Ugliest Cars of 2010 

as listed at Forbes.com

The Acura ZDX is a $45,000 hatchback that looks like a cross between a small SUV and a station wagon. Fewer than 160 of them sold last month in the United States; just over 3,000 have sold there at all. Yet the ZDX gets acceptable reviews from Edmunds.com and Consumer Reports, who praise its all-wheel-drive and handling. Why isn't this car selling better?

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• » In Pictures: The Ugliest Cars of 2010
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• » The Year’s Bestselling Cars
• » Year-End Car Buying Traps To Avoid

Acura ZDX

Maybe because it's ugly, says John McElroy, the host of Autoline Daily. "For some reason, [Acura] has settled on this grill that I've described as a goofy jack-o-lantern grin," he says. "I don't know anybody who likes it."

The ZDX isn't the only car held back by ungainly looks. The Honda Accord Crosstour, the Scion xB and the Nissan Cubearen't going to win any automotive beauty contests, either--and that's why they all appear on our list of the worst-looking cars of 2010.

Honda Accord Crosstour

To determine our list of the year's ugliest cars, we consulted with three long-time auto experts: Jake Fisher, senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports; Troy Snyder, director of product development at NADAGuides; and Autoline Daily's John McElroy. Each expert discussed what they think are the worst-looking new vehicles on the market.

Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder--some consumers love the quirky angles of the xB, or think the ZDX is sleek and sexy. But the extremely polarizing nature of these vehicles qualifies them for scrutiny.

Ford Flex

After turning out some real stinkers in recent years, American automakers can take solace from our list, since the Ford Flex and Chevrolet HHR are the only entries from Detroit. One reason why: Ford, GM and Chrysler played it safe this year, and were less likely to try out new combinations in design and aesthetic.

"Quite honestly, the domestics can't afford to make these types of mistakes," Fisher says. "The vehicles that we're talking about are kind of niche vehicles, and I think what the domestics are doing right now is concentrating on bread-and-butter cars."

Mazda RX-8

Does safe always mean boring? Not necessarily. Hyundai has done a good job of separating itself from the ho-humAccord-Camry pack by offering the Sonata and Elantra, Fisher says. Both cars are affordable, solidly built family sedans that also look great.

On the other hand, Mazda walks a fine line between safe and trendy. The Japan-based automaker sells odd-looking cars like the RX8 that drive well, but that are almost too "faddish," according to McElroy.

"I think Mazda went a little bit far in their styling," he says. "They're putting in these very swoopy lines with a lot of character into the sheet metal ... I'm not sure that it has really connected with the public."

Nissan Cube

While it's good for a car to be popular, going too trendy usually means sales will fade out quickly. (Just look at theChrysler PT Cruiser, Chrysler Sebring, and Suzuki Aerio.) But a car like the Ford Taurus, which launched to a slow start in the 1980s, gradually improved in look and quality and eventually became a solid seller. And the classically styledFord Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette have remained design icons with steady sales for decades.

"There's a particular look and style that goes along with American muscle, and there's an aggressive, almost mean horsepower torque look and feel to the skin of the Mustang," Snyder says. "It's that consumer expectation of what American muscle should look and sound like, and Ford has done an excellent job at listening to the consumer."

If there is a particular look and style that goes along with an American hatchback, Acura hasn't found it yet.

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I also recommend www.villagemotors.com for the very best car buying experience.

Worship Technology Resources

While this post is a little off topic, it's about something close to my heart.

For the past four years I have dedicated many hours to learning, mastering, and producing the very best Worship Service Experiences that I can. While on this journey of enlightenment, I have found and tried many software solutions and content providers. 

Through this process of  trial and error, I have landed on several that stand above the crowd, and deserve my full endorsement, and may help you along your path to excellence in service.

The first, and the one I am most deeply involved with is Media Shout which I use each and every week. Media shout is a fabulous platform to develop and present your Worship Vision to your congregation. I refer to it as power point on steroids! If you are involved in the production of services at your church, you are missing an incredible evangelistic tool if your not using MediaShout!

Once you dive in to Media Shout, and you will, you will find that you need some really good content. While media shout comes with hundreds of lyrics (like a built in hymnal) and every version of the Bible ever conceived, you will quickly find the provided backgrounds very elementary. 

I bought the Igniter Media Uber Pack soon after we first started, and found many beautiful and inspirational backgrounds, motion loops, and video shorts. In fact, I still use some of them, and occasionally buy a video short to use as an object lesson. Igniter is a quality company, with very good, inspired  products.

As my sophistication and determination grew, I went in search of more and better backgrounds. My next, and still favorite find was Motion Worship. Now, here is a sight with absolutely the most artistic, inspiring, and beautiful moving backgrounds one could want! For $50 a year I got unlimited downloads! Our service has consisted of mostly backgrounds from motion worship for several years now (and still does).

I discovered another source last week that shows real promise as well. For less than $100 per year they also offer unlimited downloads. This site is ShareFaith. I've only been using their stuff a few weeks, but for a hundred bucks, I recommend them! I produced the majority of our week three Advent service using there backgrounds.

For worship videos to use as object lessons, my main resource has been SermonSpice. The selection is a bit overwhelming, but they provide topical search capabilities that will help you find what you are looking for.

There are many fantastic resources available on the web, these are just a few that I use regularly and have stuck with. Here's hoping that your service to The Lord turns out as rewarding as mine! God Bless.... Bruce

When Honesty Doesn't Quite Cut It

The last few years has certainly exposed us to a fundamental breakdown of trust in our society. While honesty is still alive in most American institutions, the lies and deception of these times has created an overwhelming climate of caution and mistrust. Trust takes many years of actions over words to establish. Admittedly, there is no substitute for honesty in business. But sometimes, honesty alone just isn't enough, not the only key to good decisions. An honest doctor can make the wrong prognosis, an honest broker can make a bad investment recommendation, and an honest car dealer may not offer the best value in a used car!

Knowledge and experience, coupled with integrity, usually results in good advice, good value. Here at Village Motors in Conover, NC we take enormous pride in not only the way we run our business with integrity, but also in the enormous value that each and every one of our customers derive from the decades of experience and knowledge that we bring to the table for you. We've accumulated this vast amount of knowledge and experience from selling over 30,000 cars since 1969. We've assisted in excess of 20,000 good folks, just like you, with top notch financing for the transportation your family needs. We never have, and never will indulge in the fast profits that come from slick and deceptive sales promotions. We always have, and we always will, be here to serve you and your family, every day. With honesty, integrity AND experience!

Simply put, there is no one else in the car business that can offer you the value that we do. We just have the years and years of dedication to this community, the car business, and our customers that profoundly stands above the rest. We have the cars, trucks, and SUV's that you really want, and we have the experience to help you get the best value available for your hard earned dollar.

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A Very Good Day

I had a very good day yesterday. I really try to have a good day everyday, but like everybody else, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Yesterday it did.

It all started a few weeks ago when I was asked to be part of a ‘panel of experts’ on Social Media and the car business. If you know me, you know I said yes before the question was even finished being asked. Then regretted it immediately. The more I pondered upon it the more my inner voice reminded me... who really wants to hear anything you have to say? So I started trying to figure out how to get out of it.

But there was a problem. The individual who had asked me is someone that I greatly respect and admire. Someone I did not want to, nor could I, let down. So i let the self doubt fester. How was I gonna pull this off? What in the world do I know about anything? Who really wants to listen to anything I have to say?

And that’s how I was feeling when I finally pulled into the “studio” early yesterday morning. When I say studio, what I really saw when I arrived was the back end of a cigar store that had been converted into a talk show style television studio. Actually it was really cool, and quite comfortable.

We sat down, another ‘expert’, a moderator, and me. And we started chatting about social media, FaceBook, Youtube, smartphones, and you know, stuff. Somewhere along the way the crew started filming and two hours later it hit me... I know a lot about this ‘stuff’. I had a great time, made some new friends and left with a vastly renewed since of value and self worth. I was ten feet tall and bullet-proof when we finished.

I really enjoyed myself, shared some valuable insights with my fellow CIADA members, and felt great about the whole experience, and myself.

That’s a good day.