for under $16,000
• 3 year, 30,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty

The Toyota Corolla is a great car for the money and there isn't much more to say beyond the 35 MPG. For fuel efficiency, the Corolla is hands-down the best car for the money and it costs less than comparable Honda Civics. Interestingly enough, it looks exactly the same as the 2002 Honda Civic. You can get a well-equiped Corolla LE with great features for only $16,500 (:

#6 Honda Civic LX

• consistantly rated best-in-class
• futuristic desing (140-hp)
• 25/36 MPG
• great features for $17,800
• 3 year, 30,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty

The Honda Civic LX is always rated the best in its class for around $18,000. Once again, the warranty is not as good as Mitsubishi or Hyundai, but this is still a great car! I've had had a Civic for over 5 years and only performed normal maintenance on the car.

#7 & #8

Also check out the Ford Focus and the Nissan Sentra.

A Word on Navigation & Sound Systems

Guess what? They're not worth the money when you can buy one from Garmin or get a Tom-Tom for around $200. All these places will charge you at least $1500 for an in-dash system, but it's just not worth it!

The same thing goes for the sound system. It might be convenient to have them install it, but you could save a bundle and get the system of your choice at Best Buy or Circuit City.

A Word on the Warranties

Be forewarned that all of these warranties have little stipulations that you MUST examine under a microscope. For instance; A 5 year warranty may not be good for 5 years from the day you purchase the car. Instead, it may be a 5 year warranty from the date it was shipped from the manufacturer! That's the kind of stuff that you need to watch out for.

A Word on Negotiating

Check out Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds to see what other people are actually paying for these cars.

Be sure to shop around for the best deal. Car salesman will do almost anything to keep you from walking off the lot and if you do manage to get away they'll probably be calling you later.

Find out if there are any financing deals or rebates for students, military, or anything else. If they'll give discounts to these groups, then why could they not give you the same deal?

How About that Sunroof?

Did you know that car companies will charge around $1,000 for a sunroof on your car? Just ask yourself if you really need it. Then consider how much fun you could have with an extra $1,000 in your pocket. It may be worth it, but maybe not...

So What Car Would I Buy?

I plan on trading in my 2002 Honda Civic and getting a Mitsubishi Lancer or a Mazda 3 S. It's time to branch out and get something a little sportier with better features than a 6 year old car. I don't plan on getting the car loaded since it's another $3500 for the navigation and technology package (although it is tempting). I just have to wonder if they could gouge me any more on the price? Do they want to take a limb as payment?

Well equipped these car run around $20,000, but there are some rebates available and there is always room for negotiation. I'll probably end up taking the car to a custom shop for my own navigation/sound package considering that a Tom-Tom GPS system costs only a couple hundred these days and I can get a decent sound system for around $600!

I would like to know where the car company came up with $3,500 for the same thing! I guess the nav system is in-dash and a sunroof is included, but I would rather have a couple thousand dollars in my pocket.

Hope this was helpful!

The Net Analyst