Cheap Cars That Are Perfect for College Students

What makes for a great college car ? There ’s the obvious – tawdry , dependable , dependable – but we all know there ’s much , much more to it than that .

The ideal college gondola can get a little dirty , should someone dead experience nauseous in the back seat . The ideal college car should have seemly cargo blank with which to accommodate tailgating , encampment , and schlepping to and from home . It should fly far , far under the radio detection and ranging of every law enforcement officeholder within a 30 mile radius of campus . And it should be cool .

Is there one unmarried fomite that typify the ultimate college auto ? believably not , but here are 10 that come middling damn close-fitting .

Classic VW Beetle

Flickr/Philip Bragg

Mazda MX-5 Miata

Price:$3,000-$6,000 for an old oneNewMiatas are n’t exactly expensive , and older Miatas can be downrightaffordable . OK , so the freight space is virtually non - existing , but on the insolent side , the same can be said about the back seat . Every time your friends ask for a drive somewhere , " Sorry , no back seat , " will sound that much sweeter . Add in that Miatas are n’t precisely public enemy numero uno for local jurisprudence enforcement , and you ’ve got a damn ok college car . fillip : college is basically the last clock time you’re able to get away with puns about go braless in your elevator car .

Jeep Wrangler

Price : Starting at $ 4,000This is a no - brainer . Grab an oldie but a goodie , verify it ’s got vinyl seats and a rubberized coating on the floor , and you ’re honorable to go no matterwhatshenanigans go on inside . There ’s quite maybe no swell vehicle to have at the beach and look on the Lord’s Day rise on another day of saltation recess .

Nissan Leaf

Price:$29,910 ( but with killer deals correct now)An electric car ? Forcollege ? Well , yeah . Zero down and $ 200 / monthmake that a fairly obvious choice . It ’s reliable , and great for drive around town … even if youwon’t be taking it on any road trips . bear in mind you , this only really works if you live somewhere with bountiful charging stations , though at many college campuses today , EV charging is useable for barren with a parking permit .

Ford Fiesta

Price:$14,090 ( groundwork ) to $ 20,970 ( ST)The Fiesta starts at just over $ 14,000 , which is considerably less than out - of - state tutelage . In hatchback form , it fulfil every standard of route trip worthiness , and if you spring for the Fiesta ST ( just over $ 20k ) , you have a auto that ’s legitimately fun to drive , too – so much so that buy a new railcar might not be the first thing you do after you get thatrealjob .

Toyota 4Runner

monetary value : Starting at $ 2,000Older 4Runners are dirt cheap today , and they also bet good dirty . If you ’ve catch ta park a fomite outside for a few year , that ’s a serious broker to consider . you may take them just about anywhere , and their hardness is nearly insure : the first couplet generations of 4Runners were basically SUV version of thelegendarily indestructible Hiluxpickup .

Chevrolet Cruz

Price:$16,975Forty mi per gallon is n’t exactly high-risk . Neither is the availability of Apple CarPlay and 4 G LTE in a compact motorcar . chuck out in folding rearward seats and you have a authentic route - trip - able motorcar that ’ll last longer than your school ’s foreland football game coach , in all likelihood .

Volkswagen Beetle

Price : get at $ 3,000Driving a classic in college is always a cool agency to go , and if you ’re gon na be in a classic , the Beetle is A ) fabulously easy to keep run , and B ) one of the all clock time great go - almost - anywhere cars .

Pontiac Aztek

Leontyne Price : begin at $ 1,500Hear me out on this one . The Aztek is nearly universally panned asone of the bad vehicles evermade , sometimes even beatingthe ill-famed Edsel . The thing is , it was in reality made with the purpose of supporting the kind of active lifestyle that stool it everlasting for college – you’re able to definitelycamp out of the backof it . Besides , it ’ll never really mislay note value , since it ’s already pretty far down the totem terminal as is .

Toyota Prius

cost : Starting at $ 4,000Is a Prius exciting ? Um . Not exactly . But it ’s dependable even if you buy an older one , it ’s cheap , and it evidently has great fuel thriftiness , which all add up to a o.k. college motorcar . The 5th doorway really helps in the freight department , too .

Mustang (Fox Body Hatchback)

Price : Starting at $ 3,500I’m not gon na lie – Mustangs of a certain old age do lean to appeal the attention of law enforcement , and they certainly do n’t have got a candle to the reliability of a truly modern railcar . Still , you may successfully move an entire academic year ’s Charles Frederick Worth of belonging in an old Mustang hatchback , and they ’re inimitably cool , and plenty of playfulness .