Buying a car is one of the most expensive purchases a person can make in their lifetime. Depending on the make and model you buy, you can easily spend $30,000 to $40,000 after paying down your principal and interest. Most people don’t consider insurance when shopping for a car, even though it can easily add $100-$200 to monthly car costs. This leaves many car buyers shell-shocked when they realize they didn’t budget for this added expense.

You don’t want this to happen to you. Before you go out and buy a new car, consider the top five cars offering the cheapest auto insurance quotes by Forbes and Insure.com.

#1: Hyundai Santa Fe
The Hyundai Santa Fe was listed as the least expensive vehicle to insure in 2009 with a average yearly insurance cost of $832.

This car’s main qualifier for the cheapest rate quote is a Highway Loss Data Institute report of “substantially better than average” for comprehensive insurance losses, as well as “better than average” for personal injury protection insurance losses. Some of the safety features that play a role in this vehicle’s low coverage costs include brake assist, body-side reinforcements, 3-point seatbelts, 4-wheel ABS, traction control, shift interlock system, front-rear crumple zones and multiple air bags.

#2: Kia Sportage
The second least expensive vehicle to insure is the Kia Sportage. With an average yearly insurance cost of $840, buying the Sportage makes insurance affordable.

The main reason insurance costs are so low with this vehicle is its safety ratings. With the NHTSA Star Ratings alone, the Sportage received the highest rating --  five stars -- for frontal and side tests on the driver, passenger, front seat and rear seat. Some safety features of the Sportage include multiple air bags, 4-wheel ABS, traction control, side-impact door beams and lower anchors & tether for children (LATCH).

#3: Hyundai Entourage
The Hyundai Entourage ranks number three on the list with an average yearly insurance cost of $848. Not bad!

The reason this car was quoted for a low insurance cost was because it received high safety scores from both the NHTSA and the IIHS. Some of the safety features on the Entourage include front side and curtain side airbags, ant-iskid system, traction control and anti-lock brakes.

#4: Kia Sedona
The Kia Sedona was an IIHS 2009 Top Safety Pick for its good performance in front, side and rear tests, as well as standard electronic stability control. Because of its top rankings across the board, the average yearly auto insurance rate for this minivan is $857. There are a ton of safety features on this car that give it its ranking. Some include electronic stability control, brake assist, 4-wheel ABS, passenger/side head/rear head air bags, height-adjustable front and 2nd row seatbelts, 3-point seatbelts, and an energy-absorbing steering column.

#5: Kia Rio5
The Kia Rio5 rounds out the list of the top five cars with the cheapest auto insurance quotes. This mini SUV offers a sleek look and great safety features to match. It received four stars from NHTSA for drivers and passenger side frontal impact and rollover resistance, as well as five stars for front-occupant side impact, giving it a average yearly insurance cost of $870. Some of its safety features include driver/passenger/side head/rear head air bags, rear 3-point seatbelts, LATCH, side-impact door beams, an impact-absorbing steering column and front/rear crumple zones.

As you can see, there seems to be a consensus that both Kia and Hyundai vehicles offer top-quality safety and thus help to lower your auto insurance rate. So it’s good to keep this in mind as you search for cars and attempt to lower auto insurance. But if you’re interested in a different type of car that didn’t make this list, it’s good to consider other ways to lower your auto insurance.

Additional Ways to Lower Coverage

• Buy an economy car – Having a smaller car can help lower your auto insurance. So consider this as an option as you look for cars to purchase.

• Consider PAYD insurance – Also known as “Pay as You Drive,” this is a relatively new type of insurance that’s only available in a few states so far, but it allows drivers to pay based on mileage rather than their driving habits, credit report, age, gender, etc. If you drive a short distance, this could benefit you pretty well.

• Seek discounts – Most insurance companies offer some one or more discounts that their customers can take advantage of. So whether you’re a good student, good driver or have purchased multiple policy types (ex. life, homeowners) with this company, you can probably receive a discount in the process.

• Shop around – If you don’t shop around for competing quotes, it will be hard to determine which is the cheapest. So make sure you shop around with various insurers before settling on coverage for your car.

Sometimes it’s tough to think in terms of auto insurance rates when you’re wowed by the beauty of a new car. They put so many bells and whistles in them nowadays that it’s hard to think of anything else. However, car notes are expensive enough without adding an expensive car insurance premium to it. So before you buy a car, it’s good to consider how much insuring it will cost.

This was a guest post written by GoInsuranceRates.com, where you can find the best deals on auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and health insurance.

The 09 Honda Insight has made Consumer Reports most reliable new car of the year.  Oddly enough the hybrid wasn't alone on the list, where 5 of the top 8 most reliable cars for 2009 were a hybrid.

It's good news for Honda and definitely something to brag about, except for Consumer Reports makes the statement that just because it's most reliable doesn't mean it's recommended.  Specifically the Insight's underpowered demeanor was sighted as an example.  Seems like a nod to Honda on what to work on to create the perfect hybrid, which can be recommended for purchase.

Lastly, I just feel like the string of hybrids being listed on the most reliable list is a bit suspicious.  Granted, this is most reliable 'new' car, but where will these vehicles be 5 years from now.  As a consumer that's what I'm most concerned with, longevity and total cost of ownership.

Honda Insight HYBRID 01 HONDA INSIGHT RUST FREE ARIZONA CAR 56 MPGRARE    US $5,950.00

Honda Insight DX 02 HONDA INSIGHT 5 SPEED 78K CD COLD A C NO RESERVE    US $1,525.00

Honda Insight 2001 HONDA INSIGHT HONDA HYBRID AUTO COUPE UNDER 100K    US $6,500.00

This is an old story from 2008, but still too funny not to mention.  Allegedly, Dennis Anderson converted a La-Z-Boy recliner into a motorized vehicle.  The chair was powered by a lawnmower type engine, complete with lights, steering wheel, stereo speakers, and cup holders.  Unfortunately Anderson lounged around town while drunk and ended up hitting a vehicle.

Dennis had already lost his license because of a previous DUI, which was probably why he was driving a recliner down the road.  However, he blames a woman for jumping in the chair while in motion, which caused him to swerve into another car.  Anderson recorded a .29 BAC, which is 3 times over the legal limit in Missouri.

Check out the vehicle, err, recliner, or whatever you want to call it below.

La-Z-Boy Car

Honda was showing off their latest in go-kart technology at the Toyota Motor Show with the all new CRZ concept.  Of course it's a hybrid and it's biggest selling points are efficiency, but Honda is touting it as a hybrid sport vehicle.  Performance and enough efficiency to keep the hippies at bay?

As you can see from the CR-Z pictures below, it's a concept car still and I'm sure the glass ceiling w0n't make it to production.  Honda claims that the new CR-Z will be available in the US market by late 2010.  Will this be available to compete with Chevy's Volt?

Lexus, never ones to leave a product stagnant for long, have revamped and added some new tech to the cabin of the 2010 Lexus RX 350.  Some of the highlights include being able to dial out via voice command and other improvements to the user interface.  The cabin also includes the luxury cabin essentials that Lexus has become known for, like high quality paneling.

2010 Lexus RX 350 Cabin

Some industry experts are upset that Lexus has yet to revamp their navigation system.  For some there are just far too many buttons to push to get where you are going.  This is a segment that should quickly be addressed, considering the inexpensive after market options for vehicles.

Lastly, the power train for the Lexus RX 350 has yet to be upgraded to the latest technologies.  It relies on aging tech that is not the most efficient on the market place.  And, in today's market efficiency and the greener claims you can make, the more vehicles you will undoubtedly sell.

But hey, if you are one that buys a vehicle based on it's cabin interface system then you will not go wrong with the 2010 Lexus RX.  The cabin controls are handled through the mouse like device picture below.

Lexus RX 350 Mouse

Tis the season, deer season.  Fall is when hunters are allowed to go out and shoot deer, with either a bow or a gun.  Although the exact weapon season itself fluctuates throughout the fall, as soon as it gets chilly expect more deer movement.  More deer movement translates into deer and other animals being on our highways, where they would normally avoid.

There is one product on the market that claims to prevent automobile accidents with deer.  It's a whistle, specifically a deer whistle that mounts to the front of your car.  The product claims to produce a noise that animals can hear, if the vehicle is traveling at least 35mph.  There are those out there that feel it's just a hoax and the product itself does not help in preventing drivers from colliding with deer crossing the road.

These deer whistles claim that they produce an ultra sonic sound that stops deer in their tracks or alerts deer to your vehicle.  However, tests have been done that prove that the deer cannot hear the pitch produced by the whistle.  Furthermore, whistles that deer can hear do not always 'stop them in their tracks', which is hopefully off the side of the road.

The best way to prevent accidents with deer when driving this fall?  Be vigilant, pay close attention to the road, and never over drive your head lights.  Safety starts with the person behind the wheel, not some cheap plastic deer whistle stuck to the front bumper.

I'm fairly certain I'm not the only one making astronomical jokes about the failure that is the Saturn company.  This isn't a complaint about their cars reliability, looks, or even pricing, just about the company itself.  Why should a company like Saturn be kept around by a conglomerate like GM, when it has been losing money since day 1?  Let bad ideas die and concentrate elsewhere.

Dust under the mat eventually create one demonic dust bunny.  In this case, bailed out GM can no longer justify keeping a failing company artificially afloat.  "A Different Kind of Company", that produced a very mundane vehicle line up.

So much for Saturn Astra sparking enough sales in the movie Transformers 2.  This will most likely be the very last entry in the Saturn category.  Fine by me, Saturn never made news enough to write about anything anyway.

Porsche has announced that an entry level Porsche 914 is a priority for 2010.  Although shelved some time ago, the 914 Boxster would be set at a price point that would make owning a Porsche easier than ever, although exact prices have yet to be disclosed.  Furthermore, it's not been announced if the 914 name will be used or some other poor man's Porsche name will be attached.

But this got me thinking, at what price would a Porsche have to be to be considered entry level?  A brand spanking new Porsche Boxster will run you around $60,000.  So, perhaps an entry level Porsche should be available for $40,000?

I'm fairly certain for that kind of money I'd rather own a GT500 or Corvette.  Again, in the realm of luxury, I'm not the target market.  Only those that have a hard-on for the Porsche name need apply here.  Much like a humongous house without any furniture, it's just another status symbol to park in the drive way.  IMHO

2010 Porsche 914

Maybe I'm not being exactly fair, the rendering above by Motor Trend is very sexy.  I just know that cars like the Porsche 944 did not age very well and I can't imagine a new model of budget Porsche would fair any better.

The veil has been lifted on the redesigned 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon.  Everything from the raked front grill and hood, to the pin striping screams pavement-eating-hippie-hater.  The v8 Hemi is more efficient than it's grandpa from years ago, but that doesn't' mean it will be winning any MPG awards.  Consider this, the 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon will be known as one of the most versatile 4x4's ever.

Do you believe the hype?

4WheelOffRoad.com got their hands on one early to do some testing for an upcoming issue.  According to their blog post on the 2010 Power Wagon, it's a worthy contender with lots of promise.  It's bigger, more powerful with 383 horsepower and 400 ft lb of torque, and equipped with a 12,000 lb winch.  Find out if it will walk away with the 4x4 Of The Year Title in the February issue of 4 Wheel Off Road Magazine.

2010 Dodge Ram

I was reading an article earlier today discussing the state of the US economy and what it means to domestic car manufacturers.  They listed the start of the recession as December of 2007, which means we are about to reach 2 years.  Couple this with the news that GM had been losing money on Saturn since day one and it's face palm city.

They say the Midwest is always the last to feel economic changes, well let me tell you we are feeling it.  I've been noticing locally much of the car manufacturers are starting to not park their inventory as close together.  A few years ago you couldn't even drive onto a car lot, now there's enough room to maneuver a school bus.  They say we are starting to come out of the recession, I hope THEY are right.

But it's not just new car inventory that seems to be slipping away.  I've been actively searching for a used car in the $10,000 range for months, without any luck.  People are holding onto their used cars longer or got rid of them 2 months ago in the cash for clunkers program.

Come on economy, start getting better, I'm tired of writing about bad news in the automotive industry.