Looking for a car priced at around 5 grand? Here, you will find a selection of models that would not only look in a fancy way, but also won’t deal huge blows to your bank account. Plus to that, $5000 is a sum for which you can purchase cars of all sorts. Need an SUV? No problem at all! Want to find a city car? Here you go, there’s quite a lot of these priced under 5 grand. Below is a subjective list of the best cars for under $5000.

1. Chevrolet Aveo

   Chevrolet Aveo

   What? Are you kidding me? We sort of understand these voices of surprise. But, yes, GM have put out such a car. This automaker, mostly known for pickup trucks (like Suburban) and the notorious Corvette, has quite successfully produced a city car. Having 5 grand up your sleeve will let you become an owner of a 2005 Chevy. Although it does not remind its elderly brothers at all, Aveo is still a nicely-looking car (the body was designed by the famous Giorgio Guigiaro, guy known to have designed Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and the notable DeLorean from Back to the Future.) It is relatively large inside (does not remind the old box-like interiors that were so much a part of small cars decades back,) offers decent amount of headroom and the space in the trunk seems enough and capable to take up your weekly shopping easily. Plus to that, the dashboard is organized in a very logical way. All the buttons are located where you’d be certainly looking for them. And if you look over the Web, these people-movers get quite decent ratings as far as their reliability is concerned. Quite a nice thing if you remember that it’s a budget car only. Any downsides? Lack of any prestige and poor acceleration. But, do any city cars have that?

Featured engine: gasoline 1.6 (109 HP) – in fact, there’s not much choice as the guys at GM decided that Aveo would be fitted with one engine only.

2. Ford Focus MK1

   Ford Focus MK1

   If all you got in your pocket is $5000 and want a car with great handling, Focus appears to be one of the best options. This compact car has won the hearts of both Europeans (it won the 1999 Car of The Year contest) and Americans alike. No wonder, as Focus ranks truly well not only in terms of handling, but also the design. Despite the fact that it was designed in the mid-90s, the way it looks is still fresh. The car scores points for its being comfortable and offering quite a decent MPG ratio. Plus to that, the availability of spare parts for the Focus is really good. The only problem is rust. As a matter of fact, it’s hard to spot a Focus without spots of rust here and there. However, it’s relatively cheap to get rid of it and you can use it as a basis for price negotiation

Featured engine: 2.0 and 2.3. Re the 2.0 engine – be sure to stay away from the 2.0SPI variant (fitted in sedans only.) It has got a very well known issue of dropping valve seats. Other variants of 2.0 and 2.3 are really good and fun to drive.

3. Honda CR-V

   Honda CR-V

   You may be surprised that we include a crossover in our rating. Yet, this model is so much of a great value for money that excluding it would be a serious mistake. Honda CR-V of the second generation offers lots of space inside the passenger compartment so it could make a great choice for a large family. Also, even though it is not a real all-wheel drive car, you can consider buying it if you live in an area that is sometimes hard to reach. At the same time, the CR-V is widely known as a safe and easy-to-drive vehicle. And just one more thing – don’t forget it is based on the Civic, one of the most reliable and infallible cars ever made. The crossover follows in the footsteps of the elderly brother, too. If you just look into any cars’ reliability ranking, you will see the CRV occupying one of the top spots.

Featured engine: unfortunately, there’s not that much choice, as the CR-V was fitted with 2.4 only. The good news is the engine is fitted in Honda Civic and Honda Accord which makes spare parts cheap and widely available. Fortunately, CR-V owners don’t need these that often.

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for another part of the Best Cars for Under $5000 series. We will present some picks from the middle segment, vans, as well as some true-blue SUVs.