Honda Civic DX Coupe
- Price: $16,555
- Gas mileage: 28 mpg city/39 mpg highway
- Five-year cost to maintain: $31,013
- Cost per mile: 41 cents
Receiving some updating for 2012, the Civic remains one of the better compacts on the road. Its 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine turns the front wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission as it is priced here.
Historically, Civic has offered something for everyone with its many configurations and versions. This is still true. There's even a natural-gas model. The DX is on the bottom rung of the Civic ladder. It comes with power windows, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, and little else in the way of creature comforts. It is the definition of "bare bones."