Joe Bruzek on the best new cars for $30,000 or less

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining us now. The managing editor director cars dot Com,
Joe Bruzg is here. Joe, welcome in, Thanks for being here.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thanks, you appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
So how do you feel about the president's position yesterday? Northeast?
You know, the economy's getting better, prices are coming down,
wages going up, and you know, I got to tell
you gasoline right now, buddy mine, just send me the
update on costco to forty three a gallon. But you
go look at beef. I think it's forty five dollars
an ounce for good stakes these days, it's pretty high.
But in the auto industry, we're going to be talking

(00:30):
about these thirty thousand dollars or less best new cars
out there. But where do you think we are economically
when it comes to the automotive industry.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, you know, the average price of a car right
now is around fifty thousand dollars, but you can still
get some really good cars for under thirty thousand. And
that's where we focus this list to find cars that
we would recommend for people who you know, need an
affordable car. And one of the surprising things about this

(00:59):
list is just that these aren't buckets of bolts like
these are actually really nice cars to drive. You can
get hybrid technology, you can get SUVs, So you know,
if you're on a budget, there are a lot of
great cars out there for under thirty thousand, packed with
features and technology and safety that we like to recommend.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
You know, you're right. I think you're right. It's not
a bucket of bolts. And I love that line because
you look at some of these smaller cars or cheaper cars,
and they've got the bells and whistles. That's some of
the bigger, more expensive vehicles have. So why don't we
start with the small cars first? Who's on your list
for the best compact car? And how much? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:37):
So, you know, we really like the Honda Civic. Now
it's going to start in the mid twenties, and that
gets you a really nice car for the money. You're
going to get like mid thirties fuel economy and it's rooming.
It's almost a class higher in interior quality. The Civic

(01:58):
is just a great option in sedan for the money.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Well, so what do you think separates the winners in
these categories, you know, from other similarly priced cars.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Well, we wanted to find cars that you could actually
find out there. You know, these aren't just basement priced
vehicles that there are only a couple in the country.
We really wanted to find cars that are out there,
yeah you could find. So we had a minimum threshold
of inventory that we see in dealerships and then also,
you know, the cars that we would recommend to our

(02:29):
friends and family, so our experts. When we were determining criteria,
we excluded cars that had known or crash test ratings.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Good good, good good. Let's talk about mid sized cars,
which one came in number one.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
So the Hondai Sonata is a really great pick for
under thirty thousand. It's a very comfortable car to drive,
and you know, it's a little bigger than the compact class.
But it's also good to know that when we talk
about compact or subcompact cars, they're actually quite sizable now,
so a mid size car is even a step above.

(03:04):
And you're getting good backseat room, good trunk space. The
Sonata also comes with some really great technology, including a
large touch screen. You know you're getting Apple car Play,
Android Auto standard safety features. It's a really stout package.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
All right. You know, the bigger car, the bigger price
tag for sure, you know, when you talk about big
trucks and you talk about big SUVs, but for under
thirty thousand dollars, what's the best suv out there?

Speaker 2 (03:29):
So there are a couple of different sizes SUVs under
thirty thousand, the subcompact class, we really like the Hyundai Kona.
And then in the compact class, you know, most compact
SUVs you're thinking Honda, CRV, Toyota ref FO. Well, the
one that comes in under thirty thousand is the Chevy Equinox.

(03:50):
And for under thirty thousand you're getting a heated steering wheel,
heated seats, and some really great safety technology as well.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
What do you see as far as quality and the
build of a car. You know, everybody has always said
Lexus bulletproof, you just change the oil, minimal, minimal maintenance,
you take care of. Honda's the same thing, Hyundai. I
keep hearing a lot more about that, and in fact
mentioned two vehicles on your list here. So what what
what about? You know, the Forwards and the Chevyes in
these categories, are they improving? You know their quality of craftsmanship?

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Well, I say, on our list, you know, we've got
the Toyota Corolla Toyota is really well known for reliability
and that continues to today. We've also got some Nissans
on our list, and you know, Nissan as a brand
has been doing better and reliability as well. And you know,
these are new cars, so they're all going to come

(04:45):
with a long warranty on the interior and powertrain. And
that longer warranty, you know, is something you're not really
going to get on a used car. So buying a
new car, you know, you're a bit more path did
from those issues, and you know you're getting that warranty.

(05:05):
You're getting these cars for under thirty thousand.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
Well, can you call me back and let me know
when we get an n F one fifty or Dodge
Ram for under thirty thousand dollars? Just wow? Yeah, I
love the big trucks in the room and everything. My gosh,
the price tag on those things, well I really appreciate that.
Oh my gosh, just crazy, right, Joe, Thank you so much, buddy.
I sure appreciate the information this morning. Very insightful.