In this thread, a couple of people refer to a BMW Series 3 as an “average” car. That kind of caught my attention, because I had always equated BMWs with luxury cars.
Looked it up, and see the Series 3 goes for somewhere between $30-40K. So I guess it does fit within my definition of an “average-priced” car - albeit towards the upper end of that category. When I think of an average car, I think more along the lines of a Taurus or a Camry, which probably goes for $10K less.
So I ask you, what in your mind is an “average” car? While you’re at it, what qualifies a car as “economical” or “luxury”?
I’d probably say an “average” car costs between $20-40K.
BMW 3-series are not average cars. I had one until I wrecked it and my wife still has one. The are not average not only because they are fairly expensive but also because they are high performance and require special mechanics and $$$$ to fix. They aren’t just regular family sedans that you can take down to the Jiffy-Lube for service and they don’t drive like it either.
Average cars are the regular Honda and Toyota sedans. I would also include all the generic cars of any brand. Those are the ones you see going down the highway in a pack and you can’t easily tell the make or model of any of them
Yeah, I originally was going to cap it at 30k, but I thought that I ought to go a little higher. And I wasn’t sure how many cars were significantly cheaper than $20k. One of my 2 cars is a Toyota Matrix, that I think we paid $17K for 5 years ago, and while I consider that price fair and affordable, I sure don’t think of that as a “cheap” car. I mean, it is dependable, somewhat stylish, has AC, CD player, power doors and windows, etc.
Was thinking my lower estimate reflected my age. When I was a kid in Chicago in the 60s and 70s, there really wasn’t much in the lines of “luxury” cars. Everyone drove Fords, Chevys and Dodges. Someone with a really sweet ride would have a 225, a Chrysler Imperial, or the top - Caddy.
Cheap cars were Pintos, Vegas, VWs - and later - Hondas and Datsuns.
But it seems as tho things have changed - and/or I have moved to a higher rent district - such that the general idea of an “average” car seems to have gotten pricier. I often get the impression that folks think of Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Mercedes, and others as average, middle-class cars, and tend to look down on such things as the average domestic mid-sized. And folks have gotten so that they expect a far greater degree of comfort and luxury in their cars, rather than just simple transportation.
I always regard “average” cars as anything that’s not a premium marque of an otherwise “average” company. Pretty much any Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, GM, Toyota, or Honda. SUV’s and pickups aren’t average, despite the quantity of them (still vastly outnumbered by cars). But to be truly average, they can’t be starter-class cars (read: cheap); they’ve at least got to be EPA midsized or larger (C-D class cars).
According to my google search, the average price paid for a new car in America is about $28K. I agree with most of the suggestions made in this thread about models. Now we have a price to go with it.
Another thing to consider is how old the car is. You could drive nothing but 10-year-old BMWs, and still pay less over time than someone who gets new Camrys ever few years.
I guess I’m incredibly below average, since I’ve never spent more than $6K on a car.
The Mazda6 is not marketed as a performance car? Mazda would beg to differ. Their entire brand image and fundamental philosophy is based on the connection between car and driver, and it’s not just some goofy marketing gimmick either. I’ve driven every car in the Mazda lineup and they all have a special quality, a soulfulness to them that is absent in other Japanese cars. I own a Mazda3 and it destroys the Civic/Corolla/Sentra trio in any test that involves moving or being looked at. The interior ergonomics and design quality are also more refined and spirited than anything from Honda, Toyota, or Nissan. Best of all, they do it all at an incredible value. For the money, you won’t find a more spirited performance car than a Mazda. They have always built cars for the budget-minded driving enthusiast, and are anything but “average”, but trying to describe why is impossible. You just have to drive one. I’ve owned many cars, but my Mazda is the only one I can truly say I’ve genuinely loved liked a friend.
The Chevy Malibu isn’t marketed as a luxury car? Perhaps you haven’t seen the current model. For the money, you won’t find a better luxury sedan than this. Until this thing came out, I would never have set foot in a Chevy showroom, but I most certainly would not be ashamed to own a new Malibu today. I have driven one and it is far nicer than the Accord and Camry in virtually every way, unless your top priority in a car purchase decision is resale value and degree of blandness. Honda and Toyota take that trophy home year after year. The new Malibu is absolutely stunning and I am so glad to see GM finally making a midsizer that is garnering so much attention and praise, and which is infinitely better-looking than the Accord and Camry.
I wouldn’t consider either of those cars average, but I’m guessing from your mention of the Cavalier that you haven’t assessed the car market recently … the Cavalier was replaced by the Cobalt nearly four years ago, and it too was quite a bit of an improvement over the agreeably average Cavalier. Methinks your notions of “average” are a few years out of date.
Funny, but when I asked this question of a co-worker, the one nmodel he offered as an inexpensive car was his dad’s relatively new Malibu - which surprised me somewhat.
Just did a little checking at Edmunds. Simply counted the cars listed in various categories - sedan, crossover, and SUV. In these 3 categories:
<$15K: 69 cars
$15-25K: 145 cars
$25-35K: 117 cars
>$35K: 115 cars
For each category, the greatest number of offerings were in the $15-25K range.
How would you interpret thse numbers? I’d probably say:
inexpensive: <$15K
average: $15-30K
expensive: >$30K
Another thought, just because a maker such as BMW says a model like the Series 3 ranges from $30-40K, doesn’t mean you can go to a lot and find your choice of $30K baseline models. If BMW is anything like every other manufacturer I have ever dealt with, I would bet you would find primarily/only mid-range and luxury models with various bundled “extras,” such that the effective price range would be more like $35-40K.
I have not. I was scared off by the one I rented when I came out to Pittsburgh I think last March. The steering on it made my childhood plastic sled look pretty good. The rental car people told me when I complained that that was common in Malibus of that model year (I assume it was an 06 or 07). Have they fixed that? It did well and truly suck, trying to negotiate a small, tight hotel parking lot in something with a turning radius normally associated with ocean liners…
You’re right.
I have not assessed the car market in about the last four years, since I got my car four years ago, and it has been behaving itself.
That said, I don’t think an “average car” is necessarily brand new. I think of someone who drives an “average car” as someone who hangs onto their car for at least 3-5 years. Some of those people might well still have a Cavalier or non-luxury Malibu.
They certainly haven’t “always” done that. Go back ten years and every Mazda except the RX-7 was a run-of-the-mill econobox with the same lifeless steering and drivetrain as a Corolla or Sentra. The Civic was always a much better-handling car.
Hmm, not so sure about that. I think even the Protege was for more “performance-minded” individuals when it came to small car buyers. The Miata is definitely for people who care more about handling than getting from point A to point B. And, sadly, at least in the US, there were no new RX7s being sold as of 10 years ago. They stopped importing them 13 years ago.
I rented one in Toluca last September – it was an '07. My only complaint was the power sucked, and if you drive in Mexico, it’s essential to have power. On the other hand, it averaged about 31 mpg. Personally, though, I preferred the antepenultimate version of the Malibu, m’self.
