The Cheapest Car in America: 2009 Nissan Versa

The 2008 Chevrolet Aveo5 had few trophies to its name, but one was the dubious distinction of being the cheapest (or most affordable) new car in America. But 2009 brings many new contenders; up until this morning the Hyundai Accent was the cheapest car, but now Nissan has announced its rock-bottom entry. The new Nissan Versa 1.6 sedan is the cheapest new car in the States, with an MSRP of $9,990. That beats the Accent by around $1,000 and the Toyota Yaris, Kia Rio and Chevy Aveo by $2,000. The price excludes a $695 destination charge.

The new Versa is powered by a 107-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder. That’s 15 hp less than the regular Versa 1.8, but it’s still competitive. The new Versa comes with a standard five-speed manual and has an optional four-speed automatic for $11,990. Gas mileage is up from the regular model, to 26/34 mpg city/highway in the manual and 26/33 with the automatic. That’s competitive with everything in the economy segment except the Yaris and the Smart ForTwo.

At this price, Nissan makes air conditioning optional, for $1,000. It’s standard on the other Versas, as well as on the 1.6 Versa with the automatic transmission. There are manual windows, as well.

Not only is this now the cheapest car, but with total passenger volume exceeding its competition, plus decent power and mileage ratings, you’re getting what appears on paper to be a high-value deal, with fewer compromises than the Aveo5.

Comments

"26/34 mpg city/highway in the manual and 26/34 with the automatic."

hm...I do suspect there is a typo. Or else it should have read as 26/34 for both the manual and auto.

J,
Thanks for the catch. Should have been 33 hwy for the auto.

Should help the slow sales of the versa sedan.

Wonder what other equipment they deleted? Side airbags, perhaps? (Nissan hates safety features--ABS is optional on the Sentra and Versa, and no stability control is offered on those or the 4-cylinder Altima).

The Versa may be cheapest, but it's also a poor car. Consumer Reports ranks it as the most unreliable small car. That's the result of Renault taking over Nissan.

This car will...well, SHOULD...be a huge success, esp in the following categories:
(1) car rental companies;
(2) fleet/company vehicles (and even local delivery couriers for mail or food);
(3) commute cars for MANY people esp those who need basic transportation during this economy downtime;
(4) those who live along the coast, esp in the northern part of the continent, who kept insisting that "we don't need A/C" - as a replacement for the 20 years old Jetta/Corolla/Sentra (a little bit kidding here, of 'coz!).

Sure the car probably has everythg manual, but hey, there's no free lunch, people. We are such spoil brats that we want ABS, A/C, Power Everything in sthg under $10K. This is not the early '90s my friends. Beside, the Versa has such a large interior volumen, and the fact that the material used is not actually pretty good, that this is a super value vehicle. Quality for Versa is definitely not the best, but still acceptable. It has 5 stars crash test rating front and side, and I would assume 6 airbags too like the 1800cc. Plus, u get a huge network of dealers to service your vehicle too. What more can you ask for?

Sorry, I meant material used in pretty good on my previous post.

As for ConsumerReport, like many people today, the headline means everything to us. If you actually continue to read the article, the WORST actually has an average rating and above average rating for the 07 & 08 H/B, respectively; the sedan (07) has below avg. So really, it's not bad (not great either - JUST AVG!). There are actually more to it, so don't just read the headline and draw a conclusion. To exaggerate this "worst small car" title a little bit, it's like in one "The Simpsons" episode, Lisa was saying that she could only get to UC Berkeley or Stanford because of some mistakes she made in a test, instead of one of the top rank Ivy league universities...

(In case you dunno - Berkeley & Standford, though not part of the Ivy League, are considered to be the same class as the Ivy League, but more like bottom end of the Ivy League,

I would select this over a Rio, Accent or Aveo anyday. But I would still prefer to put out the extra cash for a Fit or a Scion.

My niece had a Rio that got into a fender bender. The body shop couldn't believe how well built it was -they said it's built as well as a mercedes. I think I would take a Rio any day over the French Nissan.

To bad none will be on dealer's lots. The main problem is lot of cars use the air condition compressor to help with defrost of the front window. My problem is that since I live in the city, I need auto instead of manuel. Which for my needs ruins the whole point of car and cost.

No car in this day and age should be sold without A/C standard. Do away with the power windows and locks no problem but, A/C is a must.

Troy,

A/C is not a must for those of us who lives in the North. I can definitely love to have an option to take off my car's A/C which I almost never turned on. (I have to turn it on just because it is there and has to run it every once in a while, and it is a total waste of money and an extra piece of weight.)

1 thg that I may add, to those who don't know much about this "weaker" engine. If my suspicion is correct, and Dave T. may help to find out, but this is the same "Tiida" engine for the JDM market. If that's the case, I may add that a LOT of JDM lovers will love to lay their hands on this car (or just the engine). Why, because there are A LOT of powerful add-on's you can do to this engine, which are ALREADY AVAILABLE in Japan (so just ship them here!). Not so for the case of the 1800cc. It's for the USDM and there are only handfuls of add-ons one can buy at the moment. With prices of this vehicle this cheap, these sort of buyers will basically buy this vehicle and do an engine swap between their current Versas (mostly H/B) and the new 1600cc Versa. An excellent case of "lose a battle (1600cc has less standard hp), win a war (all the add-ons to make the engine go hp of 200 or more!)."

Another car for ricers to pimp in *shakes head*

Aside from that, the gas mileage isn't amazing for that tiny engine. The 117 hp Honda Fit gets 35 mpg hwy.

this car will also be sold in Latin America under the name "Dodge Trazo" but only in 1.8 cylinder engine!

This is an old, but effective, marketing ploy. By stripping as much content as possible from an existing model (1.8S), cutting the profit margin built into the MSRP and substituting lower cost components where possible (cheaper seat fabric, smaller engine)- and suddenly you've got the cheaper car available in the U.S.!

In reality, there won't be a substantial amount of these "loss leaders" produced. Ones that are built will have the optional A/C plus dealer installed options that drive the price up. It's the same situation that exists with the Honda Civic DX and LX models. Add A/C and stereo to a DX and the price meets or exceeds that of an LX, which has numerous additional features. The buyer's perception is that he/she is saving money, though.

It's a great way for Nissan to get free press and recognition. Smart move in this economy....just not for most consumers.

Many Americans want low cost, fuel efficient cars.

Kei cars are a special class of cars in Japan. They are limited to an engine size of 660cc and have vehicle size, but not weight, restrictions. They are made by many different Japanese car companies and they are mature designs that are reliable, and get up to 60 mpg. They can cost less than $10,000.

If these cars were converted to hybrids, they might get 100 mpg.

However, they can't be driven in the U.S. because they can't meet U.S. crash test requirements.

I believe that adding my crumple box invention to a Kei car will allow it to pass U.S. safety requirements. Then it could be driven in the U.S.

On my website I have calculations that show that my invention can reduce the g forces from side impacts from the current 85 g standard to only 20 g's.

The invention can do better for rear impacts because the rear bumper can stick out farther than a side bumper. The length of a crumple zone is a critical factor in reducing g forces.

Some American auto companies have ties to Kei car manufacture. They could make these cars.

Please help me promote this idea.

See my website www.safersmallcars.com

Jason,

The Civic DX plus A/C and stereo costs $16,155 and the LX starts at $17,355.

The consumer has to pay about $1,200 more for a LX, which is about 7.5% more for the following features: 16" wheels, power locks w/ auto lock, security system w/ remote, cruise control, auto up-down driver's window, body colored side mirrors, maplights, floormats and a sliding armrest. Even I think that it is well worth the $1,200. But for some consumers, the price difference is enough for them not to consider the LX.

Yes, the base Versa has no AC.
Yes, the base Versa has no radio.
Yes, the base Versa has less fancy trim.

But when you compare it to the price of other base cars at other auto makers, and look at it from the angle of a realistic person it's still a good deal. It will get you from point A to B with good fuel economy and it comes from a brand with better reviews than your GM or Hyundai models (which are still the same, if I am not mistaken). When having a reliable car is important and you don't exactly make a great hourly or yearly wage this vehicle is perfect. Besides, according to Nissan USA, you can spend 1000 more for the AC, have AM/FM/CD wiring and still get it at 10,990. As long as the wires are there I can get an XM shoved in the radio slot on my own time.

And yes, as one of the commenters said above, you will be hard pressed to find these cars on dealer lots, because Nissan and those dealerships all want in on the extra $695 destination charge.

Bought my versa, stripped, (no a/c, radio etc.)
mpg combined = 36mpg. 5-spd shift pattern
great. No radio, but speakers ant etc already
installed. Great for XM. If you are smart,
get a white one. Also have windows tinted.
You can trick it out with aftermarket stuff.
You can tweek up mpg but not really worth the
cost. I also installed trailer hitch. I haul
a bicycle rack and other times pull a small
trailer. I'm cheap, so you know how I feel
about this car. If you want more whistle and
bells, I'd buy a used '77 VW Diesel 5spd. and
install a turbo.

I think I bought the same car as badgeman except mine is silver. I commute over 65 miles a day, switching from my old jeep wrangler the gas savings alone will pay for the car. My jeep's a/c didn't work for the past 3years anway and everything in that car was manual...even w/ the sport package, i'm used to rolling down the windows in july and august. I plopped an aftermarket radio in for $100 (wire harness, speakers and antenna were already there) I think this is a great option for people who are willing to live without all the comforts, in exchange for living with in their means. WAY TO GO NISSAN!

Just bought the basic...had to drive 2 hours because the state of ohio didnt have any! it has the most interior room for its class, and has 6 airbags!!!!!!! Nissan wants to charge 480 for the radio, I am going after market. With cash for clunkers i just bought a brand new car with 25 miles on it for 6200!!!!!!

Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.

I got this car in super black stripped (1.6 Base Sedan) as well, as a gift. I didn't know it was the cheapest car. For a while I despised the car, envying civic, scion, or even sentra owners. I went to best buy. Put a radio/ gps that beats my fathers bmw 700. I'm adding some rims from tirerack. Now just need an engine swap. Any suggestions?

Il s'est avéré que la voiture est aux États-Unis est le moins cher. .

At this price, Nissan makes air conditioning optional, for $1,000. It’s standard on the other Versas, as well as on the 1.6 Versa with the automatic transmission. There are manual windows, as well.