Cruise Back To School In These Cool Rides

For many families, back-to-school shopping goes beyond getting the right books, backpack and calculator to include something with a little more horsepower.

Whether parents or students are looking to buy new or used, choosing the right car can be a difficult process. With that in mind, Kelley Blue Book has released its list of the "Top 10 Back-to-School Cars" just in time for the start of the school year.

"This year especially, with 2009's tough economy and recent new-car-purchase stimulus programs like Cash for Clunkers, we're seeing abundant deals on great back-to-school cars," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's Web site. "Vehicles are better built and better equipped than ever before, and there are a variety of options available to suit the needs of any parent, and inevitably satisfy the wants of any teen."

Nerad noted it can be hard to pick out a car, especially when parents and their children are at odds with what they need versus what they want in a set of wheels.

"While features such as reliability, safety, affordability and practicality are important to any parent, how quickly their car accelerates and how cool it looks when cruising to the school football game are often bigger concerns for students," he said.

In putting together the list, which features five new cars and five used models, the editors took that into consideration, along with other factors like cost, dependability, safety and technology advancements.

Every new car making the list starts at under $18,000, while all the used cars can be had for less than $12,000. Kelley Blue Book chose the most-recent model year available that came in under that price, with 2005 as the earliest qualifying year.

The full list, broken down alphabetically for both new and used cars, is as follows:

New Cars:

• 2009 Ford Focus
• 2009 Honda Fit
• 2010 Kia Soul
• 2010 Mazda MAZDA3
• 2009 Nissan Cube

Used Cars:

• 2005 Chevrolet Silverado
• 2005 Ford Escape
• 2006 Honda Civic
• 2005 Scion xB
• 2007 Suzuki SX4