Clark Howard's Tips
May 26, 2008
People are buying sub-compacts vehicles like crazy these days. Clark loves to ride around in sub-compacts when he's overseas in Asia. Foreign markets are all about the economy of packing as many people into a vehicle as possible.
For example, Clark's Scion XB seats about 5 people over here, while 12 people will squeeze into the same vehicle over in Japan. Even high-end manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes are getting into the sub-compact market with their 1 Series and SmartCar brands, respectively.
Because of the sub-compact sales frenzy, you may now be able to buy one size larger for less than you would pay for a sub-compact. The fuel economy losses in going bigger may only be a couple hundred bucks a year.
Even Clark who is obsessed with dinky cars knows there's more comfort in compacts like a Toyota Corolla. While Clark has pre-ordered the SmartCar, he may still decide to go with a compact instead.
Dinky-mobiles deprecate at a faster rate than compact cars. Plus, the additional fuel economy they give may not offer you as much bang for your buck as you'd get by stealing a deal on a compact.
Consumer advice courtesy of
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