But this time, mom and dad feel generous and want to buy a car to take back to the campus with him or her. Question is: What kind of car should they buy?

Known for its lists, Forbes.com once again has created another list of the best cars to buy.

The list was influenced by the car's price, with the editors keeping it to $28,000 and below. Other influences included safety features, the cost of insurance, the vehicle's performance in crash tests, quality or reliability surveys, the overall length of the vehicle for ease of parking  (for the limited campus space these days) and, of course, fuel economy.

The 15 cars include:

1. Hyundai Elantra -- Price: $15,895 (2007 Sedan)
2. Scion tC -- Price: $16,720.
3. Toyota Corolla -- Price: $16,820.
4. Jeep Compass -- Price: $17,035.
5. Kia Spectra -- Price: $17,995 (2007 Sedan).
6. Honda Civic -- Price: $18,355 (2007).
7. Chevrolet HHR -- Price: $18,590 (pictured).
   
8. Volkswagen Rabbit -- Price: $18,825.
9. Hyundai Tucson -- Price: $19,595 (2007).
10. Honda CR-V -- Price: $21,195 (2007).
11. Toyota Prius -- Price: $21,610.
12. Subaru Legacy -- Price: $22,140 (Sedan).
13. Subaru Forester -- Price: $22,640.
14. Hyundai Santa Fe -- Price: $22,995.
    
15. Audi A3 -- Price: $28,185.

Full details can be found above. Our take? It's interesting to see Korean automakers joining the normally Japanese-dominated list. And the A3 was definitely a surprise -- wouldn't it be more effective to put that much money into the children's college courses?