2003 Mitsubishi Outlander Ls Sport Utility 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Only a few cars in America are selling for less than $20,000

Last week, data begin filtering into the blogosphere suggesting that $20,000 is no longer an adequate sum to park a nice late-model used vehicle in your driveway. Some numbers: in 2019, the average cost of a used vehicle in America stood at $23,351. Just four years later, that number rocketed to $34,491 in 2023. So you won't be surprised by the next piece of info, either. There are only three new vehicles in 2023 with an average transaction price less than $20,000: the Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Versa and Kia Rio. According to numbers we sourced from Truecar, last month the average buyer paid $17,099 for a new 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage. That represents a discount of a couple hundred bucks off the price listed on the car's window sticker. The next cheapest car on the list is the 2023 Nissan Versa. With an average transaction price of $17,597 the Versa joins the Mirage as the only cars selling for less than $18,000. Next is the 2023 Kia Rio, which, at $18,069 is actually selling for a few hundred dollars over sticker. And then there's the 2022 Nissan Sentra. Notice that's last year's model, meaning these Sentras have been sitting on the lot for a while, and they still managed to sell, on average, for $22,227 (around $218 under MSRP). Fourth on the list is even older, as leftover 2021 stock of Ford EcoSport crossovers had an average transaction price of $22,407 (that's around $1,600 off for a new but two-year-old car). Here are last month's top 10 cheapest vehicles, listed by average transaction price: 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage — $17,099 2023 Nissan Versa — $17,597 2023 Kia Rio — $18,069 2022 Nissan Sentra — 22,227 2021 Ford EcoSport — $22,407 2023 Subaru Impreza — $22,814 2023 Nissan Kicks — $23,061 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport — $23,490 2022 Ford EcoSport — $24,681 2023 Hyundai Elantra — $25,351 The first piece of advice we'd offer to prospective buyers looking for a decent car at a decent price is to take a good long look at the Subaru Impreza. It's a nice little machine that's a lot more rewarding to drive than anything on the list that's cheaper, and it boasts standard all-wheel drive, too. The 2023 Hyundai Elantra stands out on that list, too. Our second piece of advice is to consider something off this list of low-mileage used vehicles that we've highlighted as better options than anything you'll find new with a sticker that's less than $20,000. And considering the subject of this article, that means the Mitsubishi Mirage.

Renault to alert prosecutors about Carlos Ghosn's wedding costs

PARIS — Renault has found evidence that it paid part of Carlos Ghosn's wedding costs and is preparing to turn the investigation over to prosecutors, two weeks after the French carmaker's scandal-hit chairman and chief executive was forced out. An internal probe established that a 2016 sponsorship deal with the Chateau de Versailles included a 50,000 euro ($57,000) personal benefit to Ghosn, the carmaker said on Thursday, confirming a report in Le Figaro. The carmaker replaced Ghosn on Jan. 24, more than two months after his arrest in Japan over allegations of financial misconduct uncovered by Renault's Japanese affiliate Nissan, which he also chaired. Renault began its own examination of payments to Ghosn within days of his detention but had not flagged any irregularities until now. Renault has discovered that "Mr Ghosn was accorded a personal benefit valued at 50,000 euros under the terms of a sponsorship contract with the Chateau de Versailles," the company said in a statement on Thursday. "Renault has decided to bring these findings to the attention of the judicial authorities." The office of Ghosn's Japanese lawyer Motonari Otsuru did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ghosn remains in detention in Tokyo with limited opportunity to respond publicly to allegations against him. Renault had agreed before the wedding to sponsor 2.3 million euros of Versailles renovations in return for a credit granting the carmaker services from the chateau worth 25 percent of that amount, or 575,000 euros, a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Le Figaro reported that the chateau allowed Ghosn to host his wedding reception on its grounds in exchange for Renault's donations to the Versailles estate, resplendent home to France's last kings. The rental fee was deducted from Renault's credit for use of the Grand Trianon at Versailles on Oct. 8, 2016, when Ghosn and his second wife Carole hosted their wedding reception at the 17th-century palace, the source said. The event had already attracted public attention for its opulence and Marie Antoinette-themed costumes. The Renault board was informed about the discovery on Wednesday, as reported by Le Figaro, the source added. Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Mitsubishi Nissan Renault renault-nissan

Carlos Ghosn video: 'This is about conspiracy. This is about backstabbing'

TOKYO — Nissan's former Chairman Carlos Ghosn maintained his innocence in a video released by his legal team Tuesday and accused some executives at the Japanese automaker of a "conspiracy" that led to his arrest on financial misconduct allegations. "The first message is that I'm innocent," said Ghosn, wearing a white shirt and dark jacket and speaking calmly in the nearly 10-minute video shown at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Tokyo. "This is a conspiracy," he said. "This is not about specific events, this is not about, again, greed, this is not about dictatorship. This is about a plot. This is about conspiracy. This is about backstabbing." His lawyer Junichiro Hironaka said the video was prepared in case Ghosn was not able to speak at a news conference planned for Thursday. Ghosn was arrested last week while out on bail and remains at the Tokyo Detention Center. Ghosn said the executives behind the conspiracy were motivated by what he called "selfish fears," including what they saw as a merger with French alliance partner Renault SA. They mistook his leadership for greed and dictatorship, when he was the biggest defender of Nissan's autonomy, Ghosn said. He also said he was worried about Nissan, wondering whether those executives were really watching out for the company. Hironaka said a section of the video in which Ghosn mentioned names was removed on his legal advice. Nissan Motor Co., while declining to comment on the criminal case, has said an internal investigation has found that Ghosn falsified financial documents to under-report compensation, and that he used Nissan money for personal gain. "Nissan's internal investigation has uncovered substantial evidence of blatantly unethical conduct," company spokesman Nicholas Maxfield said when asked for comment on Ghosn's video. "The company's focus remains on addressing weaknesses in governance that enabled this misconduct." Ghosn's fourth arrest was on a fresh breach of trust allegation based on suspicion that payments from a Nissan subsidiary to an Oman dealership were diverted to a company effectively run by Ghosn. On Monday, Nissan Motor Co. shareholders voted to oust Ghosn from its board and to approve the appointment of French alliance partner Renault SA's Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard as Ghosn's replacement. Renault owns 43 percent of Nissan.