Apologies for the lack of qualities posts - I've been really busy lately with work, extracurricular activities, and planning the move to San Diego... yes I'm doing it.

One of the first things I've had to do is start looking for a new car. For short-haul trips to SouthPoint, the Ford Taurus does well, but we all know that thing is on its last legs after I took it on the Boston road trip last winter. I test-drove a 2007 Honda Civic this past weekend - I had really high expectations for this car when I went in.

First thing that pissed me off is the deceptive marketing. The Civic markets itself as a base cost of $15,000-ish ... except this model (DX) offers no air-conditioning, no map-light, and no radio. The dealership I went to doesn't even offer this model on the lot.

I finally got around to test-driving it, and boy was I not impressed. The thing just went ... as in it didn't impress me at all. (This following sentence may sound like a joke, but I'm serious) I may be a bit spoiled, but I drive a Ford Taurus and a Chevy Impala - both of those engines have this bit of a "kick" from the V6 that makes acceleration more powerful - I guess the 4-banger in the Civic isn't capable of that.

Don't get me wrong, the Civic is a fine car. The interior is great (although I felt slightly uncomfortable during my test drive, I prob mis-adjusted the seat), and I've heard it's incredibly reliable and has a great resell value (which is an overrated factor in my book, since I'm pretty much going to drive a car until it dies or is vastly useless) ... but for nearly $18.5K (which is about what you'll pay for it on average) ... totally not worth it. I would pay, probably at most, $17 - $17.5K for the particular Civic I test drove... on way I'm paying $18.5K for it. Never.

I just get this feeling that Honda is starting to cash in on the Civic brand name with a premium ... which is OK, but I totally thought the Civic was a value buy.

My dad has a '05 Chevy Malibu, which is actually a pretty nice car. I drove it from North Carolina to Kansas when my dad was moving to KC for his new job, and I was thoroughly impressed with the feel; the responsiveness of the car was far better than what I felt with the Civic.

Cars to check out this week:

• Chevy Malibu
• Chevy Cobalt
• Scion tC
• Dodge Caliber
• Mazda 3 (thanks Steph and Godwin)