It's easy enough for the average consumer to come up with a list of the cheapest cars on the market right now. But does affordable necessarily mean cool?
For it's annual list of the coolest cars under $18,000 automotive pricing guide Kelley Blue Book searched for cars that are as fun to drive as they are to own.
We've highlighted the best of the bunch.
*Prices are based on Kelley Blue Book's Fair Purchase Price as of June 20, 2013. Prices are for a base model with standard options, obtained from kbb.com.
2013 Chevrolet Spark: $12,544
Consumer rating: 9 out of 10
What's to love: "On the road, the Spark drives like a glorified motorcycle: It's quick and nimble, but also loud and buzzy. We like the Chevy MyLink with its 7-inch touch screen, Sirius satellite radio, Bluetooth streaming audio and telephone with voice recognition. But what we like even more is that the system doesn't have a CD player but instead seamlessly connects to the owner's smartphone for personalized integration."— KBB
Stats:
-38 miles per gallon
-84 horsepower
2013 Honda Civic: $17,731
Consumer rating: 8.8 out of 10
What's to love: "Just as driving feel is a big part of the magic in a Porsche, the way the Civic gracefully listens and responds to a driver's input is a key reason we consider the 2013 Honda Civic the connoisseur's compact sedan."— KBB
Stats:
-39 miles per gallon
-140 horsepower
2013 Volkswagen Jetta: $14,953
Consumer rating: 8.5 out of 10
What's to love: "It continues to hit on all the proverbial cylinders in both sales and the sheer variety of forms in which it is offered .. .the plethora of power trains translates to a correspondingly wide range of driving experiences."— KBB
Stats:
-34 miles per gallon
-115 horsepower
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