Auto-buyers have lost all brand loyalty when they go to purchase a new vehicle, according to CNW Research.

Historically, it was almost a given that people would buy the brand they were already driving. Yet only one in five shoppers this past year replaced a vehicle with the same brand they previously had in their driveway. This is an unprecedented development.

Our loyalty to a particular nameplate has been broken. People want the best deal and the best vehicle for their money. This has been a disastrous development for auto marketers. The Detroit newspapers report that manufacturers are putting the blame on their ad agencies and firing them. But the real problem is that the market is too competitive and the quality of vehicles too good.

That's turned us into free agents with shifting allegiances. Our free agency puts continuing pressure on manufacturers to keep delivering quality vehicles at affordable prices.

But remember, you must be a non-emotional shopper and do your homework. Follow our step-by-step guide for tips. And be sure to consider multiple models from multiple brands to suss out the best deal.

The Cash for Clunkers program has already spawned its fair share of potential rip-offs online.

Unofficial websites are masquerading as the official Cash for Clunkers portal, according to an Associated Press report. These bogus sites will solicit personal information such as your Social Security number for supposed pre-registration…and then turn around and use it to steal your identity or money.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar, Cash for Clunkers is a new federal program offering rebates of up to $4,500 for trade-ins when you purchase a newer fuel-efficient vehicle.

The "cash for clunkers" program is taking form and promises rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 for trade-ins when you purchase a newer fuel-efficient vehicle.

The effective date for the program -- officially known as the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) -- has not yet been set. But Clark expects it to be sometime toward the end of July or the beginning of August. There should be a 2-month buying opportunity through October.

Let's say you start from a baseline of 18 mpg on your current vehicle. If the new car you intend to buy gets 22 mpg or more, then you'd get the $3,500 voucher toward the purchase.

Please note that participating dealers will apply this taxpayer-subsidized credit directly to your purchase.

You're only eligible for the full $4,500 voucher if your next purchase gives you at least 10 mpg more than your old vehicle.

Meanwhile, there's a lower threshold for SUVs and trucks. You'll get the $3,500 voucher if your new vehicle get 2 mpg or higher. If it gets 5 mpg or more, you then get the $4,500 voucher.

The vehicle you're trading in has to be drivable and the dealer has to agree to crush it. There are also several rules to prevent abuse of the program. For example, the car you're dumping has to have been registered and insured continuously for at least 12 months prior.

Other countries that have experience with similar programs saw an immediate big increase in sales as a direct result of the program. That's the hope for the American auto market too.

Remember, of course, that there are still some great deals on vehicles available regardless of the "cash for clunkers" program. The more shopping you do, the better the price you will get. See Clark's tips for buying a new car.

The deals on new cars are undeniably amazing because of vast oversupply. But has Clark's recent overwhelming enthusiasm about buying new left you exasperated with the consumer champ?

It's as if "Used Car Guy" is betraying his roots. Whatever happened to his advice to ride your old car until the wheels fall off?

Well, here's a rebuttal that may please you. AAA reports that the true annual expense of owning and operating a car is $7,800, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal. This figure takes into account insurance, gas, maintenance, interest, depreciation and other factors.

The real cost of buying a new vehicle comes when you take a huge hit on depreciation during the first few years of ownership. But that loss in value decreases each year until you're eventually practically driving for free.

So the math remains lousy if you buy a car and keep it for a short cycle. And it's even worse if you lease a car.

It appears certain that General Motors is going bankrupt. The government was hoping to keep GM afloat with a private workout, but they're running out of time and it's unlikely that will happen now. Since we've already sent them over 30 billion in bailout money, the question remains as to who will assume control of the bankrupt company -- the government or the debt-holders. Either way, stock holders and bond holders will lose.

What if you own a GM or Chrysler car? The good news is the feds have agreed to back the existing warrantees for both, as well as the dealers' extended-service contracts. The bad news: some of you who traded in a car that still had an outstanding loan may face a problem. Dealers who are going bankrupt are not always paying off the loan on your old car as agreed. Unfortunately, that leaves you responsible to pay off both loans, even though you traded it in.

Another problem with these dealer closings is loss of your service records. Warrantee agreements rely on these records to determine whether owners are doing the required recommended maintenance. Without them, claims can't be processed.

What does this mean for you? In this market, Clark advises you to not to trade in a car that still has a loan. Also: if you don't have all your service records -- and your dealer is still in business -- go to the dealership, request copies of all your records and file those away. On the plus side, if you're a buyer, inventory overstock will allow you to steal a deal! But you'll need to buy with the intent of keeping the car a long time -- ten years or so -- since your car will have little to no value in the used-car market.

RIP-OFF ALERT: In the wake of this season's hurricanes, you can expect to see flood cars deluging the auto market, according to Money magazine.

Here's the bottom-line: Dishonest people take flood vehicles into certain states where they can "wash" a car's title. That action removes any evidence that the vehicle was ever in a flood. Cars with "washed" titles can then be sold to any dealership across the country that either doesn't know or doesn't care that they're buying a flood vehicle.

To the naked eye, there's no telling that anything is amiss. But you'll know you've got a flood car when you encounter failed electrical systems throughout the vehicle.

So what can you do to protect yourself? Have any potential used auto purchase carefully vetted by a mechanic of your choosing. Know that most car dealers are honest, but it never hurts to be safe. Get it inspected by a mechanic as a condition of purchase.

Clark often gets calls from people who wonder if extended warranties on cars are worth it. Though he's not a fan of them, extended auto warranties can make sense in some instances.

Now Clark is getting calls from people being offered a unique kind of extended vehicle warranty that seems to be a real bargain. They're told they can purchase the warranty, and then if they never use it, they'll get back the money they paid. Turns out it's just a ruse.

The Kansas City Star reports there is a lawsuit concerning the sale of these money-back warranties that's been going on for 6 years! The plaintiffs, obviously, are having difficulty getting their money back. The court has now ruled that the warranty company should give the money back but…surprise…the company has since filed for bankruptcy. Good luck getting your money back!

Here's the lay of the land when it comes to cash-back warranties: The warranty companies market directly to dealers and get them to sell their warranties -- instead of a manufacturer's own -- at huge profit margins to both parties. But the warranty company itself doesn't even have enough underwriting to pay for repairs. They just collect money with no intention of paying it back out. Then they do what's called a "bust-out," which is essentially like filing for bankruptcy, and disappear with their share.

The end result is that you as a consumer are stuck holding a worthless warranty. So don't believe the claim that you'll get your money back at the end. If you do buy a car warranty, you want to be sure it is the manufacturer's own. Otherwise, it only has a marketing company backing it up, and it isn't worth the cost of the paper it's written on.

Clark wants to share a brand-new trend in the car market that affects the mass affluent automobile crowd.

Historically, only a small sliver of Americans would buy a luxury brand. Then Lexus changed the psychology completely with its late '80s entry into the market. They targeted the aspirational wealthy -- those who have a little more money than most people, but are not yet truly wealthy.

Lexus' entry into the marketplace was followed by rival Acura, which also adopted the business model of selling both moderate-level and entry-level luxury cars. That move then prompted BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes to bring some of their comparative models into the American market. All these factors combined to create a true mass affluent car marketplace.

But right now, the mass affluent folks no longer have the income they once had. Their HELOCs are being shut off and their investments are plummeting. The result? They're not buying any longer. This creates real opportunity, especially for used luxury and near-luxury cars that are being returned at the end of a lease. There's way too much supply. This is a real sweet spot in the market right now.

Meanwhile, Toyota has a new offer of 0% financing that seems poised to take advantage of GM's cash troubles. The Japanese automaker is cash-rich while the American nameplate is in a real cash squeeze. There's no way GM could afford to do an offer of 0% financing. This highlights a real split in the marketplace as some brands can offer the great financing deals and others can't.

Sales trends in the car market often move with the price of gasoline. As the latter has sunk, so has demand for small cars. Pity the poor automakers; they just got production up to meet increased demand and now there's a reversal in people's tastes!

The flip side, of course, is that the oversupply means deals may abound on small vehicles right now. Clark always wants you to zig when others zag. The average American could really benefit from better fuel efficiency, so this represents a real window of opportunity.

Financing from the American automakers may be hit or miss. GMAC is tightening up on credit by raising its borrower score requirement to a minimum of 700. That move reverses the industry's historical bias toward lending to customers that other businesses won't. Ford, however, confirms it's still loaning and leasing cars freely. So the chances are there to get a real deal on some smaller American cars.

The bigger news, however, is that the Japanese automakers also have oversupply of small cars in most categories except hybrids. No worry there, though; small cars typically offer much better payback than hybrids. Look for Honda to buck that truism next year with a new line of affordable hybrids.

In related news, The Washington Post reports that auto arson rates have doubled as people seek to collect insurance money. There's even a term in the insurance industry for someone who torches their own car -- "owner give-ups." With owner give-ups under increased scrutiny, you'll be suspected as a possible criminal even if you have a legitimate car fire.

Car sales are at their worst level since 1993, with sales down 27% in the month of September. We've known for awhile that American automakers have been hurting, but the latest figures show that even Japanese automakers are ailing. Toyota's sales are down 32%; Honda is down 34%; and Nissan is down 37%

There are 2 main reasons behind the death spiral in the auto business. First, we've lost confidence in the economy and are afraid to spend money on big purchases. Second, even if you wanted to buy a car right now, many banks won't write loans because of the tightening of credit markets. That should work itself out as the behind-the-scenes credit markets thaw out and more money starts flowing again.

One tip -- try your local credit union if you are looking for an auto loan.

Suffering sales means that this is a great time to buy if you're able. The news about the slowdown hitting Japanese automakers means that you may be able to steal a deal on some coveted foreign nameplates. Of course, the best opportunity is always to buy used, especially if you're looking for a luxury model.

In related news, Clark reveals that he's sold his natural gas car, the Honda Civic GX. He credits T. Boone Pickens with raising awareness about natural gas vehicles, allowing him to capitalize on the market scarcity by putting his up for auction online. Clark sold it on eBay for far more than he paid for it a year ago. Now he drives his old standby Scion XB!

CLARKONOMICS: The Vehicle Affordability Index now shows that cars are the most affordable they've been since Jimmy Carter was president.

That's partly because of the intense competition in the car market that makes new vehicles a real deal at this point.

To arrive at this finding, researchers took the average income and figured out how many weeks you'd have to work to equal the average cost of a vehicle. The result? 23 weeks of work.

But here's the disturbing news: We're snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. First off, the average length of a loan is now 63 months, which is way too long. Second, repossessions have skyrocketed at all levels of car purchases -- partly because of the economic downturn.

42 months is the longest auto loan you should ever take out, according to Clark. If you can't afford the payment on a 42-month loan, then you need to buy a cheaper car. Paying cash upfront for a vehicle is always a good idea too.

Meanwhile, the price of used vehicles is down because there's too much supply. CarMax is among the major used-car sellers that's really taken it on the chin. So in addition to the great deals on new vehicles, there's never been a better time to buy a used car either. As always, remember to get a mechanic to carefully vet any used car before you actually buy it.

In related news, Clark recently read that an SUV purchased today will be worth a mere 30 cents on the dollar in 36 months. That's food for thought!

Over the last few weeks, we've received hundreds of calls from people who wonder whether they should ditch their old gas-guzzling SUV/truck and buy a newer fuel-efficient vehicle to save money.

Clark usually says that it doesn't make sense to do so. But that's just general advice without looking at the numbers.

If you want to get really granular, Smart Money has a new interactive tool that features 11 variable fields where you can enter your trade-in value, gas mileage, daily driving distance, etc. The tool calculates how long it takes to start getting payback.

You may not like the answer you get. Sometimes the only way to make it work is to buy a used gas-sipper. In this respect, cars from Hyundai and Kia tend to depreciate much quicker than those from Honda and Toyota.

And if you're stumped on your trade-in value, know that Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book and others haven't stayed current with SUV/truck values. So deduct about 25% from whatever they say.

The car market continues to take a beating, with the latest blow coming from a horrible sales month in June. Fitch Ratings, meanwhile, has downgraded Chrysler and GM -- citing weak sales and rising fuel costs, among other things.

Ford is also struggling with collapsed sales. The F1 Series is falling further down the list, and Ford is delaying a new remake because they can't sell the old ones.

In short, any automaker that has had a heavy emphasis on unloved giant trucks and SUVs is hurting right now.

So what's a Big 3 automaker to do? Well, in the case of GM, they're offering sweeping rebates and great buying opportunities. Look for 0% interest on a 6-year loan and possible additional cash rebates.

Clark doesn't even like 5-year loans…and here they're pushing 6-year ones!

But here's the bottom line: If you are in the market for a new SUV or pickup truck, there's never been a better moment to buy one. You're also likely to steal great deals if you're looking at used vehicles.

One caveat: As Clark has mentioned before, you should try to get it in writing that your Chrysler warranty will be honored no matter what.

The car business continues its downward spiral. New figures for March show that GM and Chrysler are down 20% and Ford is down 14%, year over year. Ready for the stunner? After defying slowdown, Toyota now is down 10%. Honda is the only of the Big 5 automakers that emerged flat but unscathed. Be on the lookout for deals!

One word about Chrylser, but Clark wants to preface this by saying he's hasn't heard or read anything to substantiate his beliefs, nor is he trying to kill business at Chrysler dealerships. He's just concerned because the company was recently taken private and is being run by non-automotive people. So should the company go belly-up, he fears the owners might just shrug their shoulders and move on to managing other assets in their handsomely diversified portfolio. Chrysler dealers might want to get assurances from corporate that warranties will be honored even if the company goes bust. Again, Clark has no inside knowledge about whether Chrysler is ailing or not. He's just thinking ahead about possible future scenarios.

Finally, if you like fancy cars, this is a good time. Porsche sales are down 26% and Lexus is down around 20%. The theory that the rich would continue buying status automobiles through the lean times has proven false. And keep in mind that cash is king at the dealerships as loans become harder to get.

There's great news for your wallet coming to a car lot near you. Automakers have been trying hard to scale back production to get supply and demand in sync. But it's not working; demand is dropping quicker than they can cut back production. There's simply too much product out there. Couple that with the fact that repossessions are skyrocketing and the housing slump is cutting into people's car budgets -- it all adds up to a perfect storm for the savvy car shopper. The Wall Street Journal reports that domestic, Japanese and European automakers are all offering great deals such as 0% or 1% financing and big rebates.

Edmunds.com will keep you up to date with the latest incentives. Keep in mind that sometimes a credit union car loan at 5% with loads of cash back from the manufacturer is a smarter move than an offer of 0% financing from the dealership with no cash back. So arrange your financing in advance, know the market and avoid "the grind" at the dealership. Start pricing vehicles at CarsDirect.com. They'll give you a fixed price that you can use as a reference point. You may even find that their price is the best. Surprisingly, people love the Internet for researching cars, but they always go to the dealership and face "the grind" when they want to seal the deal. Old habits die hard.

Your car is the second most expensive purchase you're likely to make after your home. So people often ask about which vehicles hold their value best after 5 years. To answer that question, Kelley Blue Book has just released its 2008 Best Resale Value Awards tally.

The winner is Volkswagen, which is making a comeback after some recent big losses. VWs keep just under half their value after a 60-month cycle. The other brands that round out the Top 10 are BMW, Acura, Honda, Porsche, Subaru, Lexus, Infiniti, Audi and Toyota.

On the other end of the spectrum, the worst brand to hold value has been singled out as Suzuki. With Suzukis, you only get about a quarter back for every dollar after 5 years. Other cars that really stink when it comes to holding value include Kia, GMC, Mercury, Dodge, Chrysler, Lincoln, Jeep, Ford and Jaguar.

On a related note, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says that the Subaru Impreza is the only small car that meets its strict safety standards. There were tons of midsized vehicles green-lighted by the IIHS, but not so in the large vehicle categories -- despite what you may remember from high-school physics!

Last winter, Clark first started talking about natural-gas vehicles (NGV). He loves them because they don't pollute the air and they use domestically produced fuel. His wife encouraged him to get one, so he searched on the Internet and a found used 2007 Honda Civic GX. Clark admits that this could either be a really dumb purchase or a really smart one. Honda is making about 400,000 of these cars per year, but they're only for sale in California and New York. The cost is about $25,000 for an NGV versus about $17,500 for a standard Civic. One of Clark's challenges in having an NGV is finding a place to fill it up with specially compressed natural gas. There are a lot of filling stations on the West Coast and on the Eastern seaboard down through Richmond, Virginia. But in the Atlanta area there's only one single station in a more than 200 mile radius! Luckily that station is about seven miles from Clark's home. Clark believes that as a nation we need to start thinking outside of the box about our energy needs. Relying on foreign energy suppliers who want to harm us can only weaken our nation. Clark's Honda GX is his answer to this dilemma. What's yours?

Consumer Reports has released its annual vehicle reliability survey and Toyota has come out with a black eye. For the first time ever, the Japanese company's Camry has been dropped from the recommended list. Toyota made a corporate decision a few years back to become the world's largest automaker. In doing so, they had to take the focus away from making quality vehicles and shift it to growth. That explains why Toyota as a whole now checks in at No. 5 on Consumer Reports' tally of the most reliable vehicles sold in the United States.

Meanwhile, Ford has emerged as an unlikely hero in the report thanks to its enormous jump in quality. The "Not your Father's Ford" tagline is taking on a new meaning and people can no longer joke that Ford stands for "fix or repair daily."

The top carmaker remains Honda, followed by Acura and Scion. The first American nameplate on the list is Buick, followed by Mercury and then Ford. The least reliable car sold in the United States is Land Rover, followed by Hummer, Cadillac and Mercedes.

Cars speak to us emotionally. Clark's producer Joel bought a 2000 Nissan Altima recently that doesn't really stir his emotions; he simply views it as dependable transportation. Joel might have picked a Honda Element if he were buying on emotion alone. Christa, Clark's executive producer, has named the hybrid version of her standard Lexus RX 300 as her dream car.

Sometimes it's hard to step back from the emotional side and make a smart auto purchase. But think about the underlying hassle that comes with purchasing an unreliable vehicle.

When you're ready to go car shopping, get pre-qualified for a car loan from a credit union and then get Consumer Reports' annual auto buying guide. Try to find a balance of quality and that emotional X factor and you'll be on your way to a great car purchase.

Clark's associate producer, Joel, has been in need of new transportation and now he's got his hands on a great used vehicle. His old Honda Accord croaked on him and he'd been very patient looking online for a used car over the past few months. By checking Craigslist.org on a daily basis, Joel was able to snag a 2000 Altima with 139,000 miles for $3,200. Clark's executive producer Christa used AutoTrader.com to buy a Lexus EX 300 about three years ago. The car had 99,000 miles and looked like new. She initially narrowed her search to 10 cars, and eliminated five off the bat when she couldn't get the VIN number from the owners. A few cars she did get the VIN for had been in serious wrecks, so she was able to eliminate those ones early in the game too. The important thing to know is that you're less likely to have auto heartache if you're methodical and have the vehicle vetted by a mechanic and run the VIN number before purchasing. Both Joel and Christa paid cash, so they have no car loan. Meanwhile, Kim -- Clark's producer -- has had a pickup truck for about five years. She bought it on a whim when she wanted to take a road trip and got a zero financing deal. Within days she regretted her purchase -- she actually hates trucks! But she didn't compound her troubles by selling the vehicle and facing steep depreciation. Instead she's hung on to it and turned a not-so-great purchase into a financially viable one.

For years Mercedes Benz vowed that it would never bring its Smart Car to the United States. The luxury carmaker claimed there would be no market for it. But now that people wants smaller and more efficient rides, the Smart Car is set to hit our shores in 2008. The Smart Car is a two-person vehicle that Clark has been obsessed with since he first saw one in Europe. In fact, Clark and his wife have toured the factory in eastern France where these cars are made. Smart Cars were originally designed as a joint venture between Mercedes and the Swatch watch people before the latter company pulled out. A basic Smart Car has a list price of $12,000, but that can rise to $20,000 if you fancy it up. Clark recently had a chance to test drive a Smart Car for a TV story. He's not completely sold on the car yet -- even though he previously put a refundable $99 dollar deposit down. The fuel economy is great (between 40-60 miles around town), but it may be too small for his five-person family. Safety is another concern. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety doesn't have a crash rating for the Smart Car yet. They think it may be too light to hold up well in a crash. While filming the Smart Car TV story at a Mercedes dealership, Clark couldn't help but notice some of the huge and fancy other vehicles on the floor. There was one Mercedes that cost $202,000. You could sure buy a lot of Smart Cars for that price!

The car market is going through some tough times right now. Sales are the worst they've been since the financial crisis of 1998. Toyota has reported lower sales for three months in a row, especially with their trucks. Ford's sales are down 20 percent over the last month and 14 percent over the whole year. GM is probably doing the best, which in this case means their sales are just on par with last year's figures. Meanwhile, dealers are scrambling because they're overloaded with '07s on their lots and the '08s are already in place. Add all of these factors up and it's clear that consumers are in charge of the car market.

People often ask Clark for a recap of what they should know when buying a new car. First off, get your financing in place before you buy. You'll usually get the lowest rates from a credit union or an online bank. Keep this rule of thumb in mind: If you can't afford a car on a standard 48-month installment plan, you're overbuying. Once you have your financing in place, check out Consumer Reports for recommendations about quality vehicles. Then check prices in the marketplace. Look at CarsDirect.com where you'll get a guaranteed price on a car. You should also test drive the car you want before buying. Visit a car rental business and see if you can rent one for cheap over the weekend. That way you'll have two days to decide if you like driving the car, not just 10 minutes. If you have to interact with a car dealer, try doing it by e-mail to avoid high-pressure sales pitches. And make sure the Internet price you get includes all junk fees like documentation charges.

It's no surprise that we Americans are energy hogs. But everyday there are new developments that help us reduce our energy consumption. Soon auto shoppers will actually be able to believe the gas mileage stickers found on cars in dealer lots! The feds used to put fake numbers on the stickers because the test used to calculate mileage efficiency was bogus. So you could purchase a vehicle expecting to get something like 26 miles/gallon (city) or 38 miles/gallon (highway) and get substantially lower real mileage. Now the government is enforcing a legitimate mileage test, so all cars shipped to dealers after Sept. 1 will have real numbers posted on them. Why the sudden change? The Toyota Prius really pushed this along. People were expecting to get 50-60 miles/gallon but the actual numbers were so much lower that people really ripped off and complained.

Another positive change that's a little further off involves LED (light emitting diode) lighting. Clark and his wife often battle over using regular or CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs in their home. He has a number of CFLs from the '90s when the technology still had a lot of kinks. In fact, once he was doing a TV story about energy-smart homes and he wanted to demonstrate his lighting for the camera crew. The CFLs took about 70 seconds to come on after he flipped the switch! Today's CFLs are much better (and faster to light up), so his wife is now more open to using them in their home. But CFLs may soon be a thing of the past when LEDs hit the market. LED are now used in new billboards and offer just about the best artificial light possible while eating up low energy. They don't release extra heat and they last for years. LEDs will probably be in offices, retail stores and industrial parks before they're available for home use. Clark thinks within four years LEDs should become a popular consumer product.

Over the past five or six years, there's just been one deal after another when it comes to buying an automobile. It goes back to the months after 9/11 when GM tried to jumpstart sales with offers of zero financing for five years. Other automakers quickly followed with similar deals. But now people aren't buying cars as readily because of the fallout from the stock and real estate markets. Overall the industry is having dismal sales results. So that means that you have so much bargaining power right now that it's not even funny. Yet two-thirds of consumers squander that power by not doing the right things.

So what should you be mindful of when you go to buy a car?

First, do research online before you buy. Check Consumer Reports and sites like KelleyBlueBook.com and Edmunds.com to find out about reliable cars that won't need much maintenance.

Second, arrange for financing in advance before you get to the dealership. Credit unions offer interest rates on car loans that can be one to three percent lower than other lenders. You may also want to check online lenders. Even your auto insurer may be able to give you a competitive interest rate. Whatever you do, don't go with a traditional bank or dealer financing. Also, don't tell the dealer you're a cash buyer or credit union customer because they'll factor that into the price in a negative way.

Finally, buy your car before you get to the dealership. By this Clark means you should avoid going to the dealer and negotiating the purchase of your car or you'll face "the grind." The grind is when the salesperson says he or she will go talk to their manager about getting you the best deal. Instead they go watch TV for five minutes and come back and tell you that the manager couldn't help out with a good rate despite their best efforts on your behalf. This is total baloney. When it comes to price, you want to stay in your ballpark, not theirs. After all, they have home field advantage because they sell cars everyday while you may only buy a handful of times over the years.

As a final thought, you may also want to purchase through a warehouse club if you're a member. There you'll enjoy a set price and no haggling.

While the big oil companies are the ones ripping us off, it's your local gas station that gets the heat from consumers. But did you know that gas stations actually like it when the price of gas is lower? When prices get too high, people tend to buy less of the expensive convenience store goods like beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets that are profit boosters for gas stations.

No matter how you look at it, fuel is just one cost associated with a car. If you were paying to ride in your car the same way you pay to ride in a taxi, you'd be spending some 50 cents a mile. But what if you could drive for as little as two cents a mile? There are a number of smaller companies such as Kurrent making electric cars offering that kind of fuel economy. Kurrent -- which was bankrolled by ad-agency people using their retirement funds -- makes an electric vehicle that will go up to 35 miles an hour with a 100-mile range on flat ground. You can charge the vehicle in an ordinary household outlet. And though it is very small, it's built strong enough to be substantial in a crash. They're making up to 10 of these cars a day. The primary market is in large retirement communities in Florida, California and the mountain states. But if you think you're too cool for a grandpa-mobile, just ponder these economics: In addition to running for just two pennies a mile, a Kurrent costs as little as $10,000 to buy. Now that's a Clark Car if ever there was one! Clark has been fixated on great fuel economy since the oil shortages of the '70s. As he says, we are the strongest nation on Earth, but we won't always be if continue to give our money to oil-producing nations that want to destroy us. We must be innovative as Americans, and going electric with your car is one way to do it.

People used to have to barter when they bought a car. Deals could take up to two days. Now, younger people expect no hassles when they buy a car. People who are less than thirty-five gripe more, complain more, and insist more on an experience that is clean and simple. Car dealers are either adapting or dying. According to a JD Power survey, buyers under thirty give dealers horrible scores compared to older customers. Buyers under thirty expect to go into dealerships and buy a car within minutes. Another study dealt with the Toyota Scion. Customers under thirty-five are 40% more likely to find problems with their Scions then older customers. This means that younger customers are being picker, and forcing dealerships to adapt. Clearly, younger customers want a simple, easy, and pressure free car buying experience.

The Internet is where you want to head these days when you’re looking for the best deal on a car. But the Web can also be quite risky. Clark saw a story last week about the number of purchases people are doing on auction sites such as eBay Motors or AutoTrader. Some of these people have lost thousands buying cars sight unseen. You can’t assume that the seller is representing him or herself honestly. So, be careful. Use the Internet to price cars and get quotes on the value of cars. But don’t buy online unless you have done some serious homework. You always want to have the car checked out by a mechanic, and you want that person to be ASE certified.