10 Coolest Cars for Less Than $18,000

The Volkswagen Jetta a cool car? Should we get our chunky shoes out of the attic and tie flannels around our waists again? Donna Martin graduated almost two full decades ago, but her car made the leap from Beverly Hills 90210 nostalgia to CW 90210 efficiency and reliability. Its nearly 30 combined miles per gallon, 200-horsepower engine, keyless access, push-button start, 15.5 cubic feet of trunk space, heated front seats, three feet of rear legroom, tech-laden steering wheel and touchscreen entertainment and information console with Bluetooth, HD Radio, navigation and MP3 player hookups makes for a much more cushy ride than the gang at West Beverly ever got. With stability control, anti-lock brakes and a crash response system that unlocks the doors, cuts power to the fuel pump and throws on the hazard lights, it's a much safer ride to the Peach Pit as well.

9. 2012 Scion IQ
MSRP: $16,020

This car is small, but since when hasn't that been a cool thing? Baby boomers drove the Volkswagen Beetle into American cultural iconography while Gen Xers took the Mini Cooper from a punch line in an Austin Powers movie to a pint-sized powerhouse that made every trip to the convenience store a chase scene from The Italian Job. Toyota's(TM) Scion IQ is Smart small without that car's big price tag. Sure, you're packed into 74 cubic feet of passenger space and have only 3.5 cubic feet in the trunk when the rear seats are up, but that combined 36.5 miles per gallon, seven-color palate, Pioneer audio system with Bluetooth and HD Radio and myriad safety features make this microcompact more cozy than cramped.

8. 2012 Kia Soul
MSRP: $14,400