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35 American Cars To Buy When the Auto Industry Is Back

35 American Cars To Buy When the Auto Industry Is Back

The coronavirus pandemic has laid waste to the global economy, and the American auto industry has not been immune. According to S&P Global Intelligence, global light-vehicle sales are expected to fall 22% in 2020 from 2019 levels.

In response to this sudden and dramatic drop in demand, automakers have begun rolling out significant deals to entice consumers to buy. GM, for example, is offering deals such as 0% financing for 84 months for well-qualified buyers on some models.

However, even with those types of incentives, demand is likely to remain depressed, at least over the short term, as more than 30 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment in just six weeks as of May 1, 2020.

If you’re looking for a vehicle in the midst of this crisis, you’re likely looking for something that is both well regarded and affordable, with a low cost to maintain. To help with this quest, GOBankingRates surveyed popular American vehicles in terms of affordability. Using data from U.S. News, GOBankingRates filtered out foreign-made vehicles and ranked the remaining American vehicles from the lowest to the highest five-year true cost to own.

Since cost and reliability are two of the most important factors in a car, it might be a good time to start taking a look at what kind of deals you can get for the cars on this list.

Last updated: Aug. 7, 2020

Chevrolet Sonic

  • Type of car: Small

  • 2020 style of vehicle: LS 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $38,530

Chevrolet Malibu

  • Type of car: Midsize

  • 2020 style of vehicle: L 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl Turbo CVT)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $41,499

Chevrolet Sonic

  • Type of car: Hatchback

  • 2020 style of vehicle: LT 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $41,606

Ford Fusion

  • Type of car: Midsize

  • 2020 style of vehicle: S 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $41,702

Ford Fusion Hybrid

  • Type of car: Hybrid/electric

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $41,882

Chevrolet Colorado

  • Type of car: Compact pickup truck

  • 2020 style of vehicle: 4dr Extended Cab SB (2.5L 4cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $42,136

Chevrolet Equinox

  • Type of car: Compact SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: L 4dr SUV (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $43,059

GMC Canyon

  • Type of car: Compact pickup truck

  • 2020 style of vehicle: 4dr Crew Cab SB (2.5L 4cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $43,539

Dodge Journey

  • Type of car: Midsize SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SE Value 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $44,677

Jeep Cherokee

  • Type of car: Compact SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: Latitude 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 9A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $45,994

Jeep Compass

  • Type of car: Compact SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: Latitude 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 9A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $46,168

Dodge Durango

  • Type of car: Midsize SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SXT 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 8A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $46,886

Chevrolet Camaro

  • Type of car: Sports

  • 2020 style of vehicle: 1LS 2dr Coupe (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $47,045

GMC Terrain

  • Type of car: Compact SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SL 4dr SUV (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 9A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $47,296

Ford Mustang

  • Type of car: Sports

  • 2020 style of vehicle: EcoBoost 2dr Coupe (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $47,923

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

  • Type of car: Full-size pickup truck

  • 2020 style of vehicle: Work Truck 2dr Regular Cab LB (4.3L 6cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $48,811

Dodge Charger

  • Type of car: Large

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SXT 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 8A0

  • 5-year true cost to own: $49,530

Ford Edge

  • Type of car: Midsize SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SE 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $50,191

Dodge Grand Caravan

  • Type of car: Minivan

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SE 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $50,540

GMC Sierra 1500

  • Type of car: Full-size pickup truck

  • 2020 style of vehicle: 2dr Regular Cab LB (4.3L 6cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $51,553

Pictured: 2020 GMC Sierra SLT

Chevrolet Impala

  • Type of car: Large

  • 2020 style of vehicle: LT 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $52,444

GMC Acadia

  • Type of car: Midsize SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SL 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 9A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $52,689

Chevrolet Traverse

  • Type of car: Midsize SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: LS 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 9A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $52,791

Ford F-150

  • Type of car: Full-size pickup truck

  • 2020 style of vehicle: XL 2dr Regular Cab 4WD 6.5 ft. SB (3.3L 6cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $54,402

Jeep Grand Cherokee

  • Type of car: Midsize SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: Laredo 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 8A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $54,972

Chrysler Pacifica

  • Type of car: Minivan

  • 2020 style of vehicle: Touring 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 9A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $57,088

Dodge Challenger

  • Type of car: Sports

  • 2020 style of vehicle: R/T 2dr Coupe (5.7L 8cyl 6M)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $57,797

Ford Escape

  • Type of car: Compact SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: Titanium 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $57,815

Chevrolet Tahoe

  • Type of car: Large SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: LS 4dr SUV (5.3L 8cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $59,323

Buick Enclave

  • Type of car: Midsize SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: Preferred 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 9A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $59,562

Chrysler 300

  • Type of car: Large

  • 2020 style of vehicle: S 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 8A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $61,790

GMC Yukon

  • Type of car: Large SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: SLE 4dr SUV (5.3L 8cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $63,868

Pictured: 2021 GMC Yukon XL Denali

Chevrolet Suburban

  • Type of car: Large SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: LS 4dr SUV (5.3L 8cyl 6A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $65,795

Ford Explorer

  • Type of car: Midsize SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: Limited 4dr SUV (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 10A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $67,291

Ford Expedition

  • Type of car: Large SUV

  • 2020 style of vehicle: XLT 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl Turbo 10A)

  • 5-year true cost to own: $74,903

More From GOBankingRates

Methodology: GOBankingRates, in order to find the best American cars to buy when the auto industry is back, referenced U.S. News: Best Car Rankings for 2020 report. Vehicle make had to be from an American company in order to qualify. From this report, GOBankingRates looked at all the ranking American brand cars across 11 separate categories. GOBankingRates used Edmunds Inc.’s True Cost to Own calculator to find the true five-year cost to own each 2020 model in its most basic style where data was available. GOBankingRates kept the location for the calculations constant, using the ZIP code 90245 (El Segundo, California). The Edmunds Inc. True Cost to Own calculations use the following assumptions:

  • You will drive 15,000 miles per year

  • You are financing the vehicle using traditional financing, not lease financing

  • You have an above-average credit rating for the purpose of determining your finance rate

  • You are making a 10% down payment on the vehicle at purchase

  • Your loan term is five years, or 60 months

All data was collected and is up to date as of May 7, 2020.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 35 American Cars To Buy When the Auto Industry Is Back