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Edmunds ranks the best used cars for 2013

When people ask us what car we would recommend for them, it's usually not easy to answer. To make a useful recommendation we must consider which of the numerous vehicle segments fits their needs best, and then choose one of the many vehicles offered in each segment. For some people, new cars don't meet their expectations of value, because they lose so much of it the moment they are purchased and driven off the dealer lot. For them, there's always the used-car market, where great deals can be found, but cars' histories of reliability and maintenance records - and perhaps that Certified Pre-Owned warranty - become ever-important factors playing into purchase choice.
To help out, Edmunds has done us the favor of assembling a list of the best used vehicles money can buy, covering model years 2006-2011, according to what it considers the most important criteria when shopping for used autos: reliability, safety, value and availability. That means unreliable, unsafe, super-expensive or limited-edition models don't appear on the list, but instead cars from each segment that are more likely to satisfy the general population.
There are some real goodies on the list, including but not limited to vehicles such as the capable Honda Fit, the cultish Honda Accord coupe (which can be had with a 240-horsepower V6 and a six-speed manual transmission some years), and the powerful Chevrolet Corvette. While Edmunds' choice of the Volvo C70 for best used convertible baffled us at first (not that it's a bad car), it redeemed itself by stating that the Mazda MX-5 still is an unofficial top choice if you don't require more than two seats.

Hyundai in hot water over suicide-themed commercial

There's a surprisingly long and storied history of automakers creating suicide-themed advertisements. You'd think the companies and their marketing firms would have figured out by now that such ads always result in a swirl of backlash - see examples from Audi, Citroën, General Motors and Volkswagen, all pasted down below, as proof.
It seems somebody at Hyundai didn't get the message that many people don't find suicide a laughing matter. A video making the rounds on the web that was, according to Hyundai, produced in the UK, depicts a man trying to commit suicide by pumping exhaust fumes into the passenger compartment of his car. As it turns out, the self-assisted death doesn't quite go according to plan.
Scroll down below to see the ad from Hyundai, a slew of similar spots from other automakers, and an official statement from Hyundai. After that, we suggest reading this piece from our friends at AOL Autos to see how deeply such thoughtless advertisements can affect people.

New Genesis G80 costs $2,650 more than its predecessor

If you're in the market for a Hyundai Genesis, you'd best act fast. The Korean company's new luxury sub-brand, Genesis, just announced pricing for the rebadged G80, kicking the starting figure up across the board while adding a suite of desirable safety and tech features. The base model, with a 3.8-liter V6 and rear-wheel drive, starts at $41,400. All-wheel drive adds $2,500 to that figure, while both V6 models add $2,650 to the price of a Hyundai-badged Genesis sedan. Hyundai justifies the increase with a slew of now-standard equipment from the current car's discontinued Tech Package, including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, high-beam assist, and adaptive cruise control. Considering the Tech Package tallied $3,500, this is a net win. You can improve your six-cylinder G80 with a pair of packages. A $4,750 Premium Package adds fog lights, a panoramic sunroof, a 14-speaker Lexicon stereo, a seven-inch color instrument display, vented front seats, and a power sunscreen for the rear window. Genesis essentially carried over the current $3,500 Ultimate Package, which now costs $4,200. It includes matte wood, full-color HUD, 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment, a 17-speaker Lexicon stereo, and a power trunk lid, along with an upgraded power driver's seat, which used to be part of the Tech Pack. If you're hankering for the V8 model – no longer listed on the Hyundai USA consumer page – you're looking at a $650 bump, from $53,850 to $54,550. There are no option packs for the V8, so all you need to do is pick a color and drive away. Not surprisingly, the G80 undercuts its rivals by a few dollars. BMW will happily sell you a base 5 Series for $51,195. Mercedes offers an E-Class, the E300, at $53,075. Audi and Lexus are slightly more down to earth – an Audi A6 is $47,125 while a base GS is $46,595. So, going with the V6 G80 against its all-four-cylinder-turbo competition will save you, on average, around $8,100. That makes the $8,950 in option packs look awfully attractive. The difference between the G80 V8 and its rivals is smaller, but still significantly stacked in Genesis' favor, mainly because only BMW still offers a V8 in this segment – it's $67,295 ($12,745 more than a base G80 V8). Pricing on the US market 2017 E-Class is only available for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged E300, while neither Lexus nor Audi sell a V8 outside their respective high-performance brands.