Top 8 Cars for New Grads

Is it time to buy a new car for your high school or college graduate? Penny-pinching grads need fuel efficient cars with great versatility and, of course, they want some style too. And although they’d probably rather get a sporty performance car, parents want a low price, even lower insurance costs, excellent safety ratings and real reliability. In addition, a new graduate’s car should be inspiring, no? I mean, this is the car they will probably drive all through college and maybe for the first decade of their working life.

So, this is a big decision for the whole family. As a mother of a high school student and as an auto journalist and road test reviewer, here are my top picks for your grad’s new ride.

2010 Kia Soul: Kia’s fun and funky Soul will make just about any grad happy with its truly hip design both inside and out and rather good performance. Plus, the Soul has earned five-star crash ratings. Base MSRP: $13,300

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2009 Hyundai Accent: Hyundai is on a roll by making high quality cars with lots of standard features, an outstanding warranty and excellent safety ratings. So, the inexpensive Accent is one of the best subcompact sedans for grads. Base MSRP: $9,970

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2009 Suzuki SX4: For those grads who will be driving in bad weather, the Suzuki SX4 is an all-wheel-drive hatchback sedan with a roomy interior, excellent performance, top safety ratings and standard navigation. Base MSRP: $13,299

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2009 Honda Civic: Young people have loved Honda Civic for decades now because this stylish sedan has it all: excellent reliability, performance, design and safety. Base MSRP: $14,810

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2009 Scion xB: Toyota’s Scion xB is perfect for the new grad with its funky modern design and outstanding performance, reliability and lots of cargo space. Base MSRP: $15,750

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2009 Mitsubishi Lancer: Mitsubishi’s Lancer sedan brings new grads a truly sporty drive along with great performance, design, quality and safety. Base MSRP: $14,540

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2009 Nissan Versa: Nissan’s subcompact Versa is one of the best new car buys on the market today and it still provides good performance, reliability and safety. Base MSRP: $9,990

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2009 Mazda MAZDA3: Mazda builds excellent cars, so its compact Mazda3 sedan is a good overall buy for edgy design both inside and out as well as kick ass performance, quality and safety. Base MSRP: $14,690

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Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif. Follow me! @sheryllalexande