A look at some new cars priced around $13,000
There are some solid values out there for people unwilling or unable to spend a lot of money on a new car.
Here’s a list of some good buys that sell for around $13,000:
Chevrolet Cavalier – After spending most of the 1980s as a poster car for what was wrong with Detroit, the Cavalier has been transformed into a vehicle that provides competent performance at a budget price.
The base model includes automatic transmission, air conditioning, power steering, power anti-lock brakes, traction control, reclining front bucket seats and an AM-FM stereo.
Acceleration is brisk and the handling is on a par with some sports cars, but there is little power to spare with the automatic transmission.
For the standard creature comforts, the Cavalier feels solid and conveys a sense of value in terms of quality interior materials and solid engineering.
Price: $13,380.
Honda Civic DX – Ever since its debut in 1973, the Civic has been one of the best small cars around. Even though the competition has been catching up in recent years, the Civic’s reputation lives on.
In fact, if you factor variety, you could make a case for the Civic being in a class by itself.
Besides a bevy of power train choices, the Civic line includes a hatchback, one of the few survivors of this once-ubiquitous sub-species.
That’s significant because the little Civic hatchback is one of the most versatile members of its family – small wagon cargo capacity in a tidy package.
The coupe is sporty in a low-key way and provides driving fun and good resale value. The tires are skinny, but it’s no performance car.
Price: $12,580
Ford Escort ZX2 – The Escort has been a top-selling Ford for a dozen years or so, with more than six million sold since its 1981 debut.
The 1998 and 1999 Escort ZX2 shows Ford officials have learned something from their target buyers, who are 20 to 30 years old.
First off, Ford didn’t take the four-door, front-drive Escort sedan and turn it into a two-door. The manufacturer stayed with the sedan under body and structure, but went about making changes just about everywhere else, including the outer sheet metal. The result is the best Escort yet for entry-level coupe customers.
The ZX2 has flair, especially its upscale “Hot Coupe,” where fog lamps and sport seats are standard.
Price: $13,080.
Mitsubishi Mirage – I remember the Mirage from its earlier days. It was basic low-cost transportation and it drove like it.
Buyers apparently came to that conclusion, too, and many started steering clear of them.
Mitsubishi hopes the new Mirage sedan will bring them back. It includes quite a number of standard features, including rear window defroster. Brakes, even on the LS version, are front disk and rear drum. Anti-lock brakes are a $750 option, and the only interior color offered is gray. The base model comes with the standard five-speed manual transmission, not the automatic.
The Mirage is no fireball, and the manual shifter is a bit shaky. However, it’s a comfortable ride and the price is right.
Price: $12,100.
Mercury Tracer – It doesn’t seem too long ago that small cars were a treatment instead of a treat. They tended to be noisy, choppy, under-powered and unrefined.
The redesigned Mercury Tracer wagon is here to remind us that is no longer true. It’s a smooth, relatively refined, comfortable car with surprising agility. It also has a fair amount of pep, given its exceptional fuel economy.
Like its virtually identical stable mate, the Ford Escort, the Tracer is a truly new car, as well as a truly superior one.
The drive train and fully independent suspension have been re-engineered, and the exterior and interior have been restyled. The only significant carry over on the new car is the under body structure, and even that has been reinforced.
Price: $12,605.
Plymouth Neon – According to Plymouth’s press materials, the goal for the 2000 Neon is to become the “benchmark” in providing consumers a small car for the sports-car enthusiast on the entry level.
The 2000 Dodge/Plymouth Neon has grown up just like its target audience, and it’s available only as a four-door sedan.
The optional twin-cam, 150-horse engine from last year is not available, although an R/T version for 2001 was announced in January.
The Neon’s 105-inch wheel base is an inch longer and overall length has been increased by 2.6 inches.
Inside, there is greater hip, head and shoulder room throughout, which makes it one of the roomiest cars in the compact segment. The Neon’s trunk capacity has grown from 11.8 cubic feet to 13.1. And a 60/40, split-folding rear seat is now standard.
Price: $12,390.
