Top Ten Least-Expensive Vehicles of 2024

Plenty of good options for a first car for people.

Personally, I'd go with a row-my-own Jetta S with the Trax a distant 2nd.  Both of them being turbos, despite their diminutive size, would still have okay low-end torque.

I sort of forgot the Kicks was still around.  I think the Soul, Versa and Mirage are due to be discontinued in 2024.

Also if Tesla really does deliver on a sub $30,000 car that has a point of sale $7500 credit, I think a $22,500 Tesla will sell in ridiculous volume when you look at some of these cars are about that price.

56 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

I sort of forgot the Kicks was still around.  I think the Soul, Versa and Mirage are due to be discontinued in 2024.

Also if Tesla really does deliver on a sub $30,000 car that has a point of sale $7500 credit, I think a $22,500 Tesla will sell in ridiculous volume when you look at some of these cars are about that price.

As long as your under 5'6" tall then people will fit in a Tesla. Worst design of an auto ever with piss poor interior space for a car or CUV.

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

I sort of forgot the Kicks was still around.  I think the Soul, Versa and Mirage are due to be discontinued in 2024.

I don't think the Soul is canceled yet, though its sales are way down and they've been cutting options. The other two are done at the end of this model year.

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

Also if Tesla really does deliver on a sub $30,000 car that has a point of sale $7500 credit, I think a $22,500 Tesla will sell in ridiculous volume when you look at some of these cars are about that price.

I doubt Tesla will ever be able to deliver on a sub-$30k car in any volume and I can't imagine what kinda hot garbage the interior will be.  It's moot anyway because it's still years away.

22 minutes ago, David said:

As long as your under 5'6" tall then people will fit in a Tesla. Worst design of an auto ever with piss poor interior space for a car or CUV.

Sorry bud, I hated plenty about the Model-3 interior, but the room was not one of those things. I'm 5'10" and I felt it was cavernous.

I  think the Soul dies after this generation and the K5 is dead too, that one didn't last long.   And the Nissan Versa and Altima die after 2025 model year as do the Ford Escape and Edge.    Because all buyers want $50,000,  3 row crossovers according to car manufacturer market research.

13 hours ago, smk4565 said:

I  think the Soul dies after this generation and the K5 is dead too, that one didn't last long.   And the Nissan Versa and Altima die after 2025 model year as do the Ford Escape and Edge.    Because all buyers want $50,000,  3 row crossovers according to car manufacturer market research.

Ford killing the Escape is a dumb move, but they're doing it because they think they can move those drivers to the Bronco sport, which is less car for more money because it's "cute".  The Edge is just the last vestige of that platform.  I do think it will come back as the Nautilus clone. It's the same platform as the current Escape and the R&D is already done.

K5 was just a rename of Optima. That said, I am 190% sure that it will have a direct EV replacement based on the Ioniq 6. Hyundai will try to move Sonata buyers to Ioniq 6 also.

On 2/5/2024 at 8:23 PM, David said:

Plenty of good options for a first car for people.

Thankfully so.

However, the only one I find interesting is the VW Jetta.

12 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Thankfully so.

However, the only one I find interesting is the VW Jetta.

Same. I find the Trax kind of pointless since I can't buy it in AWD, and for my area I really need it.  If I'm going to buy a hatchback, I'll buy a hatchback, not a wannabe crossover. The saving grace for the Trax on this list is that is one of only two that doesn't have a CVT.

The Jetta will be the comfort king here. They're the most spacious of the bunch, ride really well, have a pleasant powertrain, and I wouldn't even mind rowing my own gears for once.

16 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

The Jetta will be the comfort king here. They're the most spacious of the bunch, ride really well, have a pleasant powertrain, and I wouldn't even mind rowing my own gears for once.

Yes, it does ride well, per a one week rental, and looks deceivingly more uptown for that price point.  I'm on board with the 8 speed automatic.

5 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Ford killing the Escape is a dumb move, but they're doing it because they think they can move those drivers to the Bronco sport, which is less car for more money because it's "cute".  The Edge is just the last vestige of that platform.  I do think it will come back as the Nautilus clone. It's the same platform as the current Escape and the R&D is already done.

K5 was just a rename of Optima. That said, I am 190% sure that it will have a direct EV replacement based on the Ioniq 6. Hyundai will try to move Sonata buyers to Ioniq 6 also.

The problem with that is the Ioniq 6 is $15,000 more expensive than a Sonata.  Much like the EV6 is $15-20,000 more than the Sportage of the same size.   If their plan is to replace all the ICE cars with $40,000+ EV's, good luck with that.  

And I wouldn't even be surprised if the Bronco Sport gets stale and Ford kills it like Jeep killed the Renegade and Cherokee.  They are probably scheming In Dearborn on how to make the Ranger the entry level Ford at a $39,995 starting price.  

3 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Same. I find the Trax kind of pointless since I can't buy it in AWD, and for my area I really need it.  If I'm going to buy a hatchback, I'll buy a hatchback, not a wannabe crossover. The saving grace for the Trax on this list is that is one of only two that doesn't have a CVT.

The Jetta will be the comfort king here. They're the most spacious of the bunch, ride really well, have a pleasant powertrain, and I wouldn't even mind rowing my own gears for once.

AWD is over rated, what you or other people need are snow tires.  But we hardly get snow here anyway.  Agree though on the Trax is just a slightly lifted hatchback, it may become the new Cruze that gets the reputation for just being cheap junk.  Probably a Civic or Mazda 3 hatchback is a better play at that price point.

13 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

AWD is overrated, what you or other people need are snow tires.  

AWD with proper snow tires is far superior to a 4x4 or 4x4 with snow tires and especially FWD or RWD with snow tires.

2 minutes ago, David said:

AWD with proper snow tires is far superior to a 4x4 or 4x4 with snow tires and especially FWD or RWD with snow tires.

But most AWD "SUVs" are operating 90-95% FWD and sending maybe 10% of torque to the rear wheels, a lot can't even send more than 50% power to the rear.  That AWD Kia Seltos is probably not any better in snow than a FWD Malibu with snow tires.   Different story if the AWD system can send 100% power front or rear and has diff lockers and things of that nature.  

But it is still 4 wheel drive, not 4 wheel stop, and it seems like when it snows, it is the pick up trucks you see sliding off the road more than cars do.

46 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

But most AWD "SUVs" are operating 90-95% FWD and sending maybe 10% of torque to the rear wheels, a lot can't even send more than 50% power to the rear.  That AWD Kia Seltos is probably not any better in snow than a FWD Malibu with snow tires.   Different story if the AWD system can send 100% power front or rear and has diff lockers and things of that nature.  

But it is still 4 wheel drive, not 4 wheel stop, and it seems like when it snows, it is the pick up trucks you see sliding off the road more than cars do.

Depending on how much you pay you get better or worse AWD based on features. You also just picked an entry level model in the Seltos. If you look at the bulk of AWD in SUVs where people are paying about 40 to 60K for one, they have the ability now due to software to send torque and HP where needed among all the wheels.

Yes, I can afford an Escalade, AWD system that is far superior to what you find in the Seltos. 

Your AWD is overrated comment is wrong as you brush a wide stroke with that comment. One could say that all insurance companies suck and are all the same as they only want to make money for their CEO and screw us.

All RWD auto's suck in the snow

All FWD auto's suck in the Snow

We can go down the path of broad stroke of the brush in statements like that. 

It would be better to say that based on the class of auto, some AWD autos without snow tires are no better than a RWD or FWD with Snow tires.

We could for sake of this argument just say that if you cannot afford any decent mid to full size upper level auto, if it rains outside and especially snows you should just stay home as you will be a problem on the roads.

One cannot just make these broad stokes and think it is OK.

How would you like it if due to the experience of one bad insurance adjuster at your work, all adjusters are trash and your company should be avoided like the plague.

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

AWD is over rated, what you or other people need are snow tires.  But we hardly get snow here anyway.  Agree though on the Trax is just a slightly lifted hatchback, it may become the new Cruze that gets the reputation for just being cheap junk.  Probably a Civic or Mazda 3 hatchback is a better play at that price point.

Both my Avalanche and my 300C have snow tires.  My driveway is steep and my neighborhood is in a microclimate. I'll have snow/ice when the Waterfront, just 5 miles away, has rain.  I'm also a skier, so if/when we ever do get snow, I'm out in the mountains.

56 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

But most AWD "SUVs" are operating 90-95% FWD and sending maybe 10% of torque to the rear wheels, a lot can't even send more than 50% power to the rear.  That AWD Kia Seltos is probably not any better in snow than a FWD Malibu with snow tires.   Different story if the AWD system can send 100% power front or rear and has diff lockers and things of that nature.  .

That stopped being true for most front-wheel drive based AWD vehicles 10 years ago. Most AWD systems now are dual-clutch or some variation on haldex.  Even my Encore could send 50% of the torque to the back and did so at every launch, it didn't wait for slip.  The 200C and the Envision are two more that I know of that have this.

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

The problem with that is the Ioniq 6 is $15,000 more expensive than a Sonata.  Much like the EV6 is $15-20,000 more than the Sportage of the same size.   If their plan is to replace all the ICE cars with $40,000+ EV's, good luck with that.  

And I wouldn't even be surprised if the Bronco Sport gets stale and Ford kills it like Jeep killed the Renegade and Cherokee.  They are probably scheming In Dearborn on how to make the Ranger the entry level Ford at a $39,995 starting price.  

The Ioniq 6 is also larger inside than a Sonata despite being smaller outside. They could probably make a smaller version of it (if they hadn't already screwed up the naming scheme... maybe Ioniq 5 sedan) and sell it closer to the Sonata's price point.  But Hyundai doesn't want to keep making those $249 a month lease deal models anymore anyway.

Jeep killed the Renegade and Cherokee because they are trying to force Jeep up market and because Jeep has failed in China.  Part of the economies of scale for Jeep included China sales, and for the first few years of the Renegade it was selling well there.... until it wasn't.  The other problem is that the platforms the Renegade and Cherokee are on are being phased out without Fiat support. Compass is next.

20 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

 

Jeep killed the Renegade and Cherokee because they are trying to force Jeep up market and because Jeep has failed in China.  Part of the economies of scale for Jeep included China sales, and for the first few years of the Renegade it was selling well there.... until it wasn't.  The other problem is that the platforms the Renegade and Cherokee are on are being phased out without Fiat support. Compass is next.

The upmarket Jeeps aren't selling either.  The Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale are on the Compass platform, which neither of them are selling, but I wouldn't be surprised if they keep those around for another 8-10 years.  

13 hours ago, smk4565 said:

The upmarket Jeeps aren't selling either.  The Dodge Hornet and Alfa Romeo Tonale are on the Compass platform, which neither of them are selling, but I wouldn't be surprised if they keep those around for another 8-10 years.  

Yeah, just skip over the other three Jeeps (notice he said not squat about Dodge and Alfa) that have successfully moved up market, thus proving Drews point. FFS.

@smk4565 Want to explain this while you claim Jeeps are not selling?

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fca-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2023-sales-results-302025792.html

This part:

Jeep brand saw fourth-quarter U.S. sales in 2023 increase 7% versus the same period last year. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe and the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe are the two top-selling plug-in hybrids in the country.

• Jeep Wrangler 4xe, the first-ever electrified Jeep Wrangler, remains America's best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle, with 67,429 (43%) of total Jeep Wrangler U.S. sales in 2023
• Jeep Wrangler 4xe U.S. sales increased 56% year over year, and 76% during the fourth quarter versus the same period last year
• Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe accounted for 45,684 (19%) of Grand Cherokee total U.S. sales in 2023. The Grand Cherokee remains the No. 2 best-selling plug-in hybrid in the U.S.
• Grand Cherokee 4xe U.S. sales increased 636% year over year, and 216% during the fourth quarter versus the same period last year
• Total Grand Cherokee U.S. sales increased 10% year over year and was up 22% in the fourth quarter versus the same period last year  
• Jeep Compass U.S. sales increased 12% year over year and was up 28% in fourth quarter versus the same period last year
• Jeep Renegade U.S. sales increased 177% during the fourth quarter versus the same period last year
• The brand's fully electric Jeep Recon will debut in 2024

The Grand Wagoneer and Wagoneer continue to gain sales momentum.   

• Wagoneer fourth-quarter U.S. sales in 2023 increased 39% versus the same period last year
• Grand Wagoneer fourth quarter U.S. sales in 2023 increased 9% versus the same period last year
• The fully-electric Wagoneer S will debut this year alongside the Jeep Recon. The vehicles represent the brand's start to its electrification strategy to provide new levels of efficiency, environmental responsibility, performance and capability, on and off the road

On 2/5/2024 at 3:54 PM, smk4565 said:

I sort of forgot the Kicks was still around.  I think the Soul, Versa and Mirage are due to be discontinued in 2024.

Also if Tesla really does deliver on a sub $30,000 car that has a point of sale $7500 credit, I think a $22,500 Tesla will sell in ridiculous volume when you look at some of these cars are about that price.

At the rate Tesla is ignoring their customers when their products new catch fire and they say file an insurance claim as we are not being responsible to cover it under warranty, then Tesla days are numbered.
Tesla ‘caught fire' while idling at home - and Musk's company has yet to explain why (msn.com)

This is proof that Tesla is loosing customers due to the way Musk has ignored customer service and quality.

I can see other Auto makers besides BYD surpassing Tesla this year or next.

Charted: Tesla's Global Sales By Model and Year (2016–2023) (visualcapitalist.com)

OUCH, I just read this: Tesla warning that 2024 growth rates in vehicle deliveries would be "notably lower" than 2023 levels and Wall Street analysts trimming their revenue forecasts, job cuts are likely inevitable. 

Elon Musk mimics Big Tech as Tesla delivers harsh warning to workers (msn.com)

I just looked at this again, having had a few more as rentals by now.

The Mitsubishi Mirage works too hard to deliver what should be better fuel mileage. It appears to be going away.

The Kia Soul does not appear to have slots to allow for a rear cover when the back seat is up.

The Hyundai Venue has a cartoonish Kia Amanti look by its grille up front.

The Jetta, which I disliked when boxy for a fair number of years, has morphed into an attractive vehicle.

Vehicles that can turn in 200,000 miles with simple maintenance are definitely needed at these price points when other expenses are chewing up more and more of Americans' consumer spending power.

9 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

I just looked at this again, having had a few more as rentals by now.

The Mitsubishi Mirage works too hard to deliver what should be better fuel mileage. It appears to be going away.

The Kia Soul does not appear to have slots to allow for a rear cover when the back seat is up.

The Hyundai Venue has a cartoonish Kia Amanti look by its grille up front.

The Jetta, which I disliked when boxy for a fair number of years, has morphed into an attractive vehicle.

Vehicles that can turn in 200,000 miles with simple maintenance are definitely needed at these price points when other expenses are chewing up more and more of Americans' consumer spending power.

I am excited for the Kia EV3 that will be a low $20K ev, mid $20K ev in AWD form.

I also find it amazing that what I stated on February 7th about BYD surpassing Tesla could very well come true by the end of the year. BYD is 124,077 EVs away from surpassing Tesla and if you include plug-in hybrids, they have surpassed Tesla.

Tesla remains ahead of BYD through the first nine months of 2024. The EV leader has delivered 1,293,656 vehicles so far this year, compared to BYD’s EV sales of 1,169,579.

BYD shatters Q3 and September sales records (electrek.co)

Working from home, I'm at about 7k miles for the year..and that was inflated by my 2300 mile road trip. I think I'm set for winter w/ my 10 yr old 4WD Jeep Grand Cherokee and 5yr old AWD Caddy CT6.  Both have all season tires.  And both paid for, so I'm content.   Next car purchase down the road will be for fun.