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Pictured above: The 2003 EVO RS, the utlimate stripper. And what were you thinking?

I've been away for awhile. Seems the economy is picking up a bit with the price of gas going down a cent. It's all senseless to me.

What I find equally senseless is the axiomatic ability for certain headlines to pull in readers on a blog. I would have titled this post differently but then I would not be able to avail my attorney friends of a great chance to save money on their rides. So here goes.

Schizophrenic economies create opportuniities. To make the most of troubled times it frequently pays to zig while the denizens zag. And when it comes to that dance called buying a new car, it's time to cast caution to the wind and put your money down on a stripper.

Strictly, of course, in automotive parlance.

"Stripper" cars remain the hot rodders' favorite. They loosely describe a higher performance model with a total "option delete" except for the things that improve the driving experience.

With gas going up, however (and watch it go down within a year if we simply threaten to drill), the average car guy or gal should take a look at these rides right now. I have never seen them priced so low and, frankly, because they are not penalized by nav systems and other electronics that add weight, they usually turn in respectable MPG.

Here are my top three picks:

4-door family cars:

Used: The ninth generation Mitsubishi EVO RS.

New: The new Mazda MX-8 R3 Edition

2- door sports car:

Used: The Porsche 996 GT-3 Less expensive now that a normal 911 and way faster. Way, way, way, faster.

I've linked these for the details. You might get $5,000-10,000 off the asking prices on E-Bay. Do it now, before we shake down the oil speculators and the price on these road dancers goes through the roof.