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Automobiles are status symbols. Private lots and huge car collections are the fantasy of many celebrity watchers.  Cheap cars are the way to go for some folks. Cheap in price doesn’t have to mean cheap in quality.  Less expensive can still be functional, and even fun.

One of the ways to obtain a quality car on the cheap is to purchase a used car.  Even luxury models are much less expensive when purchased .  A new term has emerged over the last decade, pre-owned  to denote used cars that are of high quality.  Some people who always bought new have crossed over into pre-owned.  Think about luxury vehicles.  A Mercedes or Lexus is so well built that even 1 year old cars can still be in excellent condition.  Many people always buy late model used cars instead of new ones. This was immortalized in Driving Miss Daisy when the driver bought Miss Daisy’s old cars.

There are also some nice, low cost new cars. The Hyundai Elantra is a quality car under $12k, well engineered car like the Honda Civic is only around $15K.  That car lasts a long time, and gets great gas mileage. These cars are also much cheaper to maintain than luxury cars that often require more expensive parts and even premium grades of gas.

Try the cheaper, not really cheap, luxury cars. Audi makes luxury cars that compete with Mercedes and Lexus, but generally at the lower end of the price spread for like models.  These are the best engineered in the world, nobody beats them. A less expensive luxury sports car is the Audi TT.

Of course some people want cheap, cheaper, cheapest.  They turn to the clunker, the hooptie, the ancient model car that was probably old when their parents first bought a car. Teens often buy this style of car.  It’s a set of wheels, and it gives them practice for a life time of practical mechanical knowledge. Be careful because cheap cars can be busts.  A car that constantly breaks down is no bargain at any price.

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