consumer issues

Buying a foreclosed home is a little different from buying a typical resale.

In many cases, only one real estate agent is involved.

The seller wants a preapproval letter from a lender before accepting an offer.

There often is little, if any, room for negotiation.

The home comes as is, and it's up to the buyer to pay for repairs.

The great hybrid war started at a time when hardly anybody cared.

Honda, the pioneer in hybrid automobiles back in 1999 with its vanguard two-seat Insight, introduced a popular-priced compact Insight four-door sedan for the 2010 model year.

Specifications for the 2010 Honda Insight EX Navi four-door hybrid hatchback.

Engine: 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline with electric motor-generator, total 98 horsepower.

Transmission: Continuously variable automatic.

Overall length: 14 feet 4 inches.

EPA passenger/cargo volume: 85/16 cubic feet.

Weight: 2,734 pounds.

2010 HONDA INSIGHT EX

TYPE: Front-drive, five-passenger, hybrid-powered, compact sedan.

PRICE: $21,300; $23,100 as tested.

WHERE BUILT: Suzuka, Japan.

KEY RIVALS: Toyota Prius, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid.

In today's economy, affordability trumps fuel efficiency.

The 2010 Honda Insight has both bases covered.

Pitched as the lowest-priced hybrid-power car on the market, the Insight is aiming to give Toyota's Prius a heck of a run for its money.

We see bankruptcy. We think: fire sale.

And why not? Consumers have been trained that way forever. As companies prepare to shut their doors, the banners go up.

Everything must go! Up to 70 percent off!

And we rush in and buy Blue Ray this and "i" that. Stock up for Christmas with video games. Buy the extra suit, shoes or top we'll never wear.

Homeowners facing foreclosure have one more thing to worry about: loan modification scams.

Normally, homeowners seek loan modifications in hopes of forestalling foreclosure. However, scam artists have seized the opportunity to use phony loan modification schemes to prey on vulnerable borrowers.

Specifications for the 2010 Toyota Prius III four-door hatchback sedan.

Engines: 1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline with 650-volt electric motor, 134 horsepower combined.

Transmission: Continuously variable automatic.

Overall length: 14 feet 8 inches.

EPA passenger/cargo volume: 94/22 cubic feet.

Weight: 3,042 pounds.

The 2010 Toyota Prius adopts a theme from a revered song: "I'm going to change the way I strut my stuff."

Arguably, the Dodge Challenger is the coolest coupe on the road today.

So far, I haven't found anyone who wants to argue.