THE GOOD 12 v2.0 FOR 2009 - INTRO

On December 20th of 2007, The Good Car Guy began the introductions of twelve cars believed to be the best suited vehicles for 2008. Twelve cars made the cut for The Good 12 - all of which you can read about here - including seven from Europe, one from the United States, three from Japan, and one from Korea. 

These cars provided the answers to the following questions in The Good 12 Intro from last year: "Is there only one car worthy of our compliments this year? Should we not expect cars - those priced high above the average consumer's spending ability - to be great, able to sell without our recommendation? Are the only cars worth recommending brand new designs? Are we to recommend cars suitable only for the budgets of residents in Malibu Hills?" You may remember the answers: no, yes, no, no. On top of those four one-word answers came the Audi TT, BMW 3-Series Convertible, Chevrolet Corvette, Honda Accord & Fit, Hyundai Accent hatchback, Infiniti G, Mini Cooper, Porsche Boxster, smart fortwo, Volkswagen GTI, and Volvo V70. 

While The Good Car Guy would like to tell you all to incorporate an Audi RS6 into your lifestyle; or perhaps a mix of small and sporty hatchbacks.... or better yet, a trio of American muscle-car convertibles, there are multiple issues with that unrealistic viewpoint. For one thing, some cars are so expensive (above $75,000 USD) that The Good Car Guy believes greatness is pre-afforded to them. Almost every car in the price bracket above $75K is desirable, after all.

But what about those vehicles within our grasp? Within the context of the current economic environment, GoodCarBadCar.net's Good 12 v2.0 actually features a list fully below $60,000 USD. Hopefully those who could afford the Boxster or Corvette last year were able to understand why the Fit and Accent hatchback were desirable for others. That story continues this year. We trust that The Good Car Nation will see fit to understand why a variety of vehicles were chosen. 

Interestingly, there's one easy method in deciding what belongs and doesn't belong in The Good 12 for 2009. Which vehicles would still be considered worthy of our praise if priced even higher than they already are? There are 12 such vehicles, and they will be listed here. After The Good 12 v2.0 is complete, the first Good 12 Supersize, The Bad 8 v2.0 and The Bad 8 Supersize will be revealed, as well. That's the place for cars that go unrecommendable even at half their price.

So, are you ready? One car per day with a brief list of specifications; reasoning; and an extra tidbit or two will be revealed beginning this afternoon. Bookmark this link in order to check back for the continuing reveal. Oh, and a couple more rules for you to swallow.

Unlike some publications who name one car each year as a Car of the Year, GoodCarBadCar.net recognizes a couple of important elements. First, new cars may not be better than previously released models. Should they simply be awarded for being better than other new stuff? Secondly, is there really only one car per year worthy of our recommendations? Of course not. Thus, all vehicles from last year's Good 12 are eligible to retain their titles. Only new or significantly revised models compete against those twelve. Also, only at The Good 12 Supersize will vans, SUVs, trucks, and crossovers compete. The Good 12 v2.0 is for cars competing in the North American market by January 1st only.