Time to get sensible, America

Now that the economy has collapsed and we sunk into a global recession, how will it affect how we drive and what we drive?  The past 20 years have led us to keep buying cars and trucks that are beyond our budgetary needs, but we want to look cool and be comfortable.  Today's consumer also wants it all, but for under $30K while getting 40MPG.  To you I say, it's time for a heavy dose of reality.  Families of four no longer need to charge through malls in their overgrown Suburbans and 20-year olds can't afford to drive EVOs and STi's.

I see a future where my Southern California neighborhood is powered by a fleet of electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt while renting 8-passenger SUVs for the occasional long trips we take each year.  As Americans we adapt quickly and soon this will become the norm and we won't miss our behemoth SUVs.  Europe has known it for decades as they have dealt with $8/gallon gas prices.  

I'm here to declare that 30 is the new 50 and 20 the new 40, and I'm not talking about age.  So if your last car purchase was $50K, then you should probably be looking at cars priced at $30K.  There are more choices and before you know it, you won't miss that SUV or luxury sedan.  Who decided that DVD entertainment, silk-infused leather, and navigation with real-time traffic?  

Here are my list of practical cars that you should consider:

• Compact car - Honda Fit
• Compact truck - Nissan Frontier 4-cyl
• Compact coupe - Scion tC
• Mid-size car - Toyota Camry/Honda Accord
• Mid-size crossover - Chevy Traverse
• Mid-size coupe - Nissan Altima Coupe
• Full-size car - Nissan Maxima
• Full-size truck - 2008 F150 (they're giving them away to make room for the new ones)