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Kiplinger's 2009 Auto Buying Guide
Search by price category, type of vehicle or manufacturer, then use the sorting
arrows at the top of each column to rank by miles per gallon, resale value, and more.
Not enough information? Click on any vehicle for a complete data sheet. Kiplinger's
2009 winners are denoted with a red star (
).
Top safety picks are denoted with a blue star (
). All transmissions are automatic unless denoted "manual".
How to Use Our Rankings
See all Sedans $25,000-$30,000
Sedans $25,000-$30,000
Make/Model
|
Suggested retail price
|
Dealer cost
|
New Car Blue Book Value
|
Service cost (5 yr.)
|
Insurance cost (1 yr.)
|
Resale value (3 yr.)
|
Horse- power
|
MPG city/hwy.
|
Cargo Room (Cu. ft.)
|
| Acura TSX 4dr (manual) | $29,720 | $27,398 | $28,828 | $2,770 | $1,533 | 58% | 201 | 20/28P | 12.6 |
| Buick Lucerne CX 4dr | 29,180 | 27,617 | 28,888 | 3,077 | 1,412 | 41 | 227 | 17/26F | 17.0 |
| Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid 4dr | 25,345 | 23,987 | 20,760 | 2,748 | 1,489 | 48 | 164 | 26/34H | 15.1 |
| Dodge Challenger R/T 2dr | 30,545 | 28,343 | 29,995 | 4,326 | 2,129 | 51 | 372 | 16/25 | 16.2 |
| Dodge Charger SXT 4dr | 26,210 | 24,409 | NA | 3,909 | 1,576 | 43 | 250 | 17/25 | 16.2 |
| Ford Taurus SEL 4dr | 26,250 | 24,158 | 24,883 | 3,636 | 1,344 | 42 | 263 | 18/28 | 21.2 |
| Honda Accord EX V6 4dr | 27,125 | 24,651 | 24,426 | 2,992 | 1,489 | 56 | 271 | 19/29 | 14.0 |
| Hyundai Azera GLS 4dr | 25,695 | 24,447 | 25,053 | 3,777 | 1,576 | 36 | 234 | 18/26 | 16.6 |
| Hyundai Sonata Limited V6 4dr | 27,245 | 25,504 | 26,836 | 3,617 | 1,705 | 38 | 249 | 19/29 | 16.3 |
| Mazda6 s Grand Touring 4dr | 28,930 | 26,769 | 28,641 | 3,864 | 1,705 | 42 | 272 | 17/25 | 16.6 |
| Mercury Sable 4dr | 25,250 | 23,283 | 24,214 | 3,636 | 1,344 | 43 | 260 | 18/28 | 21.2 |
| Nissan Altima 3.5 SE 4dr | 26,375 | 24,495 | 26,111 | NA | NA | 57 | 270 | 19/26 | 15.3 |
| Nissan Altima Hybrid 4dr | 27,345 | 25,671 | 27,072 | NA | NA | 58 | 158 | 35/33H | 10.1 |
| Pontiac G8 4dr | 27,995 | 26,493 | 26,875 | 3,022 | 1,814 | 50 | 256 | 17/25 | 17.5 |
| Saab 9-3 2.0T Sport 4dr (manual) | 29,610 | 28,385 | 29,462 | 3,046 | 1,448 | 41 | 210 | 19/27P | 15.0 |
| Saturn Aura Hybrid 4dr | 26,665 | 24,974 | 25,198 | 2,763 | 1,489 | 47 | 164 | 26/34H | 13.1 |
| Saturn Aura XR V6 4dr | 27,575 | 25,825 | 26,058 | 2,831 | 1,489 | 44 | 252 | 17/26 | 14.9 |
| Subaru Impreza WRX AWD 4dr (manual) | 25,660 | 24,282 | NA | 4,244 | 2,680 | 57 | 265 | 18/25P | 11.3 |
| Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited AWD 4dr | 25,660 | 24,105 | 24,890 | 4,214 | 1,489 | 50 | 175 | 20/26 | 11.4 |
| Toyota Avalon XL 4dr | 28,565 | 25,598 | 27,994 | 3,122 | 1,576 | 47 | 268 | 19/28 | 14.4 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid 4dr | 26,870 | 24,254 | 26,870 | 2,893 | 1,576 | 59 | 147 | 33/34H | 10.6 |
| Volkswagen CC Sport 4dr (manual) | 27,480 | 25,655 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 200 | 21/31P | 13.0 |
| Volkswagen GLI 2.0T 4dr (manual) | 25,240 | 23,578 | 25,240 | 3,007 | 1,972 | 55 | 200 | 21/31P | 16.0 |
| Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr | 28,990 | 27,126 | 28,410 | 3,117 | 1,489 | 48 | 200 | 19/29P | 14.2 |
| Volvo C30 R-Design 2dr hatch (manual) | 26,775 | 25,218 | 26,775 | 3,445 | 1,448 | 53 | 227 | 19/28 | 20.2 |
NA - Information not available. e - Estimate. P - Premium gasoline. D - Diesel fuel. F - Flex-fuel vehicle. H - Hybrid vehicle. SOURCES - Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com (new vehicle data); Vincentric (service and insurance costs).
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