USED CARS - Economy Cars Reviews

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USED CARS - Economy Cars Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	USED CARS - Economy Cars Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Edmunds.com	Editors Most Wanted Vehicles for 2006 Editors of Edmunds.com Nov. 2005		Every year the editors of Edmunds.com extensively test the current models and choose their personal favorites. While there is no specific category for compact or economy cars, a large number of candidates fall into the category of sedans. The winner for 2006 is the Mazda3, with an honorable mention going to the Honda Civic, as well. The reviews at Edmunds are very extensive and well-written.
2. Motor Trend >> Details/Subscribe	Motor Trend Announces 2006 Car of the Year Editors of Motor Trend Nov. 2005		Each year the staff of Motor Trend magazine chooses a vehicle as car of the year, and among the automotive industry this has become a very prestigious honor. For 2006, the rating goes to the Honda Civic among economy cars. Motor Trend editors commend the Civic for its contemporary styling and innovative technology. According to Motor Trend, the car of the year "represents exceptional value, superiority in its class, and the most significant development on the new car scene for 2006." The Honda Civic beat out 27 other new car models for “car of the year” title.
3. Car and Driver >> Details/Subscribe	Comparison Test Review: $15,000 Cheap Skates John Phillips and Aaron Kiley May 2006		Car and Driver takes seven compact and subcompact cars (under $15,000) for a drive around the greater area of Ohio to see which economy car leads the pack. Coming in with a top rating is the 2007 Honda Fit. Editors enjoy the incredible handling of the vehicle and also comment on the pickup of the Fit and its spaciousness. The reviews are knowledgeable, well-written and crafted with a sense of humor (in addition to car facts, each review gives a paragraph of information on a US President).
4. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Top Picks for 2006 Editors of Consumer Reports Apr. 2006		Consumer Reports ranks its top picks for 2006 in ten different categories. There are two things that Consumer Reports does very well in rating their review list. First, they take into account aspects of the vehicles that most reviews leave out, such as crash protection and durability. Also, the cars are all tested anonymously, so there's no need to worry about the car that's being tested having different qualities than the one at any dealership.
5. Cars.com	Research section Editors of Cars.com Not Dated		Few reviewers are more thorough than Cars.com. This site has everything that a prospective buyer could possibly imagine when it comes to investigating a new vehicle. There is at least one review for every new car listed, and there are more specs than the average car buyer could ever deem necessary. A "best bet" section includes recommendations in various price classes. The Honda Civic is deemed the best overall compact car. Runners up include the Ford Focus, Mazda3, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe and Hyundai Sonata. The Subaru Impreza is said to have the "broadest appeal" among compact cars.
6. Car and Driver >> Details/Subscribe	10 Best Cars: Best Sports Compact Editors of Car and Driver Jan 2006		Car and Driver has been conducting an annual "10 Best" contest for well over 20 years, and the automotive industry listens to what the magazine has to say. An impressive part of this is the fact that Car and Driver is one of the few reviewers that actually has a specialized sub-division for compact cars. Chosen largely because of its responsiveness, the 2006 winner at Car and Driver is the Audi A3 2.0T. The one negative point of the vehicle, according to the reviewer, is its price (*est. $24,740 to $33,980), which enters the realm of the near-luxury sedan.

USED CARS - Economy Cars Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	USED CARS - Economy Cars Ratings Comments on Reviews

7. ForbesAutos.com	Top 10 Best-Designed Vehicles Bengt Halverson Mar. 2006		Forbes Autos offers its choice of the ten best-designed vehicles on the market today, with some help from some of the most respected automotive design instructors in the world. Coming in at the top of the list is the 2006 Mini Cooper. The design has been around since 2002, and yet it still gains the top spot. According to Forbes, "It's clear that the public has been charmed by the combination of its retro shape and contemporary functionality…." While this article was interesting, it simply didn't give enough information about the vehicles to be one of the best.
8. Money Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Best Cars 2006 Lawrence Ulrich Feb. 2006		Money Magazine annually publishes their choices for the best cars of the year. This year they have chosen the Mazda3 as the top rated small car. According to the review, the Mazda3 is "practical and easy on gas, but also stylish and fun to drive." The problem with this review is that it doesn't give a lot of detail as to why any particular car was chosen.
9. Kiplinger.com >> Details/Subscribe	2006 Car Buyer's Guide Editors of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Nov. 2005		In an attempt to help people better invest their money, Kiplinger's Personal Finance has put together a list of cars in a number of categories including best new car, best in class, more fuel efficient, etc. Taking the honors as best new car this year is the 2006 Honda Civic. While Kiplinger's gives a reasonable amount of statistics about the cars, they really don't give a true review of the vehicles, making it difficult to understand their choices.
10. Autobytel.com	2006 Editors' Choice Awards Editors of Autobytel.com Not Dated		The editors of Autobytel.com clearly state that they are recommending the top picks for the average car buyer and not the hardcore car enthusiast. They offer opinions and information that they would give to friends and family looking for car advice. Performance, value, design and quality figure into their evaluation. The Autobytel.com choice for car of the year is the 2006 Honda Civic, which is praised in all categories: "When a fun-to-drive car combines safety, fuel economy, space, refinement, and reliability into a single package, it's easy to select it as our Car of the Year, and those characteristics perfectly summarize the 2006 Honda Civic." In addition to being the car of the year, the Civic is also chosen as the best new small car.

USED CARS - Economy Cars Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	USED CARS - Economy Cars Ratings Comments on Reviews

11. Cars Direct	New Compact Car Buying Guide Editors of Cars Direct Not Dated		The editors of Cars Direct offer a very extensive buying guide for anyone interested in purchasing a compact car. This guide gives some suggestions on what to look for, as well as examples of some representative vehicles. In addition, there is a listing of the 2006 compact cars, along with various stats and ratings for the vehicles, including 0 to 60 acceleration, passenger space, safety features, comfort and convenience, mpg and MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price). This is a helpful guide for experienced buyers and could be a great primer for new car buyers.
12. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety	Crash tests of small cars & minivans Editors of IIHS Apr. 2006		The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety tested a number of small cars for safety features, reporting the results in the form of a news release. The big winner of the test was the Subaru Impreza, which receives a gold award for crashworthiness ratings. The Impreza is notably the second small car to ever win the IIHS top safety pick award. According to the IIHS, these cars "represent an elite fraction of the car market."
13. FuelEconomy.gov	Most and Least Fuel Efficient Vehicles (ranked by city MPG) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency As of May 2006		It seems that the price of fuel is rising almost daily, which makes this comparison chart of fuel-efficiency an increasingly important piece of information for prospective car buyers. Conveniently, there is a section for compact cars. The rating of most fuel-efficient vehicle in this category goes to the Civic Hybrid, which is ranked at 49 mpg city and 51 mpg highway. The least efficient compact is the Bentley Continental GT, which gets 12 mpg city and 19 mpg highway.
14. AutoWeb.Com	Top Ten Car Center Editors of Autoweb.com As of May 2006		Autoweb lists the top ten cars of 2006 based simply on the amount of traffic those cars have recieved from visitors to Autoweb.com. There are links on this list to read reviews and learn a little more about the cars, but they are not very helpful. The main purpose of this site is to sell cars, and it is very busy with various offers and advertisements, to the point of being irritating.