With your experience in pairing people up with the right rides at the right price, I'd love to see a piece dedicated to the pros and cons of these car buying services.

Camry's won't short circuit because they're grounded to the ground!

Tom, I have an idea for an article for you, maybe something that would interest others. What is your take on the Costco Car Buying program? Good deal? Bad deal?

Each time I see a Venza or a Crosstour I think they're not getting the attention they should. Nothing groundbreaking in either car, but like most Hondas and Toyotas, they do everything well enough for 99% of the market.

You could also add the Camry, but they're already pretty grounded to the ground.

I believe from a marketing and design standpoint, Mercedes-Benz has reached the ideal. Chevrolet, aside from the bowtie and a few loosely connected design elements doesn't have a consistent theme across all lines. Look at a Volt, a Corvette and a Tahoe. Remove the bowtie and your knowledge of the brand and you have…

This was technically my first car. The engine was toast before I could put mile one on it. Not horrible looking for the time and they were as decent as any Honda on the inside.

Very cool, though not a wonderful design.

Yeah, I think you missed my point.

We still owe some thanks to the old DaimlerChrylser, without whom we may never have Mopar's return to awesome.

Crossover = jacked up wagon with optional AWD

Or leave it stock and remain relatively inconspicuous.

Um, yeah. That's not plastic.

Take a look back at the last 40 years or so of Mercedes-Benz design. They all kind of look alike in their respective generations. There's still more design variation here than at BMW or Audi among the production models.

Not sure I'm picking up what you're putting down. One's a really sweet ride, the other is a BMW.

The teenager inside of me wants more horsepower than is practical. The adult in me asks, "What good is all of that horsepower if it can't be used?"

Which car is cooler is partly subjective, but also a part of public opinion. Maybe in an alternate universe the Toyota Camry is actually cool. :)

Some good points in here, for sure. However, as a blanket statement this is utterly flawed. Instead perhaps temper this advice with some more logic. Maybe even consider that not everyone values money the same. A new car purchase is rarely ever an "investment" so to refer to it in those terms is silly and irresponsible…

I'm not in the Twilight demographic, as such I am not afflicted by this reference. I suggest that you base your car decisions on what you like, versus what you see in the movies.

Depending on where you live, there are plenty of non-rust bucket models from which to choose. Expand your search beyond the rustbelt.