I'm normally a pretty compassionate guy, but this story really brings out my inner schadenfreude.

Those annoying, upwardly mobile, credit-dependent, latte-sipping, people who just had to buy big new SUVs so they could crush smaller cars in accidents and make it harder to see in traffic are finding that their chosen toys of masculinity compensation aren't worth what they thought they would be.

According (subscription required) to the Wall Street Journal, "A three-year-old large SUV today is worth about $2,000 to $3,000 less at trade-in than a three-year-old large SUV would have been in 2007." The culprit, of course, is soaring gas prices. People just can't afford cars that get 12-MPG.

In a wonderful example of the power of good karma, environmentally conscious folks who bought compact cars a few years ago out of concern for the environment sometimes find that they can actually get more for the cars now than they paid!

It's pretty well-known that cars are one of the worst investments you can make but, for a select group of small used cars, rising gas prices are sending values upward.

The average sale price for used vehicles in the United States has fallen 2.5% in the past year but, according to the Associated Press, "In the past year, the average used small car price has gone up 2 percent, from $9,278 to $9,470 ... There's evidence that the prices are accelerating, according to recent data from J.D. Power and Associates."

There's wonderful karmic beauty in this: gas pigs who bought environmentally unfriendly cars are now looking to sell because they can no longer afford the gas -- and they're finding that the cars aren't worth nearly as much as they thought they would be. And they're swapping into smaller cars that are more expensive than they used to be.

If you're looking to buy or sell a car, or just do some market research, check out AOL Autos.

You don't have to look very far to find instances of blatantly misleading but still legal advertising in the automotive industry. Even though most dealers clearly disclose how the deal works, the result is that car ads are obfuscatory and require very careful reading.

My favorite (or least favorite) example of deliberately confusing car advertising is the ol' "price reflects down payment and/or trade-in."

Here's an example of how this works in action. Sutherlin Nissan of Fort Myers advertises a 2003 Corvette priced at $24,988, with the caveat (in much smaller print) that "all prices are after your $2000 down payment."

Think about that. This dealer (and many, many other dealers that use the same tactics) are telling you that the car costs $24,988, not including another $2,000. Wouldn't it be more forthright to just say that the car costs $26,988? To my knowledge, the car industry is the only business that uses this tactic. Can you imagine if the flyer for the grocery store advertised "99 CENT VITAMIN WATER!" with an asterisk indicating that "price advertised does not include the other 50 cents that you have to pay for the drink"?

I know that these companies aren't doing anything illegal in their advertising. But to me, it's misleading enough that I wouldn't even consider buying from that dealer.

The AARP magazine had an interesting notion about shopping for used cars. Author Mary Makaruska suggests recruiting a car dealer to act as a search agent for the model of your dreams. They have access to the market and know how to wade through the ocean of BS that pollutes the used car world.

Of course, this recommendation depends on doing your homework first, knowing beforehand exactly what car you want, how equipped, how many miles, and just what you are prepared to pay for it. How do you determine this?

The most reliable source, imho, is Consumer Reports. I don't trust over-the-counter blue/yellow/black/whatever books, or their on-line avatars. Look at their advertisers, and ask yourself whose best interests these book producers are liable to serve?

The Consumer Reports used car service reports aren't free ($12), but are comprehensive and honestly derived. Armed with these figures, and adding in fair profit for dealer you approach, you should be able to give the dealer a realistic target price.

Makaruska advises, and I concur, that you steer clear of any salesman that demands a deposit or persists in attempting to steer you to a different car. The person you want as your agent is the one that will honor your desires and is upfront about costs, and preferably one that has a track record of filling such a role.

With the price target predetermined and your careful study of the Carfax report of any candidates the dealer locates, you should be well armed to avoid emotional buys. This will help assure you end up with the ride you want at a reasonable price.

Check out the video below for the results of a Dateline investigation into one car dealer's slimy sales practices. Here are 2 tips for how to avoid getting taken at the car lot based on the clip:

Don't negotiate based on payments: When you're buying a car, keep your eye on the total amount that you're paying, not the monthly payment. If you can't get super low-interest financing, consider paying for a car in cash. If you can't afford to pay cash for a car, you have to wonder whether you're buying more car than you can afford. The young lady in the video thought she was getting a good deal when she negotiated a lower payment but the dealer extended the terms of the loan by 12 months, meaning she was paying thousands more for the car when she thought she had been a shrewd negotiator.

Don't lie on your loan application: This one seems obvious but it's pretty common. First, lying on a loan application is a felony in some cases. Second, exaggerating your income to qualify for a bigger loan is a great way to get yourself in over your head. So don't lie. Watch the video for a good cautionary tale.

When I was 16 I drove my parents' used '85 Subaru station wagon (a.k.a. The Silver Bullet). I was just thrilled to be behind the wheel of something with four moving tires. I could pack at least five friends in it legally and a few more if we avoided driving by the Dairy Queen in our small Texas Town. That was where you cops drank coffee.

The Bullet was great on gas mileage and 100% paid off. In fact my parents never took a loan out on a car. They bought used vehicles in good condition with whatever they had in their bank account. Now, we didn't live under a rock, our family had two credit cards, but they either always had low or no balances on them. This lack of debt wasn't because they had a lot of money to pay off cards off each month; it was because they never spent a lot on things that they "wanted." They only made purchases they needed.

I've recently become a huge fan of financial guru Dave Ramsey. On his radio show and in his books, he distills personal finance into a set of pretty simple principles, and he cuts through a lot of the garbage. Here's a gem from his chapter on myths about debt from his amazing book The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness:

Myth: You can get a good deal on a new car at 0 percent interest.

Truth: A new car loses 60 percent of its value in the first four years; that isn't 0%.

I don't think anyone has ever explained the problem with buying a new car so well. Here's what you need to remember when you're shopping for a car: Buying a new car is pretty much always a bad idea. No matter how good a deal you get, you're buying a depreciating asset at the moment before it heads into its most rapid depreciation.

Plus, you're buying it before it's been out for a few years -- You know nothing about the model year's reliability or any other issues that tend to crop up after the car's been on the road for a few years.

So when is it OK to buy a new car? When you have so much money that it doesn't matter at all. Until then, stick with used cars that you can afford to buy with cash.