2011 Nissan Versa pricing will stay low for the rest of the year!

It can be pretty expensive having a car in a city like Chicago.  Nissan Altima, Honda Accord, Chevy Malibu, you name it.  There’s insurance, parking permits, and parking tickets on the street, which are inevitable no matter how careful you are; unless, maybe, you buy a parking space, which might run you upwards of $20,000.  That’s right.  And $20,000, it doesn’t take a calculator to figure out that’s more than the cost of buying some vehicles.  In fact, it’s twice as much as the lowest priced model on the scale: the 2011 Versa 1.6 base made by Nissan.  Chicago driving and parking and living is expensive, but Nissan says buying some new cars doesn’t have to be.    

The Versa 1.6 base’s starting price of $9,960 will last throughout the model year, and perhaps even better news, the Versa was named the least expensive car to own by Car and Driver during a three-year ownership window, taking into account MSRP, insurance, and fueling.  This means those folks who want to live in Chicago and own a car but don’t have a lot of dough to spend won’t have to go combing through lot after lot of used cars.  Lake County or one of the other ritzy suburbs up north might even one day be a destination for those Versa buyers who are able to save on new car costs.

So what about this Nissan Versa 1.6 base model?  Well, it’s an entry-level sedan with a 1.6-liter engine, 107 horsepower and 111 lb-ft of torque.  It’s much more suited to the slight grades of Chicago and the Midwest than a place like, oh, San Francisco.  As for safety features, which are being more and more valued over substance after the sticking brake pedals of last winter, unfortunately with the Versa 1.6 base you’ll have to pay extra.  While standard on all the 1.8 trim levels, antilock brakes only come as optional on the 1.6 base.  If you’ve seen the way cab drivers dart in and out traffic on Clark Street or Ashland you will want to strongly consider it.

And as for substance, there are no power locks, power mirrors, or power windows, and how about also no light in the trunk or glove box.  Maybe this last thing won’t matter a great deal, since it’s highly improbable you’ll have to dig out your insurance or anything for being pulled over speeding in the Versa 1.6 base.  But still, overall the Versa is a cheap, fuel-efficient (around 26/34 mpg) little car that seems best suited for younger folks interested in city living but not interested in used cars.  Lake County living, on the other hand, well that’s a whole other story.