Cars you can buy for under $20k
Finding a car for under $20,000 with air conditioning and automatic used to be a tough challenge but thanks to today’s economic environment it seems automobile manufacturers are primed to cut prices to move some product.
A lot of vehicles in Canada come with a sticker price of under $20,000 but if you’ve ever been through a car-buying process you know by the time the paperwork is signed, you’ve added taxes, destination charges, administration fees and probably a few options the actual cost has risen more than 25 to 30 per cent over the sticker price.
Manufacturers have always offered different incentives and promotions that either add options for little to no cost or reduce the price of the vehicle.
Those promotions and incentives can vary across the country along with the MSRP of the vehicle, but in Toronto there are a handful of cars that can be had for under $20,000 without the aid of incentives or cash back offers.
The Nissan Versa sedan doesn’t currently have an incentive attached to it and out the door including taxes, fees and adding automatic transmission and air conditioning (a $2,800 option) costs $18,784.
The a few Hyundai Accent trim levels could also be had for under $20,000 including all taxes and fees without any incentives but a current promotion that reduces the sticker price of the Accent by $3,600 means five different trim levels can be driven off the lot for less than $20,000. In this case, the three-door GL, for $17,278, is fairly basic including features like power locks and windows while the Accent GLS four-door sedan would run you $19,820 and includes ABS and heated seats.
The slightly larger Elantra GL also comes in just shy of $20,000 thanks to a $3,500 discount.
It isn’t just small economy cars that have an all in price of under $20,000. Some deep price cuts to the Ford Ranger and GMC Sierra Regular Cab 2×4 have put both of them our $20,000 out the door with auto and air benchmark. The Ranger’s regular sticker price would put it well over $20,000 but a $3,000 promotion and the ability to opt for an “economy package” that reduces the price by a further $1,350 allows automatic transmission and air conditioning to be added while still making our budget. Price with taxes and delivery comes to $19,169 with a six-foot box.
The Sierra Regular Cab 4×2 comes with automatic transmission and a sticker price of $23,900 but a huge price reduction of $8,000 allows air conditioning to be added and after including destination and taxes just sneaks under our limit and checks in at $19,869.
GM beats out Hyundai by having the most vehicles that meet our criteria. Hyundai has six vehicles in its lineup, five being Accents and the remaining one an Elentra while GM boasts seven vehicles that can be driven off the lot for under $20,000.
It also wins the prize for having the most variety. Along with the Sierra, GM is offering its Chevrolet Uplander and Pontiac Montana for $18,558 and $19,038 respectively. Both include a V6 automatic transmission, air conditioning and seating for seven.
What makes them particularly unique is they are the only minivans available for under $20,000.
The Chevrolet Colbalt, both sedan and coupe, barely make it into our group coming in at $19,518 but aside from the Hyundai Elantra, they are the only vehicles that approach a mid-size car and don’t feel as small on the road thanks to their heavier weight and bigger engine.
Under the GM umbrella, the Chevrolet Aveo5 LT and Aveo Sedan LT are available with all the trimmings we required for $18,503 and $18,729 respectively and the Pontiac G3 Wave SE and Wave SE Sedan are priced at $19,741 and $19,967 – all thanks to heavy discounting on GM’s part.
Suzuki and Dodge round out the list of manufacturers who are currently offering a vehicle with automatic transmission and air conditioning for an out-the-door price of under $20,000.
Normally neither manufacturer’s vehicles would qualify but Suzuki is currently offering the SX4 base trim model for a sticker price of $14,995. Adding an automatic transmission, taxes and delivery brings it to $19,764. Dodge’s Calibre SXT is currently being discounted by $2,000 and a current promotion offers buyers a choice of options when they buy, one of them being an additional $2,000 off the purchase price giving the Calibre and off-the-lot price of $18,662.
The price of a car is generally negotiable in most dealerships so there are a few vehicles that aren’t on this list, but only by about $100. The PT Cruiser and Ford Focus S just missed this list, for example. Many manufacturers change their promotions on a monthly basis. Look on their Web sites for a link labeled “tools” where you can usually find a sub link labeled “current offers.”
