1992 Ford Aerostar Right Tail Light on 2040-parts.com

7 performance cars for less than $30,000 part two: Honda Civic Si vs. Volkswagen GTI

It's hard to fathom, but it's been more than a decade since the peak of the sport-compact craze saw modified Honda Civics cluttering the streets. Enthusiasts salivated over a Type R that wasn't (and still isn't) available on our shores, instead having to settle for the Si. Fast-forward to today and the debut of the ninth-generation Civic for the 2012 model year brings a new Si.

UK Car Sales up again in November (2012)

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has revealed that new car sales grew again in the UK in November – up by 11.3 per cent. At some point, new car sales in the UK must surely start to ease as the economic pressure bite, but so far in 2012 we’ve had an inexorable rise in numbers. The latest figures for November show new car sales (well, to be precise, new car registrations – which include Pre-Reg cars) up by an impressive 11.3 per cent, following on from a rise of 12.1 per cent in October, with private buyers driving sales rather than fleet.

Mercedes GLA 45 AMG: OFFICIAL

Mercedes GLA 45 AMG: OFFICIAL After the arrival of the Mercedes A 45 AMG – and its swoopy coupe sibling CLA 45 AMG – it was always more than likely that Mercedes would launch a GLA 45 AMG, and we saw the first evidence of that with the debut of the Mercedes GLA 45 AMG Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. But now, Mercedes has the production version of the GLA 45 AMG ready to go and we get the first photos and details ahead of its debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month. Powered by the same 355bhp 2.0 litre turbo as the A 45 AMG and CLA 45 AMG, the GLA 45 AMG manages to get to 62mph in 4.8 seconds (0.2 slower than the A 45 and CLA 45) and manages official economy fo 37.6mpg and 175g/km (but not in the real world).