2012 Smart fortwo pure coupe
- Price: $12,490
- Gas mileage: 34 mpg city/38 mpg highway
- Five-year cost to maintain: $27,632
- Cost per mile: 37 cents
By Edmunds.com's reckoning, the Smart fortwo coupe is the cheapest car to own over a five-year period. It is also the only car that makes the Scion iQ look big. The iQ is more than a foot longer than the Smart fortwo. A car for the city, the Smart fortwo uses a 70-horsepower 1-liter three-cylinder rear-mounted engine for propulsion. A five-speed, driver-shiftable automatic sends engine production to the rear wheels.
Standard equipment doesn't include very much. Power door locks and remote keyless entry are about the extent of creature comforts. It also comes with two speakers, but bring your own stereo receiver -- that's extra.