Nissan Versa For $9990? Wow!

The Nissan Versa is the smallest car from the popular Japanese automaker, but it now has one more claim to fame with it: it now has the lowest sticker price of any new car sold in America.

Late last month, Nissan announced that a stripped down version of the Versa would be made available sale beginning on November 18th, a car that will retail for just $9990 (plus $695 destination/handling charge). This move will price the base Versa some $3000 below the previously low price for the four door and make it even lower than previous low cost leader, the Hyundai Elantra, by some $1000.

No, with the Nissan Versa 1.6 you won’t see all the creature comforts of most any other car out there. Air-conditioning? Nope. Stereo system? Nada. Automatic transmission? You’ll have to pay extra for it. Bluetooth? I really do not know.

With a 1.6L I4 engine producing just 107 h.p. and paired with a five speed manual transmission, the Versa 1.6 has perhaps just one other attribute that buyers might crave: the car will get 26 mpg around town, but achieve an even more admirable 34 mpg on the highway.

Bringing the Versa 1.6 to market reverses a trend with major auto manufacturers — base cars that have long come fairly well equipped, offering all of the amenities that drivers want for one, low price. But, with the economy in the tank right now, Nissan is seizing an opportunity by providing a car that they believe will capture a portion of the car buying public, perhaps even pulling in used car buyers who would be attracted to the Nissan’s price.

Yes, the little Nissan is stripped, but with aftermarket parts added and some ingenuity on your part, the Nissan Versa 1.6 could be just the car you need. Besides, aren’t you already an advocate of 4/65 air-conditioning? That’s right — all four windows down and driving 65 mpg on the highway will cool you off in no time!