We finally bought a new car to replace our eight-year-old minivan, which was becoming less and less reliable and more expensive to fix.
Like the many reports I've read since Cash for Clunkers, we found that with incentives and low interest financing, it was cheaper to buy the new car we wanted than to buy a used model. We tried to save enough to buy it free and clear, but only made it about half-way.
One thing we didn't factor when trying to choose between vehicles was the cost of insurance. But insure.com's latest research about priciest and cheapest cars to insure served a reminder that cars cost far more than the price you negotiate at sale.
Here's a list of insurance rates for 2011 models. It's common sense, really. Safety-focused parents driving sturdy minivans are less of a risk to insure than someone driving a fancy sports car.
2011 vehicles with the lowest car insurance rates
Rank
Make
Model
