| We all have different things in mind when we're | | | | Here's a list of the cheapest 2005-2007 models on the |
| shopping for cars, but the basic theme is the same. | | | | market to give you an example of what it takes to |
| We want a car that's going to give us the | | | | keep high performance cost effective: |
| performance we want at a price we can afford. If it | | | | Four Door Mini Models |
| should happen to have great gas mileage and really | | | | 1) Hyundai Accent |
| cool features, that's just an added bonus. What we | | | | 2) Kia Rio |
| don't usually consider is whether our purchase is going | | | | Four Door Small Models |
| to keep our car insurance cheap. | | | | 1) Toyota Prius |
| Maybe it's time we did. | | | | 2) Honda Civic |
| Think about it for a moment. Let's say you purchase a | | | | 3) Honda Civic Hybrid |
| car for $12,000 from a secondhand dealer, and your | | | | 4) Saturn ION |
| car insurance provider decides it's going to cost you | | | | 5) Neon Versa |
| $125 a month to carry the insurance coverage you | | | | 6) Toyota Corolla |
| need to keep your lender from taking your car back. | | | | 7) Nissan Versa Hatchback |
| That's $1,500 a year! Most people keep their cars for | | | | Four Door Midsize Models |
| five to seven years, which means by the time you | | | | 1) Saturn Aura |
| decide to trade in your car you'll have paid $7,500 to | | | | 2) Hyundai Sonata |
| $10,500 in insurance alone. That's over 50% of what | | | | 3) Volkswagon Passat |
| you paid to buy the car in the first place! | | | | 4) Subaru Legacy 4WD |
| Because your insurance rates are going to have such | | | | 5) Honda Accord |
| a long term effect on your budget, it pays to do your | | | | 6) Honda Accord Hybrid |
| homework and find ways to keep your coverage | | | | 7) Mercury Milan |
| costs as low as possible. You could pump up your | | | | Two Door Mini Models |
| car's security features (car alarms don't cost that | | | | 1) Mini Cooper Convertible |
| much to install these days). You could start taking | | | | 2) Toyota Yaris |
| public transportation instead of driving to work. You | | | | Two Door Small Models |
| could drop your coverage levels to the bare minimum. | | | | 1) Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible |
| Or you could go shopping with car insurance in mind | | | | 2) Volkswagen New Beetle |
| and buy a car that's going to keep your car insurance | | | | 3) Chrysler PT Cruiser |
| cheap no matter where you decide to drive. | | | | 4) Saturn ION Quad Coupe |
| The Highway Loss Data Institute specializes in | | | | 5) Ford Focus |
| compiling statistics on cars, trucks and SUVs, | | | | Two Door Midsize Models |
| determining which cars have the highest number of | | | | 1) Toyota Camry Solara Convertible |
| claims every year and therefore are riskier to insure. | | | | 2) Toyota Camry Solara |
| Your insurance provider is going to look at their | | | | 3) Pontiac G6 |
| research and use their findings to determine how much | | | | 4) Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| it's going to cost you to insure your car! Cars that are | | | | Was your car on that list? If you drive a newer model |
| frequently stolen, vandalized or involved in accidents | | | | or an SUV, check the HLDI's information pages to see |
| are going to cost more to insure, while those that sit on | | | | what they have to say-and make sure the next time |
| the sidelines help keep your car insurance cheap. | | | | you're shopping at a used car lot you do it with this list |
| What does the HLDI have to say about your car? | | | | in hand. Your bank account will thank you! |