Edmunds.com, purportedly “where smart car buyers start,” has a giant database of cars, including reviews, pricing, and specs. The site provides information on new and used cars, as well as advice on how to shop for and how to finance cars. Best of all, it can offer your searches tailored to your location!

Consumer Reports is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to rating consumer goods. Its website has a solid section on cars. Unfortunately, the most helpful offering – expert ratings – is available to subscribers only. But this site is still worth a look; there are many informative articles freely available.

Car Talk is a radio show about cars, but if you can’t catch the show, I highly recommend checking out the wealth of resources on their site. Look specifically at their “Actual Car Info” section for tips on buying, selling and more.

Car and Driver offers car news and brief online reviews of many makes and models. Best of all – no subscription necessary. If you don’t want to shell out the bucks for a Consumer Reports subscription, check here for a starting point on your car search.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance has it’s own Car Buyer’s Guide. The guide is actually an extensive resource covering:

• Kiplinger’s rankings of new and used cars
• Tips on test-driving, negotiating, and getting car loans
• Information on mileage and features

Some of the articles have previously been published in the magazine or on the website, but now they reside with new content in one convenient location.

Bankrate.com has a section dedicated to auto loans. You can search for low rates, learn how to shop for the best loan, and read articles on making car ownership more economic.

Any other tips for research cars? I can also add forums dedicated to that car model, Cars.com, Motor Trend and more, as well as fellow blogs about cars. Ultimately, pick a car that fits your needs, driving style and budget.

Brand perception – Top 5

1. Toyota – 193
2. Honda – 149
3. Ford – 109
4. Cadillac – 102
5. Mercedes-Benz – 100

Brand Perception – Bottom 5

5. Jeep – 21
4. Hummer – 19
3. Saab – 18
2. Mazda – 17
1. Suzuki – 7

Ok, I won’t disagree that I perceive most of those brands as high or low quality, but let’s see what their real reliability scores indicate as the best brands:

Real Brand Reliability – Top 10

As a note, these are results based on Consumer Report’s annual reader surveys and are not based on data directly from the service divisions of the automakers. That means these results are still a bit skewed, but at least are based on real data:

1. Scion
2. Acura
3. Honda
4. Toyota
5. Lexus
6. Infiniti
7. Subaru
8. Hyundai
9. Mitsubishi
10. Kia

Scion huh? Well, it’s run by Toyota, but many people still aren’t familiar enough with Scion products to rank them highly. Plus since they market to “budget shoppers”, people automatically think they’re lower quality.

The biggest surprises on the list are Hyundai and Kia. Apparently their public relations departments aren’t getting the word out to consumers. People still think of Hyundai as a cheap Honda knockoff, and most probably can’t spell the name correctly. Hopefully the new Hyundai Genesis will prove people wrong, as it continues to receive accolades for build quality and value.

At the top of the list is, of course, a Toyota brand (Lexus). However, interesting to note are #2 and #3: American brands. Who would have though that a Ford and a Chevy brand would beat out Toyota in reliability results, but given Toyota’s massive amount of recalls in the last few years, I guess it’s understandable:

1. Lexus
2. Mercury
3. Cadillac
4. Toyota
5. Acura
6. Buick
7. BMW
8. Lincoln
9. Honda
10. Jaguar

And what’s going on with Honda? Oh how the mighty have fallen. Perhaps Toyota and Honda now see what it’s like to be a top producer, in high demand, and rushed to produce more cars than their process can handle. That’s one big reason you see their quality slipping.

Here’s a look at the top models by segment:

Standard Cars

• Subcompact: Hyundai Accent
• Compact: Toyota Prius
• Midsize: Buick Century
• Large: Ford Crown Victoria

Sports Cars

• Compact: Mazda Miata
• Midsize: Chevy Monte Carlo (although there aren’t a huge number of options in this segment)

Premium cars

• Entry: Lexus IS 300
• Midsize: Lexus ES 330
• Large: Lexus LS 430
• Sporty: Lexus SC 430

Sport Utility Vehicles

• Compact: Honda Element and Toyota RAV4 (tie)
• Midsize: Toyota Highlander
• Large: Toyota Sequoia

Pickup Trucks

• Midsize: Ford Ranger
• Large: Toyota Tundra

For the sake of comparison, Consumer Reports released their list of the most reliable cars for 2008 earlier this year. These rankings are broken down by type of vehicle, though the categories differ slightly from the J.D. Power rankings:

• Family cars: Toyota Prius, Honda Accord (4-cyl), Ford Fusion (V6)
• Large cars: Buick Lucerne (V8), Toyota Avalon, Dodge Charger (V6)
• Small cars: Toyota Yaris Hatchback, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris Sedan
• Minivans: Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town & Country
• Small SUVS: Honda Element, Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forester (turbo)
• Midsized SUVs: Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Toyota 4Runner

One thing to note in these studies is that it’s just based on surveying owners of these vehicles and some analysis of market recalls. And as I said, it means nothing if you own a Lexus that spends more time at the dealer’s service department than in your driveway. Also, reliability is only one attribute of the vehicle selection process, so don’t go running out and buying a car simply because it is on this list. Do your research, test drive the vehicle and make an informed decision before plunking down tens of thousands of dollars on a hunk of metal and plastic.

Well, for laptops, smaller sizes mean less room to put the parts. If you want a 12″ laptop with a 120Gb drive vs a 40 Gb drive, you’re going to pay more than someone buying a 15″ laptop because the factory has to be more creative to find room to put that part. In addition, they need to keep the parts cooled, which is harder when there’s less air-flow.

Why Small Cars aren’t Always Inexpensive

Now let’s compare laptops with cars. If you want a small car that provides decent elbow and hip room, plus 5-star crash ratings, a premium audio system, room for 4-5 passengers plus luggage, a high-powered engine, and luxury car-like quality, then you’re going to pay the price.

Cars that fit into the “econobox” segment, such as the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris, can be had for well under $20,000, but you won’t get everything that you would in a larger, premium car. If you want a sub-compact car that can do 0-60mph in under 5.5 seconds and still take a turn at 80mph without feeling like you’ll fly off the road, then you’ll need to be willing to pony up a few more thousand.

“Premium Economy” Cars

Over the weekend, as my wife and I were driving on the interstate, we saw a Volvo C30 drive by. My wife commented that it was cute (I’m still not sure about that odd rear hatch window thing) and that I could trade in my truck for one only if it averaged 30 miles per gallon. Wanting to see whether the car was worth the trade, I did some research.

First, I found out that the Volvo C30′s competition was more along the lines of the MINI Cooper S, Audi A3, and BMW 1 Series. Hmm, now I know what price range I’m in (NOT under $20,000). The C30 starts just over $22,000, and can exceed $40,000 with all the options and an upgraded engine.

Wow, that’s no Ford Focus! (Volvo is owned by parent company Ford, and the C30 shares many components, including engine, of the European Ford Focus and Mazda3).

So what do you get for $10,000-20,000 more than a Honda Fit? Well, a very fine interior (the “floating console” is pretty sharp), a much more powerful engine (double the horsepower and torque), “European styling”, and more confidence on corners and highway speeds. Oh, and about 10 less miles per gallon on average.

And this comparison goes across the board for most “premium economy” cars. You’re paying at least $10,000 more, but you’re getting the name, look and driving characteristics to match the price. But the question to ask is what do you need? Gas mileage or a small, fun car?

If you’re going after gas mileage, then a MINI Cooper or A3 aren’t the right choice. But if you want a fun little commuter (or everyday) car, and you’re willing to pay more while getting the gas mileage of a regular mid-size sedan, then go for the premium economy segment.

Personally, my wife has a 2005 MINI Cooper and she LOVES it. I can’t imagine her driving anything else (she’s tried). But when you’re sitting in traffic an hour each way to and from work, having the premium feeling around you makes the ride that much better. But we bought it used and saved $8,000 off a comparably equipped brand new MINI Cooper. You can still have luxury at an affordable price if you know how to look.