Just days after Nissan announced the price on its 2009 Nissan Versa 1.6 model, Hyundai has responded by dropping the price on its lowest priced car, the Accent, to just $9970.

There is some good news for college students and their families who are looking for a car. Earlier this month, we reported that the Nissan Versa 1.6 was now the cheapest priced car in America, thanks to a special cost cutting effort on behalf of Nissan Motors. For the first time in years, a sub-$10K new car is now available and it isn’t even being built in China.

But, the news doesn’t stop there — Korean automaker, Hyundai, who previously had the lowest cost car in America before the Hyundai announcement, has responded by dropping the price on its entry level Accent three-door hatchback to just $9970, some twenty dollars less than Nissan.

Even better than its low price, J.D. Power & Associates, a consumer research company, has said that the Accent is the most dependable sub-compact on the market.

Unlike some base models, Hyundai has included a number of the amenities drivers want in their cars including a 1.6-litre, 110-horsepower engine, power steering, advanced front airbags, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, roof-mounted curtain airbags, tire pressure monitoring system, front variable intermittent wipers, 60/40 split fold-down seatback, six-way adjustable driver seat, adjustable head restraints for all seating positions and rear spoiler.

All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by The Hyundai Advantage, where buyers are protected by a 10-year/100,000-mile power train warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, a 7-year/unlimited-mile anti-perforation warranty and 5-year/unlimited-mile roadside assistance protection.

The Hyundai Accent GS delivers competitive fuel economy too, 27 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. Buyers wanting an automatic transmission will pay extra, but receive 26 mpg city and 35 mpg highway according to 2009 EPA estimates.

Adv. – If you’re shopping for an auto loan, you’ll want to compare offers and find the auto protection you need to ensure that your investment lasts for many years.

Tags: autos, car buying, cars, Hyundai Accent, new car, Nissan Versa

With 2008 halfway over, SayCampusLife has published over 200 articles since we launched this site in December 2007. Your interest in what we have to share with you as well as your valuable input has helped us reach the point where we find ourselves today — a valuable source of information for college bound and matriculated students.

Quite a few of our articles have been very well received, information that has been picked up by wire services or linked to from other websites and blogs. There are too many to mention individually, but the following half dozen are among the highlight articles for the first half of 2008:

College Newspapers: A Dying Breed? — The fourth estate has long played an important part in shaping our nation. Free press on college campuses has done their part as well, but their very existence is threatened. Yes, some colleges no longer support an independent voice working on behalf of students, a change that has been picking up pace over the last few years.

Columbia Prof In Plagiarism Scandal –  Sadly, plagiarism continues to be a problem on many college campuses, no less frustrating then the occasional scandal involving a faculty member. Unfortunately, Columbia University, hasn’t done all that they can do to nip this problem in the bud, preferring to retain the services of one professor whose antics are nothing short of a disgrace.

Putting the Accent on Hyundai — We launched a new feature for this site, Campus Cars, earlier in the year to help students and their parents navigate the various small car offerings available to them. Understanding that some students need transportation while living on or near campus, we feature from time to time economical and fuel efficient cars that appeal to most college families.

The 19 Year-Old College Professor — Alia Sabur isn’t your typical on-campus 19 year old. Most people her age are in their first or second year of college, but Sabur finds herself in her first year of teaching as a college professor. The daughter of Iranian immigrants was a gifted student while quite young, therefore her parents accelerated her education to bring her to where she is today — teaching at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea.

Is There A Serial Killer Stalking College Men? — A pattern of mysterious deaths across our nation’s college campuses is turning up a chilling similarity — were as many as 40 men killed over several years time the victim of one or more people who did them harm? Some law enforcers do not see a pattern, while two New York detectives say that the “Smiley Face” killers are on the loose and hunting for their next victims.

Free Tuition Colleges Really Do Exist! — That’s right, there are a handful of colleges where tuition is covered and not just for the academically or athletically gifted student. With elite schools now charging just shy of $200,000 for four years of school, parents are desperately seeking alternative schooling options for their adult children. We cover those schools which take the pain out of higher education.

SayCampusLife extends a hearty “Happy Fourth of July!” to all of our readers and invite you to bookmark this site and subscribe to an RSS feed to keep up with the many interesting topics we plan to cover over the coming months.

Tags: Alia Sabur, Campus Cars, college newspapers, Columbia University, free tuition, Hyundai Accent, Recap, serial killer