It used to be that weather was the topic of choice for small talk. But these days it's gas and the high prices at the pump. Callers are telling Clark that some gas stations won't let you fill up your tank completely; they cap you at a certain dollar limit. This helps protect them from drive-offs and bum credit card numbers in the age of inflated gas prices. If you go back 3 years ago, the cost to fill up was 40% what it is today. That's an enormous change in a short time.

Since we can't control what we pay at the pump, we'd better start controlling other factors. In Denver, 400 cars have been equipped with technology to monitor how you're driving and let you know how to maximize fuel economy on the road. So far this experiment has yielded a 20% increase in fuel economy. Clark himself has become obsessive about using cruise control, even on suburban drives.

Years before computers were routinely in cars, Volkswagen helped increase fuel economy by 30% in its stick shift vehicles. They had a light that would flash and beep to alert you when to shift gears. Most drivers tend to shift too early and waste fuel.

Many more automated solutions will be coming in the next few years. But for now, it's all about controlling our behavior as drivers. That means no jackrabbit starts. When Clark got his first hybrid, a Honda Insight, he averaged about 58 miles/gallon. On the highway, he was getting 70-77 miles/gallon. It's all a matter of what you're willing to do -- be it drive a smaller car, drive smarter or drive less.

The IRS has new numbers on mileage standards that are up to just under 60 cents/mile. Clark has traditionally said that it costs you around 50 cents a mile to operate a vehicle, but now that's obviously changing.

Fuel is only a part of the cost. But we've become so myopic by only focusing on the mpg ratings. In fact, people are making emotional auto-buying decisions based on those mpg ratings.

Clark's Dash unit has added a feature that lists nearby gas stations and their prices. That goes to show our fixation on gas prices. Likewise, comparison sites like GasBuddy.com and others are booming.

But Clark encourages you to step back and think about the big picture. Even with $4/gallon gas, it's the overall cost of a vehicle that matters: Depreciation, insurance, the cost of your loan, maintenance, repairs, etc.

If you go from a gas guzzler that's paid for to a new vehicle with a 5-year loan, think about the cost of that loan every single month. Not to mention that dumping your gas guzzler will probably get you awful trade-in value.

You may need to reconsider that choice.

While the price of oil has our attention, there's a renewed focus on finding cars that have the best fuel economy. Yet such vehicles are not necessarily the cheapest to own and operate.

For example, hybrids are hot right now. But they're not cheap to own. In fact, Edmunds.com has only 1 hybrid in the Top Ten on a new tally of truly cheap cars. (Editor's note: All picks are 2008 models.)

In addition to standard fuel costs, Edmunds looked at the purchase price; the rate of depreciation; the cost of insurance and more in making its selections. One word of warning: You can't draw any inferences about quality from this list; it only pertains to the raw costs associated with cars.

Without further ado, here are the 10 cheapest cars to own and operate:

1. Chevy Aveo
2. Hyundai Accent
3. Honda Fit
4. Toyota Yaris
5. Honda Civic
6. Nissan Versa
7. Kia Rio
8. Mazda 3
9. Toyota Corolla
10. Honda Civic Hybrid

As you can see, these are all smaller cars. They all get around 30 mpg (composite) for average fuel economy. But their true cost is so much cheaper than most of the hybrids.

Out of this list, several cars also come highly recommended by Consumer Reports. They include the Fit, the Mazda 3, the Versa and the Honda Civic/Honda Civic Hybrid.

You've probably heard anecdotally that the cars we're buying have changed. GM, Ford and Chrysler are wounded ducks right now because so much of their business is in larger vehicles. New data shows that sales of the Big 3 have dipped below that of the smaller Asian cars for the first time ever.

The No. 1 selling vehicle is now the Honda Civic -- not the Ford F-Series pickup truck as it's been for years. In fact, sales of big SUVs are down to just 4% of the entire market.

People stuck in a new gas guzzler are always torn between keeping it and dumping it. Typically, you're better off keeping it and budgeting for the high gas prices. The reality is that fuel is still a small amount of the total ownership cost of a vehicle.

But if, for example, you have a 4-year old SUV, you may want to think about dumping it for a used fuel-efficient car. Depreciation will threaten your wallet more than the actual fuel costs.

Clark recently saw an analysis that found driving an SUV for 15K miles/year over a period of 5 years will cost you $100K. That factors in purchase price, maintenance and fuel.

The July issue of Consumer Reports has a cover story about gas-saving cars. There's a new top dog out there and it's the Hyundai Elantra SE. The No. 2 car is the Honda Civic EX (manual). Other top choices include the Toyota Prius, Mazda 3 and the Subaru Impreza. In the class of extra-small cars, the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa both got kudos.

In Clark's TV work, he recently reported on a website that offers an interactive tool that should help the owners of old gas guzzlers. The site addresses that all-important question: Does it make sense to keep it or dump it and get a brand-new fuel-efficient vehicle? Before you play around with this tool, you should realize that the cost of a car is more than just the price of a gallon of gas or a barrel of oil. You have depreciation, maintenance, insurance, repairs and interest on the loan if you're not buying upfront.

What kind of gas mileage are you really getting? To find out, fill up your tank, set your trip odometer to zero and drive your normal route over a tank of gas. Then fill up again and divide the number of gallons you buy into the number of miles you drove. Keep in mind that if you replace your gas guzzler with a used car of similar age that gets great fuel economy, well, the math is irrelevant for you. You've simply bought like to replace like, in terms of age.

Clark's been hearing some interesting things in the car market. For the longest time, 4 cylinder engines were unloved. Now they're back with a vengeance. If your last 4 cylinder went from 0 to 60 in a day and a half, the technology has changed so much over the last few years. Today's 4 cylinder engines are more powerful and get better fuel economy than yesteryear. Meanwhile, sales of ultra-small cars like the Honda Fit have shot through the roof. So Clark's advice is look one size bigger for a steal of a deal. You'll get less depreciation over time and the slight decrease in fuel economy won't be much to outweigh the potential savings upfront.

Regular oil changes are a great way to ensure your car has a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, many people are susceptible to getting scammed during an oil change because they don't know much about their cars. The state of California has now reached a $5 million settlement with EZ Lube over such a scam. Customers would initially come in for a $25 oil change. But EZ Lube employees had quotas to meet and weren't allowed to let customers go until they billed them a minimum of $75 for unnecessary work.

Here's how to avoid becoming a victim: First, you need to know that most cars get major regularly scheduled maintenance every 15,000 miles. So when you bring your vehicle in for an oil change, just bunt when you're told you need some hardware or repair that completely baffles you. Pay for the oil change, make a note of what you're told you need and tell the person you'll get it fixed during your next major service checkup. Major service can be done either at a car dealership service center or at an independent shop that specializes in your brand of vehicle. Clark prefers the latter.

There's one call that Clark has taken on the air about 60 times over the years, and he's never been able to answer it convincingly: Is it worth it to pay the extra bucks to buy a hybrid just to pay less in gas every week? Now Edmunds.com has done a cost analysis of some of the top hybrid models. Their research indicates how much longer it takes to get a return on investment if you buy the hybrid versions of any cars in the study. It's the Ford Escape that gives you the quickest payback -- owners will break even at around 3 years. The Honda Civic and the Mercury Mariner tie at No. 2. The Saturn Vue checks in at No. 3, allowing owners to break even in 4.8 years. Keep in mind that any hybrid offering return on investment in under five years is a smart buy. On the other end of the spectrum, the Toyota Highlander takes 11 years before you break even and the Camry will take you 12 years. And what about the Prius? Because there's no exact gas-engine equivalent, Edmunds looked at the Prius vs. Corolla. Turns out it will take you a whopping 13.6 years to get payback if you only drive your Prius 15,000 miles/year! So Toyota -- the greenest of all the automakers -- actually does not give you good payback on your hybrid-purchasing dollar. Clark advises people to only buy a Toyota hybrid if they're doing it because of deeply held environmental beliefs.

Consumer Reports has released its annual vehicle reliability survey and Toyota has come out with a black eye. For the first time ever, the Japanese company's Camry has been dropped from the recommended list. Toyota made a corporate decision a few years back to become the world's largest automaker. In doing so, they had to take the focus away from making quality vehicles and shift it to growth. That explains why Toyota as a whole now checks in at No. 5 on Consumer Reports' tally of the most reliable vehicles sold in the United States.

Meanwhile, Ford has emerged as an unlikely hero in the report thanks to its enormous jump in quality. The "Not your Father's Ford" tagline is taking on a new meaning and people can no longer joke that Ford stands for "fix or repair daily."

The top carmaker remains Honda, followed by Acura and Scion. The first American nameplate on the list is Buick, followed by Mercury and then Ford. The least reliable car sold in the United States is Land Rover, followed by Hummer, Cadillac and Mercedes.

Cars speak to us emotionally. Clark's producer Joel bought a 2000 Nissan Altima recently that doesn't really stir his emotions; he simply views it as dependable transportation. Joel might have picked a Honda Element if he were buying on emotion alone. Christa, Clark's executive producer, has named the hybrid version of her standard Lexus RX 300 as her dream car.

Sometimes it's hard to step back from the emotional side and make a smart auto purchase. But think about the underlying hassle that comes with purchasing an unreliable vehicle.

When you're ready to go car shopping, get pre-qualified for a car loan from a credit union and then get Consumer Reports' annual auto buying guide. Try to find a balance of quality and that emotional X factor and you'll be on your way to a great car purchase.

For 15 years, Clark has talked about the advantage of keeping a new car for at least 10 years or buying a used car and keeping it for at least four years. Cars lose about half of their value during the first three years, but then the loss ratio drops off pretty steeply after that time. Consumer Reports has now done a study on the virtues of keeping a car for 15 years. Bear in mind that most owners only keep their vehicles for three or maybe five years. But by keeping a car for 15 years or 225,000 miles, you save $31,000 dollars. The report found that during the course of 15 years, your average maintenance will be $18,000 and your insurance will be $18,000.

Consumer Reports also identified 10 vehicles that are reliable enough to last 15 years -- and they’re all Japanese! Among the top ones are Honda’s Civic, CRV and Element; and Toyota’s Forerunner, Landcruiser and Highlander models. So what vehicles should you not buy? A lot of European models, according to Consumer Reports, such as the BMW 7 Series, the Infiniti QX 56 and select models of Jaguar, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Volvo. Meanwhile, how should you decide when it does not make sense to repair a car? Clark typically tells people the cutoff should be when the cost of repair is 50 percent or more of the car’s trade-in value. Now Consumer Reports says you can push that up to the actual trade-in value. Other times you should junk a car is when it’s rusted out; really unreliable, in a flood or in an awful accident.

The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index from the University of Michigan has been released. This quarterly survey has been around since 1994 and keeps tabs on the good, the bad and the ugly in multiple industries. The big news this year is that American automakers did very well. While the top automaker was foreign (Toyota's Lexus division), homegrown companies like Cadillac, Buick and Lincoln-Mercury all tied for second place. Meanwhile, Toyota's namesake division fell way behind on the tally. Clark thinks the Japanese automaker has been taking its eye off the ball lately. The Toyota business model is now geared toward growth and quantity, not quality. That accounts for why they've been issuing more recalls than ever. Fortunately for Toyota, there are some corporate initiatives in Japan to raise the quality of their namesake line of vehicles. In the computer industry, Apple is tops in customer satisfaction; Clark's wife has an Apple Macintosh that she loves. In the PC world, Hewlett Packard's HP line makes a beloved machine, yet HP's Compaq division has been voted the worst company in the industry. Meanwhile, Whirlpool continues its dominance in the appliances field, racking up its largest lead yet over the competition.

The Chinese have come into almost every American market except for cars—until now! Starting in 2008, Chinese cars will be sold under the Chrysler name in the U.S. Mainland China has a goal to account for 10% of cars sold in the world. But quality is a huge issue with Chinese manufacturing. Hyundai started off with terrible products at first; China might too! China makes terrible toys, dog food, tires, and much more, because there aren't sufficient checks and balances in the manufacturing system. So it will be a challenge for them to get the quality right. But they'd better, because the quality of cars these days is top drawer. Cars are better, safer and more reliable than they have ever been, so it's a great time to buy.

Ford is working with the power companies in California for plug-in hybrids, which are electric-powered for the first 40 miles, after which the car switches to gas. These are awesome! They cost only 2 cents per mile, only a fraction of what you pay per mile for gas! And it's a great way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

While the big oil companies are the ones ripping us off, it's your local gas station that gets the heat from consumers. But did you know that gas stations actually like it when the price of gas is lower? When prices get too high, people tend to buy less of the expensive convenience store goods like beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets that are profit boosters for gas stations.

No matter how you look at it, fuel is just one cost associated with a car. If you were paying to ride in your car the same way you pay to ride in a taxi, you'd be spending some 50 cents a mile. But what if you could drive for as little as two cents a mile? There are a number of smaller companies such as Kurrent making electric cars offering that kind of fuel economy. Kurrent -- which was bankrolled by ad-agency people using their retirement funds -- makes an electric vehicle that will go up to 35 miles an hour with a 100-mile range on flat ground. You can charge the vehicle in an ordinary household outlet. And though it is very small, it's built strong enough to be substantial in a crash. They're making up to 10 of these cars a day. The primary market is in large retirement communities in Florida, California and the mountain states. But if you think you're too cool for a grandpa-mobile, just ponder these economics: In addition to running for just two pennies a mile, a Kurrent costs as little as $10,000 to buy. Now that's a Clark Car if ever there was one! Clark has been fixated on great fuel economy since the oil shortages of the '70s. As he says, we are the strongest nation on Earth, but we won't always be if continue to give our money to oil-producing nations that want to destroy us. We must be innovative as Americans, and going electric with your car is one way to do it.

GPS systems have changed driving forever. They talk back to you and tell you what to do. There is even a GPS now with the voice of Mr. T who quips at you to “go the right way, fool!” The fact that they tell us what to do helps us avoid accidents though. GPS units are helping us make safer decisions on the road. Some safety features are too controlling and inhibit our lives, while others are great for us. Most of these new features, such as anti-rollover stability systems, are intrusive but are definitely helping save lives. So be thankful for those little safety inventions that might be a little annoying at times-- they are making us all safer.

Studies have shown that debris on the road has become a major problem. Mattresses are one of the main things that fall out of the beds of trucks but there are many other hazards as well. 155 people were killed in California alone in the last 24 months by debris falling off of people's cars and trucks. So when you are attempting to move things yourself, make sure you tie your load down. And when you think you have it tied down, tie it down some more.

How many cars do you have in your household? Are any of them sitting there unused? If you’re a three car family and have two drivers, there is usually one car sitting idle. You probably only need a half a car or a fourth of a car, though. That’s why car-sharing programs have become so popular, especially in big cities. You pay a monthly membership fee and you can get a car whenever you want it. The cars are strategically placed around the city, and the companies are usually in cities where people often don’t use cars. Zipcar is one of these companies. It’s been around for several years with operations in New York, Boston and San Francisco among others. But the company is branching out to car-dependent cities as well, such as Chapel Hill, Atlanta and Dallas. Cars cost so much money to maintain and insure these days that it could really be a logical concept. So, how much do these services cost? The average person spends about $70 a month on their “part-time” car. That’s compared to $500 a month for your own car.

The price of gasoline went up 35 cents in just the last month. Where's that money going and why? Get Clark's tips on how to keep more of it in YOUR pocket. Disable your pop-up blocker first!

Car depreciation costs are now at 53 cents a mile. Find out how to reduce that cost. Listen now! Remember to turn off your pop-up blocker in order to listen.

This is going to be a bad year for deer. Hitting a deer is not only a traumatic experience, but it can also severely damage your car. One of the main recommendations is to be aware and alert while driving. If you see a deer, it means there are probably others nearby. So, back off the gas pedal. As harsh as it sounds, it’s sometimes better not to try and swerve around the deer if one is in the road. You can easily lose control of the car that way and harm yourself. Also, cars are coming equipped with all kinds of detection devices that warn you of something in the road or help you anticipate a collision. For example, if your car starts moving into the lane next door, there are systems that automatically pull the car back over. Other ideas from car makers include safety belts that turn into airbags in a collision. These are great to have if you live in deer territory.

Gas prices are out of control these days. A barrel of oil at wholesale is just under $65, and that figure translates into what we’re paying for gas. Typically, gas prices fluctuate seasonally. Gas prices usually peak sometime between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and then they start to decline. But not this year. There is so much instability regarding our supply of oil and the reliability of the countries from which we get it. As a result, there is a $15 to $20 “uncertainty premium” that we’re paying. It’s even worse for people who pay for premium gas at the pump. Very few cars actually need premium gasoline, even if it says it on the inside of your gas cap. Even Porsche has admitted it doesn’t need premium gas. So, unless you have a super charger, you can probably use regular gas. It doesn’t hurt the engine or the car at all.

Clark has talked in the past about the cost of tires and ways people can save on them. Today, the cost of tires is rising out of control. Why? One reason is that there are many auto manufacturers who are trying to create a sporting image around the car. So, they put big wheels and tires on the car that make drivers feel like they are in a race car. The tires are much more expensive and they don’t last nearly as long as regular, sturdy tires. Many people don’t know the fancy tires are on the car until they start to see premature wear and tear. Tires for run-of-the-mill cars should cost $30 to $50 and they should last 50,000 miles or so. High performance tires only last about 12,000 miles and they cost tons. Check out tirerack.com if you must buy these fancy tires. It’s a great site for finding unusual replacement tires. The tires are shipped to an installation center near you or to your house if you’d like. You can save a lot!

Getting a car repaired can be a nerve wracking experience. You don’t know who to trust or what to expect. And, when they take your car away you have to trust they will do what they have promised. Most of the time they do, but sometimes they don’t. And this has severely hurt the reputation of auto repair shops. One shop suburban Detroit wants to gain back customers’ trust, so they’ve taken extra steps. The company allows customers watch the repair over the Internet as it is happening. The program is called “Auto Watch,” and it allows you to access video of your car using a particular code. By allowing customers to check in on the repair, the shop deals with fewer phone calls from customers and increases trust with them. A software developer created the program and now sells it to repair shops all over the country. About two dozen new shops a month are buying the program, which is now in 40 states. If it’s not in your state yet, just remember to find a mechanic you trust through word of mouth. Get a written estimate whenever you have work done, and always get a second estimate for major repairs- even if you have to have your car towed to another shop.

Most of us have no knowledge about cars. When something breaks and it makes a funny noise, people have no idea what is wrong or how to handle it. Wouldn’t it be great if teenagers learned about what is under the hood of a car and how to change a tire while they learned how to drive? According to the Chicago Tribune, some high school students are taking an elective in auto mechanics and they are getting a huge benefit. Unfortunately, a lot of schools are getting rid of these programs for budget reasons. When teenagers are starting to drive, if they know about the car they’re more likely to be successful and safe.

When the chips are down and your car is on the skids, how do you know whom to trust? There are so many horror stories about the problems people have with mechanics and automotive repair. Often shops will do work on cars when they don’t really need it. It’s a rough business. So, Clark has always believed that the time to find someone to repair your car is not when it’s in trouble, but when it’s running fine. If you trust that shop and you like the work they do, keep using them. Clark has been with the same auto shop since 1987 because he trusts them. The good news is that AAA, or the Automobile Association of America, is moving into the repair business. AAA has experimented with various kinds of programs, including certified AAA shops. These shops have gone through an arbitration program and have been AAA-certified to offer the best service at a reasonable price. But now AAA is experimenting with doing repairs themselves. There are AAA repair facilities in California and the Carolinas. A test will also start soon in Florida, and you’ll be able to bring your car into an AAA-owned shop. They are going to be both the fox and the henhouse, and we’ll see if it works. But remember to address problems beforehand, not when you’re in trouble. And, getting a second opinion is always a good idea.