That's a pain that's gonna linger.

The esteemed Jonny Lieberman has posted some footage of some 1968 General Motors internal crash tests over at WebRidesTV.com, and we highly recommend jumping on over and watching the short video. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cringe. And don’t worry, there’s no mangled bodies, just primitive test dummies being flung around like so much chaff on the wind.

In our last installment we sprung Prince Albert from his can to profile a British minx, the Jaguar XK8/XKR. Today, we’re examining the progeny of Soichiro Honda. Honda love runs deep. We understand and respect this. If you’ve tattooed the phrase “DC5 Forever” on your chest, stop reading now. If not, listen to our sad tale of the car that forgot where it came from.

Also known as the Honda Integra in Japan.

The theme today is stepping out of the shadow of one’s predecessor. The RSX’s pappy was the DC2 Integra of 1994-2001. And the baddest DC2 was the Type R. The name has since become diluted by certain people’s slavish devotion to slapping “Type R” stickers all over anything that moves, but the original Type R was no appearance package. To understand the RSX, you have to understand the Type R.

As if the pentastar boys weren’t having enough trouble, word comes that they are bouncing checks due to owners of vehicles in California that the company has previously agreed are defective under the state’s Lemon Law. The customers, often with claims worth the entire cost of the vehicle, seem to have few options.

Who can really love a Volvo?

As you may have noticed, Editor-In-Chief Suzanne Denbow is away today, schlepping it up at the New York Auto Show. We’d be jealous, but she had to shell out her own cash to travel to New York and go to the show, and we’re far too cheap to bother doing something like that. As the saying goes, however, when the cat’s away, the mice will play. Since she isn’t around to stop us from writing things she might not agree with, we’re going to run amuck, and worry about getting fired after she gets back. After all, it’s always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

As such, we present an article that’s sure to frost her cookies when she sees it: the top five reasons Volvos suck:

Dubbed the CARS (Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save) Act, the newest bit of auto-rescuing legisltation to be handed down from the benevolent gods on Capital Hill aims at getting U.S. citizens out of their “clunkers” and into new cars – provided, of course, that said citizen is not an individual with respect to whom a deduction under section 151 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is allowable to another taxpayer for a taxable year beginning in the calendar year in which the individual’s taxable year begins; and said citizen’s adjusted gross income reported in such return was not more than $25,000 ($40,000 in the case of a joint tax return or a return filed by a head of household (as defined in section 2(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986). So essentially, the government wants to help you tack on a car payment to your list of monthly expenses, but only if you’ve demonstrated an income so low that you probably can’t afford it…but we digress.

So you’re looking for a vehicle for your daily commute, or maybe just for fun. Something that doesn’t cost very much but will put up with a lot of abuse that you don’t want on your primary vehicle. You also want it be fairly reliable so you don’t have to constantly pour more and more money into it. We have assembled here a list of 15 vehicles which can all be found for under $2500, and will all provide a variety of services. The most important part of looking for a beater vehicle is to talk to the owner and get an idea of how well it has been cared for. If maintained regularly, any of these cars should provide years more of service to you, but one wrong move and you could end up wasting money on a lemon. Overall condition of the exterior is somewhat correlated to the level of care taken by the (sometimes multiple) owner(s). Assuredly since you are looking for an extra vehicle you can take the time to look around and find a good deal, and this will surely pay off in the long run. The best beater however is a car you know the history of, one owned by family or friends you can count on to have kept serviced.

1. Fifth Generation (1991-1995) Honda Civic

Honda cars have long been known for their reliability and thrifty fuel economy, and the Civic line provides a variety of layouts to suit your specific beater needs. A small hatchback coupe for the person looking for ultimate fuel economy, and a 4 door sedan for those who might carpool on their commute. The best part of these cars is there have been so many made that almost anyone can work on them if you do need a little service here or there, and with many out there you can shop around.