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Photo: Noah Devereaux/Wired
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It’s that time of year again when kids load their backpacks with rented textbooks, school-sanctioned laptops and iPhones crammed with podcasts of English Lit lectures. When your kid heads back to school, chances are they’ll need a way to get there.
While it would be great if every school system still ran bright yellow buses to every corner of the district and all colleges were near public transit, that’s not always the case. That’s why Kelley Blue Book released its yearly list of the best cars for going back to school.
Not surprisingly, their top five are pretty predictable. The 2006 Honda Civic tops the list, followed by the 2011 Ford Fiesta, 2010 Mazda3, 2008 Pontiac Vibe and 2010 Honda Fit. The slightly odder “Saabaru” 9-2X, the 2010 Kia Soul, 2006 Ford Crown Vic (huh?), 2008 Suzuki SX4 hatchback and the new Chevrolet Cruze round out the lineup.
It’s a nice list — the Crown Vic is the only Grandma hand-me-down — but most of the cars are compacts, and the newer ones are pretty pricey for the average family, especially after that first tuition bill arrives. That’s why we compiled our own list. If it proves that none of us are fit to be parents, so be it — but we assure you that we’d make some pretty fun uncles.
We know you’ll undoubtedly disagree with some or all of our choices. Not to worry — you’ll have your chance to sound off tomorrow.
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