The cost of owning a vehicle goes beyond the purchase price. Expenses like insurance and maintenance can add up.

But most of all, it must start life with a sticker price well below even the most affordable luxury cars. A low purchase price holds down insurance premiums, taxes and fees, financing costs, and, especially, depreciation.

That’s why the priciest car on our list of the Top 10 Least Expensive Cars to Own is the tenth ranked Honda Civic DX, which starts at just $15,010.

Click through for the list of Top Least Expensive Cars to Own.

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Kelley Blue Book has announced its picks for the Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000. To make the list, the editors at KBB.com thought like consumers, picking cars that they felt were safe, good in fuel-economy, interior size, comfort, technology and fun-to-drive.

Now remember just because a vehicle is listed first doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the cheapest or the coolest on the list. All cars on the list are considered cool and are under $18,000. They are just listed in alphabetical order.

All the cars on the list were chosen using Kelly Blue Book’s New Car Blue Book Value which reflects real transaction prices and provide a useful comparison to the MSRP of the car.

Let us know what you would buy in the comments section below.

Click through for press release and the list.

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If there is any automaker out there that knows its owners love to personalize and customize their cars, it’s Scion. In its new campaign called Scion Speak, Scion is helping owners design their own personal ‘coat of arms’ online. The coat of arms can then be painted onto a customers Scion.

Head over to Scion Speak to create your own coat of arms and download it to have it made into a window decal or have it painted on by an auto customizer. While creating your own and downloading is completely free, expect to pay a good amount to have a professional transfer them to your ride.

Source: Scion Speak (via InsideLine)

Scion sales reached a peak in 2006 with 175,000 units sold, however, sales last year declined to about 130,000. The brands sales have fallen year-on-year for 17 straight months now and Toyota is now considering expanding the product lineup over the next five years to build some sales volume.

According to Jack Hollis, Scion’s vice president, the brand’s lineup could go from the current three vehicles to as many as six.

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After showing us a teaser early March, Scion today revealed the new Hako Coupe Concept at the 2008 New York Auto Show. Inspired by the Scion xB, which is supposedly now considered ‘iconic,’ the Hako Coupe Concept is apparently influenced by the Japanese and American youth cultures.

Giving us a hint on whether the Hako Coupe will ever make it into production, Scion’s vice president Jack Hollis said, “We’ll listen to the feedback from this concept to help us determine how our brand could evolve and grow over the next five years.”

Okay Scion, you got us. What exactly is the point of this? Is this going to be a hybrid or something? Maybe then it would’ve caught our interest. Either way, we’re about as confused as Jack Hollis looks in this picture.

Click through for live images from the 2008 New York Auto Show and the press release.

Scion Hako Coupe Concept:

   

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As the curtains close on the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, get ready to start seeing previews from the upcoming 2008 New York Auto Show. And while we couldn’t make it to Geneva this year, we will be providing you live coverage of the New York Auto Show starting March 19th.

Scion today announced that it will be unveiling a new coupe concept at the 2008 New York Auto Show called the Hako Coupe. No details have been released on the Hako Coupe as of yet. Scion did say in the press release that the ’sporty interpretation of the box concept was developed by Tokyo Design Division which studied global, youth-inspired trends.’

Click through for the press release.

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Regardless of sticker price, cars that are rare, performance-minded, and fun to drive have the highest resale values industry-wide.

The 10 cars with the highest resale value share at least one thing in common, whether they cost $16,000 or $160,000: Most of them skew more toward fun than practicality.

The majority of vehicles on our previous ranking of the Top 10 Luxury Cars With the Highest Resale Value are the priciest, fastest, and least practical around. Opening up our new list to all cars — not just luxury vehicles — keeps a few pricey rides in play, but not as many as you might think.

Click through for the list of the Top 10 Vehicles with the Best Resale Value.

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As reported before, Scion is looking to add more models to its lineup. Ever since Scion was founded in 2003, it has stayed true to offering only three models. Well now Toyota is planning to use its influence in Subaru and may rebadge a Subaru Tribeca as Scion SUV to join the tC, xB and xA.

According Automotive News, a Japanese magazine shows a picture of a Scion “xTribeca” idea in its latest issue. A spy photo shows a Tribeca-like vehicle diguised for testing with a badge on the grille that resembles Scion’s.

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Wondering what the best car is for a family vacation, a college trip or tailgating? Check out Forbes list of the Top 10 Great Vehicles for Road Trips. The list was made keeping in mind where drivers and passengers are going, what they’re doing and how many will be on board.

Click through for the full list and images.

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Scion has announced the pricing for its new 2008 Scion tC. The 2008 Scion tC Spec, which lets tuners take a blank tC and modify it, starts at $15,300 for a manual and $16,100 for an automatic. The core 2008 Scion tC model starts at $17,000 for the manual and $17,800 for the automatic.

The 2008 Scion tC receives new styling with a new upper mesh grille, lattice lower grille, projector-type low beam headlights with black trim, and rear tail lights similar in style to the tC’s headlights with round combination lamps.

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Ever since Scion was founded in 2003, it has stayed true to offering only three models in its lineup. Scion originally came to life through Toyota’s Project Genesis after Toyota failed to appeal to young consumers in the United States. Having a main long-term goal of catering to Generation Y consumers, Scion insisted on offering three models to keep it simple.

But now, as sales are growing, Scion is looking to increase the number models in its line up. Steve Hagg, Scion’s corporate manager, told The Car Connection that Scion has ”to expand a bit,” adding that “We have to offer more products, (though) we want to remain small.”

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Looking for a cool new car under $18,000? Check out Kelly Blue Book’s list of Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000. In choosing the elite 10 Coolest Cars under $18,000, Kelly Blue Book’s ‘editorial staff used the same combination of objective and subjective criteria that many consumers use in examining this category. Safety, fuel economy, environmental impact, interior size, comfort and fun-to-drive were all items on the consideration list. And each vehicle was examined through the subjective magnifying glass of what is cool.’

Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000 Gallery:

   

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Images and information of the Scion xB and xD were leaked online late last night, ahead of the official launch at the Chicago Auto Show. The Scion xB has a 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 158 horsepower which is the same as the TC. The Scion xD will have a 1.8 liter 4-clyinder engine that produces 128 horsepower which is the same found in the Corolla and Matrix.

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