Back in May of 2006, I bought a new car, my Hyundai Elantra. Judi pointed out to me yesterday that we’re about to make our final $70 payment on the loan and then we will own it free and clear. That feels good.

I just saw something else that made me feel good about the purchase: Consumer Reports published their list of cars that “do the best job combining good performance and reliability with a low owner cost over the first five years.” Here’s their list of the top 5 economy cars:

1. Honda Civic EX
2. Honda Fit (base)
3. Hyundai Elantra SE
4. Toyota Corolla LE
5. Honda Civic Hybrid

I notice two things: 1) my car is in the top five, which validates my purchase and 2) all of the top five cars were among the ones I seriously considered, so I know I was on the right track.

I also looked at Kias and Saturns, which didn’t make the top five, but it feels good to know that an external source validates my findings. 🙂