I wouldn't test drive a Lincoln for $50

Front of promotional material

At the New York Auto Show last month, I was approached by a Lincoln saleswoman who offered me the chance to earn $50 simply by visiting my local Lincoln dealer and test driving any car. Sounds like a no brainer, right? I did not mind putting my name on their mailing list - the worst thing that could happen is I would get some promotional material in the mail. The $50 offer expired in 1 month. I received this reminder in the mail (click through to see more):

Give it a chance: Kia Sportage

Besides the Jeep Patriot, the Kia Sportage is the cheapest crossover/SUV on the market today. For a number of reasons, the Jeep Patriot (as well as its more unattractive sister the Jeep Compass) is not very competitive in the segment, although Fiat has improved the interiors as of late).

Despite being the cheapest SUV, the Kia Sportage is surprisingly very attractive, in my opinion. However, every time I mention the car to friends and people I know looking for a small crossover, they instantly dismiss me, in large part because the Kia brand is still not considered cool in America. People think back to the early 90s when the Sportage, Spectra, Sephia, and Rio were in fact horrible cars to drive. I have never driven this car, so my review is based on exterior and interior design, driving reviews I've read in major car mags, and common business sense (remember, Hyundai/Kia's warranty is still the best in the US!). Click through for more:

Favorite Car Lists #1: Sedans

Anyway, to start things off and provide some background on my predisposed tastes and biases, here are some car lists. Today I'm covering sedans, and will do sports cars and SUVs in subsequent posts. Click through for my choices - do you agree / disagree?

Inaugural post - welcome!

Hello all - my name is Bill, and I am a life-long car enthusiast. Having followed the automotive industry on a daily basis online, in magazines, and on the streets, I thought it's about time that I start contributing my thoughts to the discourse. This blog is going to be decidedly opinionated and biased (but that's what blogging is for, right?). If you disagree with me, please tell me - I love a friendly car debate ;)

I plan to write a combination of car reviews, responses to current recent news articles, and my thoughts on cars in general. I hope to gain followers and start some dialogue on this site.

The title of this blog, "you are what you drive" is IMHO a large reason why I'm interested in cars - I don't simply view cars as a way to get from point A to B, but rather as a very deep expression of one's inner-most identity. Car culture is exciting to me, and you can learn a lot about someone by the car they drive, its color, options, wheels, etc.