Okay, so I'm pretty much down to the Altima vs. the Accord.

Here are the reasons for this:

- The Golf TDI is an incredibly good handling car and clearly has the best mileage, it's price premium and limited availability at dealers reduces what models and colors you can choose from. There's also the risk that the reliabillity won't be there and out of warranty repairs or nickel and diming could become a problem down the road. It also allows a bit more road noise than I like on the highway, and were I to have a more low speed or in town type drive I might be more open to it. However while it might not be the right car for me right now, I'm definitely keeping it on the short list for the NEXT ride.

- The Mustang is clearly designed for people who want to have fun and turn heads. The acceleration cannot be matched by any other car here, it is really quick. The steering wheel feels a bit chunky, but that's part of the retro design. As for the ride quality it's pretty firm, and handling is good, but the rear wheel drive could be a pain in the ass on snow days. I'm just not sure that's the right car for me as a daily driver for all seasons. But if you don't mind it won't matter the 2011 Mustang is the real deal. If I had a shorter commute I might be more serious about considering it. But I'm not a big Mustang fan, I never have been, and apparently that's not changing any time soon. Don't get me wrong it's a honey of a car, but just not the right fit for me right now.

- The Genensis Coupe is the real deal, think Hyundai's Corvette rather than Hyudia's Mustang competition. The GC is an all out sports car, and in the twisties can run with just about any of them. The 2.0T turbo drivetrain is very responsive, but unfortuneatley also pretty loud. I don't think I could deal with the NVH coming off that drive train for 2 hours a day. Also it has the same snow day trouble that the Mustang has with it's wide tires and rear wheel drive. The real killer though was the NVH combined with a completely useless back seat for adult passengers (duck your head). If you don't ever need to take anybody in the back, or kids only, then you can probably be pretty happy with the GC. It is definitely a track car in street car guise.