Lm Otero / AP

Meredith Havens looks at Volkswagens on Feb. 22, 2013, at a car dealership in Richardson, Texas. The average new car loan in the fourth quarter of 2012 was 65 months.

Auto loans have gotten longer.

Six- and seven-year loans are becoming an increasingly popular choice — and some lenders will even stretch out those payments eight years. These long-term loans allow buyers buy the vehicle they want with the monthly payments they can afford. But it also means they will pay more overall. 

The average new car loan in the fourth quarter of 2012 was 65 months, according to Experian Information Solutions. That's a new record.

“It’s gotten ridiculous,” said Anthony Giorgianni, associate finance editor for Consumer Reports Money Adviser. “With a long-term loan you pay more interest because you’re paying off the loan over a longer period of time. And longer-term loans tend to have higher interest rates.”

Consumer Reports Money Lab ran the numbers on the purchase of a new car that cost $30,520, presuming a 10-percent down payment. They used loan rates from CapitalOne.com in mid-October 2012.

With a 48-month loan, the rate would have been 3.39 percent and the monthly payment $659. The longer 72-month loan would be at a higher interest rate – 3.99 percent – but the monthly payment would be significantly lower, just $462.

Consider the total cost: $34,702 for the shorter loan, $36,339 for the longer loan. That’s a difference of $1,637.

Jack Gillis, author of The Car Book 2013, advises buyers to look at the big picture, not just the monthly payment.

“A car is a bad investment, so you want to reduce the cost of ownership as much as possible,” Gillis said. “The best way to do that is to get a loan with as short of a term as you can possibly afford.  The way I see it, that means no longer than a 48-month loan.”

Dealers and lenders don’t argue with the math, but they say longer loans let them better serve their customers.

“The more options people have in terms of how to structure their credit transaction, the better it is for them,” said Bill Himpler, executive vice president of the American Financial Services Association, the trade association for the consumer credit industry.

Low down payments can also hurt you
Interest rates on new car loans have been incredibly low for several years now and that’s resulted in lower down payments.

The experts at Edmunds.com believe 20 percent is the sweet spot for a down payment, but most car buyers are nowhere near that.  According to their analysis of new and used car purchases, the average down payment in 2011 was about 11 percent.

“The faster you pay off the car, the better it is for you,” said Ronald Montoya with Edmunds.com.

That’s because cars depreciate most quickly when they are new. With a low down payment you’re not getting as much equity in the vehicle. In other words, you may owe more on the car than it’s worth.

“If anything happens to that vehicle in the first year or two – it’s in an accident or is stolen – you may owe some money out of pocket to the lender even after you get the insurance payoff.”

That’s called being upside down. The longer the loan, the longer the upside-down period is likely to be, especially if there’s a low down payment. If you need to sell or trade-in the car for some reason when you’re still upside down, you won’t get enough for it to pay off your existing loan.

The bottom line
The shorter the loan and the bigger the down payment, the less that vehicle will cost you to own. It will also reduce the risk that you will lose money from an early sale or trade-in, accident or theft.

Don’t fixate on the monthly payment; that’s what the dealer wants you to do. Consider the total cost of the deal during the life of that loan.

“Our rule of thumb: Buy a car that you can get with a loan of no more than 48 months and keep that car at least as long as it takes to pay off that loan,” said Giorgianni at Consumer Reports. “If you have to go more than four years to get the payments where you need them, get a used car or get a lower cost car.”

It’s also important to comparison shop around for the loan, just as you shopped for the car.

“Before you go into the dealership, make sure you know what sort of rate you can get from your bank or credit union, so that you know if the rate at the dealership is better,” Gillis advised.

More Info:

• Consumer Reports Money Adviser: Low Car Payments Can Hurt You
• Edmunds.com: How Much Should a Car Down Payment Be?

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website. 

If you believe the ads, good drivers get the best insurance rates. But a new study shows auto insurers frequently charge good drivers higher premiums than those who recently caused an accident. And it appears from this research that the safe drivers who pay more are often lower income.

How could this happen?

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), which conducted the study, says this reflects a common practice in the insurance industry of using factors such as education and occupation to rate risk.

A CFA survey in 2012 found that two-thirds of American believed considering these factors, rather than driving history was unfair.

Stephen Brobeck, CFA’s executive director, calls this a “discriminatory practice” that raises the rates for low-and moderate-income drivers.

The industry rejects any notion that it discriminates in any way.

“The policies we offer are fair in every way,” said Michael Barry, vice president of media relations at the Insurance Information Institute.

How CFA surveyed the marketplace
The CFA priced policies for two hypothetical customers: a high school receptionist and an executive. Both women were 30-years old, had driven for 10 years, lived on the same street in the same middle-income ZIP code.

But there were important differences.

The receptionist is single and rents an apartment. She has never had an accident or moving violation, but she was without insurance coverage for 45 days.

The executive is a married homeowner with a master's degree. Her auto insurance has never lapsed. But, she had an at-fault accident with $800 of damage within the past three years.

CFA researchers visited the websites of the five largest U.S. auto insurers – State Farm, Allstate, GEICO, Farmers and Progressive – looking for the minimum liability coverage required by that state. This was done for both women in 12 cities.

The results: Two-thirds of the 60 quotes were lower for the executive (who had an accident) than for the receptionist (who had none), often by 25 percent or more.

The Insurance Information Institute questions whether the test was fair because the receptionist had a break in insurance coverage and that could be seen as a risk factor.  The Consumer Federation of America says the receptionist didn’t have a car for 45 days and therefore didn’t need insurance. Does that make her a riskier drive, they ask?

Why is this happening?
Insurance companies consider a variety of factors to determine the risk you pose and the price they should charge when you apply for an auto policy. Everyone agrees your age, sex, type of vehicle and driving history can help predict the likelihood that you will have an accident.

But should insurance underwriters consider your education, occupation or in some cases, your credit score? What do these socio-economic factors have to do with your ability to be a safe driver?

“These factors have been found to be actuarially sound ways to assess risk,” said Michael Barry, vice president of media relations at the Insurance Information Institute. “And before they are ever used, these rating criteria are vetted by state insurance regulators who have allowed them.”

The CFA says it’s not fair for someone to get a better rate simply because they have more education and more income.

“Our concern is that these factors are not proven; there is no logical reason to explain why they should work,” said Robert Hunter, CFA’s director of insurance and former Texas Insurance Commissioner. “The insurance companies say there’s a correlation and that’s all they need.”

Some insurance companies now consider your credit scores when setting your premiums. That doesn’t sit too well with Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, who calls the practice a “blatantly unfair” way to assess risk.  

 “I think it’s terrible,” Kreidler told me. “Using a credit score in this economy? You have people who through no fault of their own have wound up with less quality credit and yet are still responsible drivers. They shouldn’t pay more for auto insurance because of that.”

Not in sunshine state
The California Insurance Department decides what ratings factors can be used by auto insurers to calculate auto premiums. Education, occupation and credit scores cannot be considered.

“We want rating factors that have a relationship to the risk of loss,” said Joel Laucher, California’s deputy insurance commissioner for rate regulation.

“You want something that’s fair and fairly intuitive so people understand why there would be a price difference. It should be something the driver can control and realize how they can amend their behavior to improve their rate.”

Massachusetts also restricts the use of socio-economic factors for private auto insurance.

“There was a determination made that auto insurance should more tightly track an individual’s driving,” said Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Joe Murphy.

The bottom line
There are a lot of insurance companies competing for your business. Rates vary greatly.

A good place to start is your state insurance department’s website. Look for a comparison chart that lists the rates in your area for various hypothetical customers. It’s a simple way to see how various insurance companies compare and where you might want to go to get a quote.

(Find a link to your state’s insurance department at: National Association of Insurance Commissioners.)  

You can get quotes from an independent agent who represents various companies or go online and do it yourself at sites such as InsuranceQuotes, InsWeb, NetQuote, InsuranceHotline or Answer Financial.  Don’t expect an instant quote from these sites. In most cases, you’ll be contacted by agents looking for your business. 

More information:

• ConsumerMan: Want to Cut Your Car Insurance Bill? Shop Around
• Consumer Reports: Car Insurance Buying Guide 
• Insurance Information Institute: What Determines the Price of My Auto Insurance Policy?

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website.

"1. Relax. You’re Michael Jordan at the foul line late in a playoff game. Sure, there’s some pressure, but you don’t feel it because you don’t miss. Even with that guy honking to get around you."

"2. Pull all the way up nice and flush to the car parked in front of your spot. If you graze the side-mirror, so be it. You’re on a mission. Petty property damage is not your concern."

"3. Get that arm up on the back of the passenger’s side seat. It’s the iconic moment in any parallel parking job."

"4. Cut the wheel much sooner than it feels like you should."

When do you cut the wheel exactly? For instance, the FNL Driving School of New Jersey says you should start cutting when the back end of the parked car to your side is in the middle of the passenger-side back window.

But Geist doesn't have any such strict rules.

"I play on gut and instinct, much like Michael Jordan himself. Let the game come to you. It’s a feel thing."

"A second or two after you begin to turn in, cut it back and then straighten ‘er out. You don’t want to have to pull out and start over."

"5. Glide in slowly and prepare to accept the accolades from your passengers."

Auto insurance is one of those things you buy and then forget about. We have coverage, so we figure there’s no need to worry about it again. That could be a costly mistake. 

“Shopping is very important because insurance company pricing is wildly different,” said Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). “We just finished some research on auto insurance and found that it’s very easy to have a quote of $700 from one company and up to $3,000 from another for the exact same risk.” 

According to new survey from the price comparison website InsuranceQuotes.com, a lot of us are missing the chance to save money. Only 21 percent of the car owners said they shopped for auto insurance within the past 12 months to see if they could get a better deal. Of those who did check, 43 percent ended up switching companies. 

“This suggests that many people who shopped around liked what they found,” said John Egan, managing editor of InsuranceQuotes.com. “If you’re not doing it, you may be leaving money on the table.” 

A more detailed analysis of the insurance marketplace done by Deloitte Research last year found that nearly 24 percent of the respondents said they never shop around when their auto insurance policy is up for renewal, another 34 percent rarely do. 

Why? Most said they are satisfied with both the price and the service they get from their insurance company. 

Of course, there’s no way to know if you’re getting a good price if you don’t see what the competition can offer. 

“I think people spend more time shopping for Christmas presents and trying to decide where to go out to eat then they do shopping for auto insurance,” Egan told me. 

The editors at Consumer Reports point out that some insurance companies reward their loyal customers, especially those who don’t make many claims, with better rates. 

But that may be changing. 

The CFA’s Robert Hunter, a former insurance commissioner in Texas, told me some companies are moving to what’s called price optimization. Simply put, they figure out which customers are unlikely to switch carriers and then raise the rates on them. 

“So not only do you miss good deals that might be out there by not shopping, but your own company may be jacking up your rate a little bit because they don’t think you’re going to leave them,” he noted. 

Hunter recommends price shopping every couple of years, right away if you’re notified of a major price hike. 

Where do you start? 
Visit your state insurance department’s website and look for a comparison chart that lists the rates in your area for various hypothetical customers. It’s a good way to see how your insurance company stacks up to the competition and where you might want to go to get a quote. (Find a link to your state’s insurance department at: National Association of Insurance Commissioners.) 

I went on the California Insurance Department’s website and looked at the prices for a married couple living in Long Beach who drives 9,000 to 16,000 miles a year. Both the husband and wife have one traffic ticket but no accidents. 

Get this: The annual premium for this family ranged from $2,441 to $12,497. That’s a staggering difference! 

You can get quotes from an independent agent who represents various companies or go online and do it yourself at sites such as InsuranceQuotes, InsWeb, NetQuote, InsuranceHotline or Answer Financial.  Don’t expect an instant quote from these sites. In most cases, you’ll be contacted by agents looking for your business. 

Remember: Saving money is good, but you also want a company with first-rate customer service. Consumer Reports says the insurance companies with the highest satisfaction scores (based on the experience of 28,000 subscribers who filed a claim between 2006 and 2009) are: NJM (New Jersey & Pennsylvania residents), USAA (military and veterans), Amica and Auto-Owners. 

By the way, the same situation exists with home owners insurance. Few people price check to see if they can get a better deal after they buy it. Again, the only way to find out if you’re paying too much is to take the time to shop around every few years. 

More information:

• Consumer Reports Car Insurance Buying Guide 

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website.

Honda

The Honda Fit She's, which is being released in Japan, claims to improve skin quality.

It used to be that car seats were designed for babies, and pens were made for people.

But these days, it seems like everyday products from diapers to cars are being offered in a version “for her” – and that version usually comes in pink.

Experts say the proliferation of products aimed at girls and women makes some sense. That’s because women are avid consumers of everything from cars to gadgets, and they can be pickier than men.

“They want all the same things (as) men, and then some. They want more,” said Marti Barletta, a consultant and author of “Marketing to Women.”

But that doesn’t mean companies are doing it right when they create, and market, products for women. In fact, Barletta and others say, many companies are hurting themselves by adding extras they think women will want – rather than the features they’d actually like to have.

Then they add insult to injury by marketing them in a way that some women perceive as condescending.

“Women don’t like being called out as a separate market,” Barletta said. “They’re like, ‘Why don’t cars have what we want?’”

The penmaker Bic’s line of pastel-hued pens “for her” received a comedic lambasting from Ellen Degeneres and have been mocked mercilessly on Amazon.com, where hundreds of men and women have posted of tongue-in-cheek reviews poking fun at the very concept of a pen for a woman.

“I use these wonderful little pens to draw pictures of butterflies and rainbows while watching ‘Steel Magnolias’ and eating bon-bons. Thank you, BIC! You have your finger on the pulse of the 21st century woman!” goes one typical review.

The carmaker Honda also got some pushback in the United States following its plan to launch the Honda Fit She's in Japan. The small car comes in pink and includes a climate control system that the carmaker says will improve skin quality, along with UV-blocking window glass.

"Stupid name, awful color, everyone needs protection from the sun's rays, and if they want to market to women, they need to think leg to pedal ratio, especially clutch, so you don't have to scoot the seat all the way up to the steering wheel," one Life Inc. reader complained.

Barletta said there are things that women would like to have in cars, like a convenient place to put a purse. But they also want the things men want, like safety, power and maneuverability.

Also, while women may actually like to have a product that comes in pink, many are turned off when that’s automatically assumed to be the ladies’ choice.

“Women like pink,” Barletta said. “What they don’t like is the statement that women like pink.”

Lise Eliot, a neuroscientist and author of the book “Pink Brain, Blue Brain,” said her research has shown that gender roles are somewhat innate but very much a product of socialization. That’s because people reinforce gender roles starting at a very young age.

Children tend to embrace gender roles because they want to fit in. That has led marketers to offer everything from toys to infant seats to diapers in both boys’ and girls’ versions – not coincidentally boosting their market size as they encourage parents to buy gender-specific versions of everyday items.

“Gender sells, there’s no question,” Eliot said. “It works beautifully for kids, and that’s why it’s been so hard to fight gender stereotypes.”

That continues into adulthood, and is especially true for teens and young adults who are dating and may feel more insecure about their masculinity or femininity, she said.

That could explain why there are entire websites devoted to pink handguns and you can even buy a casket with pink floral detailing.

Some say boys and men are actually the bigger losers in the push to specify everyday products by gender.

For girls these days, there are many choices on how to be feminine: They can be an athlete or a tomboy or even a girly girl, Eliot said.

Boys, on the other hand, are subject to a much narrower definition of what is masculine.

“There’s more social pressure on men to be manly, and the sanctions for men being feminine are more,” said David Gal, assistant professor of marketing at Northwestern University.

Gal said his research has shown that women aren’t bothered by purchasing a product geared toward men, such as a big truck or a phone with a "masculine" design.

But many men worry that they might accidentally buy something from the women’s department or choose a product with a feminine connotation.

"Even when I go to the clothes store, I'm looking for that sign to tell me that this is the men's section, so I know I'm not looking at women's clothing," Gal said.

Gal said some men were turned off when Sears, well-known for products like Craftsman tools and barbecue grills, launched an ad campaign touting its “softer side" in the 1990s.

By that logic, he noted, it’s actually surprising that marketers are spending so much time marketing to women, when men might be more receptive to a campaign that accentuated a product’s masculinity.

Some companies have picked up on that trend.

Soda makers have started creating low-calorie products for men without the word “diet” in them, like Coke Zero, since many associated diet drinks as being for women.

Others have introduced male-specific products like body washes for men. Philips even offers an iron designed to appeal to men.

That may be a marketing opportunity, but Gal said it’s not good news that guys feel like they need to conform to such a narrow definition of masculinity. He noted that some men don’t seek out mental health treatment because it doesn’t seem manly, and stereotypically manly foods like steak and burgers tend to be unhealthy.

Eliot, the neuroscientist, said she’s been heartened to see pro football players and other male athletes wearing pink in October, in a nod to breast cancer awareness. The trend seems to have trickled down to boys playing recreational sports, many of whom now can be seen sporting things like soccer cleats and accessories with bright pink accents.

“I think boys are starting to appropriate pink,” she said.

On the other side, Eliot said that things like plastic surgery are much more worrisome to her than a company that makes pens only for women.

“There are a lot worse offenses in terms of female objectification than buying pink pens,” she said.

Related: Bic pens for her united women and men in snarky Amazon reviews

The auto industry has traditionally been male-dominated but Honda has rolled out a new model it claims to have specifically designed with women in mind.

The new Honda Fit She’s is a pretty-in-pink version of the maker’s familiar subcompact that offers a few niceties the maker believes will specifically appeal to distaff buyers, such as a windshield designed to block skin-wrinkling ultraviolet rays.

But will women actually care? While the new Honda subcompact may be the only car currently on the road specifically targeting women there’s a good reason.  Previous feminine offerings, such as the old Dodge LaFemme, met with little more than indifference and, in some cases, outright hostility.

Toyota Back on Track as Global Sales Leader

Priced at $17,500 – at current exchange rates – the Honda Fit She’s is currently available only in the Japanese market and it’s unclear whether the maker will roll it out in other parts of the world.

Like those vehicles handed out as prizes by Mary Kay Cosmetics, the dominant shade is pink, starting with the exterior paint and including the interior pink stitching and tutti-frutti-hued chrome bezels. If that doesn’t get the message across, Honda uses a pretty little heart to replace the apostrophe in “She’s.”

To Honda’s credit, the maker also has plans to offer the special model in an alternate hue that might best be called “eyeliner brown.”

The Fit She’s also delivers some other features women might appreciate.  That includes the special UV-blocking window glass.  Recent studies have underscored concerns that extended exposure to the sun while driving can be nearly as bad for the skin as spending too much time on the beach. 

Iconic London “Black” Cab Could Soon Vanish

The Honda Fit She’s also features a “Plasmacluster” climate control system the maker claims can improve skin quality.

The decision to offer the car in the Japanese market isn’t all that much of a surprise considering the country’s more traditional sex-defined roles. As much as half of all Japanese women stay out of the workforce and still more tend to shift to homemakers after getting married. But even for those women who do join the workforce, there is  more of a divide in tastes than one might find in Western countries.

That has stifled efforts by European and U.S. manufacturers who previously tried to target products directly to women.  Chrysler, for one, thought it had a winner with the 1955 LaFemme. The sedan featured special storage places for hat and purse – and the driver’s seat swiveled to allow a woman wearing a skirt to enter or exit the vehicle with appropriate modesty.  Nonetheless, like the few other offerings openly aimed at American women over the years, LaFemme proved LaFlop.

One might think that the U.S. auto industry would be inspired by the Honda Fit She’s. After all, women now directly purchase over a third of the vehicles sold in the States, while data from J.D. Power and Associates suggests they “influence” as much as 60% of all vehicle purchases.

Honda Tells Dealers, Clear Out Old Civic for “Emergency Refresh”

Yet, just the hint of being a “woman’s car” can prove the kiss of death.  Despite their tremendous flexibility and functionality, minivans lost much of  their cache, noted Nissan marketing executive Tom Smith, when they become known as “soccer-mom vehicles.”  Chrysler tried to counter that image when it released its latest  version of the Dodge Durango by dubbing it the “man van,” but with little success.

Volkswagen blames the fall off in sales of the so-called “New Beetle” to the fact that the vehicle became known as a “chick car.” Jonathon Browning, head of Volkswagen Group of America, says the maker specifically wanted to make the latest version of the Beetle, introduced a year ago, “look more masculine.”

That doesn’t mean makers are ignoring the needs of women.  Both Ford and General Motors, among many makers, have established groups of women designers and engineers who specifically consider the features and attributes of new products looking for ways to appeal to feminine needs – and avoid problems that might not be apparent to their male colleagues.

That might include door handles that can snap off long fingernails. And a number of new vehicles now feature larger center storage bins able to handle a pocketbook – while men get the added benefit of being able to tuck away their iPads and other electronic goodies.

Some makers have also introduced new colors that they believe will have bigger appeal to women buyers – though whatever their sex, studies by paint suppliers like DuPont Automotive show that silver, black and white continue to dominate.

So, while automakers clearly want to win over women shoppers, few are likely to follow Honda’s lead, especially outside of Japan.  In most of the rest of the world, women car buyers just wanted to be treated as one of the guys.

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• Video: 4 tips for growing retirement money tax-free
• Sign up for our TODAY newsletter

Follow TODAY Money on Twitter and Facebook 

The Detroit Bureau

And our winner is ...

Beware bovines from above.  We never knew it was so dangerous out in the New Age mecca of Taos, New Mexico until reader Nicole Ridlen submitted an unusual road sign warning drivers to watch out for falling rocks and cows.  Now she’ll receive a $500 gift certificate as the winner in TheDetroitBureau.com’s 1st annual Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest.

We’ve been amazed at some of the entries that have landed in our e-mailbox…the flood of wacky entries prompting us to leave things open as long as possible.  But, alas, we had to eventually bring this good thing to an end and now, it’s time to announce all of the winners.

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We asked readers to weigh in on a selection of 14 finalists chosen from the 100s of images we’ve received.  And, wow, did readers let us know what they liked – since Labor Day the finalists collectively tallied over 100,000 votes. Unfortunately, the two top picks have been disqualified.  It appears they plucked their images off the web in violation of the rules which require that all entries be original and that entrants had full rights to use them.  That knocked out “Stop – No Turns,” which would’ve garnered the top prize, as well as “No Hooking,” which came in a very close second.  Both entrants have agreed to withdraw from the contest.

$4 a Gallon? What a Bargain

Too bad, that First Place prize is a $500 Bridgestone Tire gift certificate, something we know every motorist can eventually use.  So, congratulations to Ms. Ridlen for her udderly ridiculous image.

The Detroit Bureau

Ignorance of the law ... will win you 2nd place.

And to our new 2^nd Place winner, who goes by the handle “MGCarNut.”  He’ll be receiving a new digital camera for his entry, “City Parking Confusion.”  He may need it to try to defend himself against a ticket if he ever tries to park there again.

The Detroit Bureau

Thanks for the heads-up ... our 3rd Place winner.

Third Place – and a new portable navigation system with real-time traffic – goes to J. Scnatzen for “Sidewalk Ends.”  Perhaps the biggest surprise was receiving three similar images during the course of the contest.  We’re awarding the prize to the first of those entries.

Close behind were “Water with H2O,” and “No doctor, no hospital, one cemetery,” as well as “Eat Here, Get Gas.”  They’ll receive some lovely consolation prizes, including this year’s collectible posters from the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Big Changes in Store for Jeep

Thanks to all those who’ve snapped some truly Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs and keep looking for more as we’ll likely be back with this contest again next year.  In the meantime, keep an eye out for more contests from TheDetroitBureau.com and its sponsors, including Bridgestone, Nissan and NBC News.

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We’ve had a hard time keeping a straight face ever since we asked our readers to submit some of the Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs they’ve spotted while driving. The contest has clearly resonated with readers who’ve filled our email box with hundreds of entries from around the world.

The Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest has brought us signs that warn of falling sheep, others that tell us to “Grinn and Baret” or advise us we’ve reached the German village of Windpassing. 

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Helpful road crews have posted parking signs that would require a law degree to comprehend. And readers have sent us plenty of inexplicable billboards – like one that promoted a new brand of bottled water, “now with H2O”!

The Detroit Bureau: Who Are America’s Worst Drivers?

Trying to sort through this motley collection hasn’t been easy and it seems that each of our judges – which include members of TheDetroitBureau.com, and sponsors such as NBC News – has individual favorites.  But we’ve been able to pare the list down to 14 finalists and now we’re asking your help in selecting the winners.

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Remember, there are some great prizes at stake, including a $500 gift certificate from Bridgestone Tires, a great digital camera, a navi system with traffic and weather, and more!

So, check out the pictures and give us a hand by voting below for your favorite. We’ll announce the winners on Sept. 10. 

1) Water Now with H2O
We appreciate truth in advertising, but we really have to wonder what this company was offering in their water before they added H2O.

2) Be Careful
We probably didn’t need the sign to figure out there was a problem ahead. But it’s likely a good idea to find another route.

3) Electricity Drive
We got a real charge out of this pun-y entry from a reader in Windsor, Ontario.

4) Grinn & Barret
This is what we’ve often been told to do, especially after trying to sort through 100s of entries to choose the finalists for the Wacky Street Signs Contest.

5) Danger, Danger, Danger
Believe us if we tell you we’d have also turned around and gone in the other direction.

6) Stop!
Turn left? No. Right? No? Uh, how do we get out of here?

7) Eat Here and Get Gas
Gee, didn’t we eat there just the other day? Again, while we appreciate truth in advertising, we just might go to the diner across the street.

8) City Parking Confusion
This explains why we got that $50 fine last week. Next time we try to park her you might want to call your lawyer first.

9) Windpassing
Does this Austrian town just happen to have an Eat-and-Get-Gas Café? We’re hoping this is just a case of lost-in-translation.

10) Falling Cow
We never knew it was so dangerous driving around Taos, New Mexico.  When  was the last time your car was hit by a falling cow?

11) No Hooking
Um? What can we add except, get a hotel room next time?

12) Mine Shafts Ahead
Who’da thought it was so dangerous wandering through the Australian Outback? Apparently you have to watch your step in mine country around Coober Pedy.

13) No doctor, no hospital, one cemetery
Here’s another place – in New Zealand, it turns out – we’re planning to just drive through and keep going.

14) Sidewalk Ends
Really? Does that explain what that green stuff is?  We were wondering how they got concrete to look like grass.

Vote for your favorite

Correction: Earlier versions of this story incorrectly identified Sign No. 9 as being located in Germany. Also, Sign No. 10 warns of a cow falling, not a sheep.

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The Toyota Prius C doesn't exactly impress experts with the way it drives, but the bottom line is it's one of the cheapest hybrids available.

When it comes to cars, “going green” demands a lot of green. Eco-friendly hybrids carry sticker prices thousands of dollars higher than their gasoline-only counterparts. Buyers also can no longer claim the federal tax credits offered in recent years to help bridge the gap. Of course, many hybrids boast outstanding fuel economy, which can combine with other factors, such as depreciation, to more than make up for the higher initial purchase price over the life of the car. (A calculator at Fueleconomy.gov shows car buyers how much they stand to save on gas.)

Below are Cheapism’s top picks for affordable hybrid cars.

• The Toyota Camry Hybrid (starting at $25,990) outdoes other hybrid sedans under $26,000 with its performance and comfort, according to reviews, and with fuel efficiency of 43 miles per gallon in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. One reviewer wagers that if consumers were to test drive it without being told it’s a hybrid, they would have a hard time telling it apart from a regular Camry. (Where to buy)
• The Toyota Prius C (starting at $18,950) doesn’t exactly impress experts with the way it drives, but the bottom line is it’s one of the cheapest hybrids available and offers an almost unsurpassed 53 mpg city/46 mpg highway. This is a smaller car than the sedans on our list, but it still carries up to five passengers. (Where to buy)
• The Kia Optima Hybrid (starting at $25,700) stands out for its fluid styling, prompting multiple reviewers to call it the best-looking car in its class. Even the base model includes plenty of bells and whistles. This sedan claims a more modest but still respectable 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway. (Where to buy)
• The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (starting at $25,850), like the Optima, gets 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway and comes with extra features such as a power drivers seat and heated mirrors. Reviewers note that both the Optima and the Sonata tend to shudder when switching between gas and electric power, but that’s hardly unusual among hybrids. (Where to buy)

Hybrid cars achieve their impressive fuel economy by drawing power from an electric motor and rechargeable batteries in addition to a traditional gasoline engine. The mpg ratings listed above are based on standardized testing and vary depending on how you drive. Leadfeet will get worse gas mileage than drivers with a lighter touch on the pedals.

Hybrids tend to come with more standard features at the lowest trim level than conventional cars do. Automatic climate control, for example, comes standard on every hybrid on this list. The three sedans feature dual-zone climate control, so the driver and front passenger can adjust the temperature separately. All four cars come with CD players, audio controls on the steering wheel, iPod connectivity, and Bluetooth support, as well as power windows, locks, and mirrors.

Perhaps most important: The models we’ve chosen have all been designated Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

More from Cheapism:
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The entries keep rolling in for TheDetroitBureau.com’s first annual some Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs.  So, we thought it was time to share some more of the best.

For those who’ve somehow missed the news, we’re running a contest asking readers to share the crazy street signs they spot across the country -- and around the world.  We’ve received entries from as far afield as Bangkok and Berlin, as well as the little village of Lost, Scotland.

Have an image of your own? Or maybe you want to run out and snap a shot of that sign you pass going to work every day. The good news is that you’ve still got plenty of time to enter.  The contest runs through August 17 and we’ll then ask readers to help us judge the best, with winners announced over the Labor Day holiday. To add some motivation, prizes include a $500 Bridgestone tire gift certificate.

In the meantime, here are some of the most recent entries in TheDetroitBureau.com’s Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest!

Our opening shot comes from reader Robert McNeice who alerted us to one of the most graphically concise signs we’ve yet seen from neighborhoods hoping to crack down on the sex trade.  We think it gets the message across quite clearly.

via TheDetroitBureau.com

You think there'd be a wider law over this sort of thing.

So does this very different sign shot by Julia Spring.  We’ve always been in favor of truth in advertising but perhaps this restaurant sign tells us more than we need to know?

via TheDetroitBureau.com

Customers can't say they weren't warned.

We’re not really sure what to make of this sign submitted by reader Marion MacDonald.  But we have a feeling we really should do what it says…walk slowly, very, very slowly -- the other way.

via TheDetroitBureau.com

Not very optimistic, are they?

Some of the funniest, wackiest and most bizarre signs are official warnings and advisories.  We can only wonder what they were thinking when they sent the road crews out.  But we wonder how we’re supposed to react when we see a sign like this one from reader -- and media colleague -- Jean Halliday taken near Detroit’s Comerica Park baseball stadium.  (Despite the arrow on the street, it turns out, you really can’t turn left.)

via TheDetroitBureau.com

Well, that's certainly a mixed message.

Or this one, from Goldie Kootsillas.  Do you also get a discount on the parking ticket or towing fee.

via TheDetroitBureau.com

Doesn't really seem like such a good deal.

Want to find out more about the Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest?  Check out the rules, find out how to enter -- and see some more crazy signs by clicking here.  Remember, you have until August 17th to enter!

C. Logenreich / Courtesy of The Detroit Bureau

It’s travel season and our readers have not only been clocking plenty of miles but also snapping pics of some Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs – then sending them in to share with TheDetroitBureau.com.

For those who’ve somehow missed the news, we’re running a contest asking readers to share the crazy street signs they’ve spotted across the country and around the world.  The good news is that you’ve still got plenty of time to enter. 

The contest runs through August 17 and we’ll then ask readers to help us judge the best, with winners announced over the Labor Day holiday. To add some motivation, prizes include a $500 Bridgestone tire gift certificate.

In the meantime, here are some of the most recent entries in TheDetroitBureau.com’s Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest!

We can understand why reader C. Logenreich might have turned back after spotting the dire warning (at top) when turning onto Oregon’s Bear Camp Road. We probably would’ve gone looking for the nearest Interstate, as well.

But we have no idea what to make of this sign that popped up in Mt. Vernon, NY, submitted by Martha Mullin.  By the time that asteroid crossed the road, we figure, it’d probably be too late for anyone to care. 

Martha Mullin / Courtesy of The Detroit Bureau

A large portion of the wacky signs we’ve received are meant to warn of danger ahead.  But not all.

We always appreciate the British.  They have a way of being impeccably polite, as David Harrison discovered during a trip to England a while back.  He spotted this advisory when trying to park next to a local pub.

David Harrison / Courtesy of The Detroit Bureau

As our readers have repeatedly shown, some signs seem just so unnecessary, like one we previously posted advising “Water on Road When It Rains.”  But who in the local street department really thinks we needed this warning at the end of the pavement?  This sign submitted by J. Schantzen and taken in North Merritt Island, Florida. 

J. Schantzen / Courtesy of The Detroit Bureau

On the other hand, it appears the local road crew just got tired of helping out in the middle of Washington State, as this pic from Mike Little demonstrates.

Mike Little / Courtesy of The Detroit Bureau

Finally, we wondered whether Dante had decided to enter the contest when we received this image.  But, no, it was snapped by Marie Meeks at Niagara Falls State Park.  Who knew?

Marie Meeks / Courtesy of The Detroit Bureau

Want to find out more about the Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest?  Check out the rules, find out how to enter – and see some more crazy signs by Clicking Here.  Remember, you have until August 17^th to enter!

After dropping 75 of the previous 77 days, gas prices are ticking back up and could remain high for the remainder of the summer. NBC's Mara Schiavocampo takes a look at what's fueling the recent price surge at the pump.