Warren Brown has covered the car industry for The Washington Post since 1982.

Brown test drives all types of cars, from luxury sedans to the newest minivans and hybrids. His On Wheels auto reviews are lively, detailed accounts of cars' good and bad qualities.

Brown's Car Culture column addresses the social, political and economic trends of the industry.

Brown comes online Fridays at 11 a.m. ET to answer your questions on every aspect of the automotive industry -- from buying your dream car to the future of the internal combustion engine.

The transcript follows.

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Clean Diesel: Warren, have you had the opportunity to test drive the new VW Jetta TDI? What are your thoughts - is it a good buy?

Warren Brown: I have it, now. I will try to keep it for two weeks, instead of the usual one-week test. I love it that much. It is one of those rare, practical cars that also is loads of fun to drive. Fuel economy topping 35 mpg and lots of torque, to boot! Simply wonderful.

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Washington, D.C.: Mr. Brown, can you recommend a driver course that is designed for drivers who lose some of their skills and capabilities as they become older? I don't want to start a debate here on specific ages, but I am trying to find something suitable for someone over 60. Thanks.

Warren Brown: Good morning, Washington:

I am 60 and constantly in need of driver-training remediation. I rely on several sources, including the BMW Driving school in South Carolina, and a variety of automobile club driving events.

Check with BMW and the American Automobile Association. And congratulations on accepting the fact that driving skills diminish with age and thus are in need of rehabilitation.

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Madison, Wis.: Warren-- Young man in second year of medical school needs reliable , fuel efficient, safe vehicle for school and some clinic work. Occasional 75 mile highway trip to visit parents in Milwaukee. Not sure how long he will keep the vehicle-- 3-4 years? What would you recommend as a used vehicle? 2002- 2005 Civic? Something else? Thanks !

Warren Brown: The Honda Fit. Even the pre-2009 models are good. And, hey, try not to run your clinic sessions like an assembly line. Your patients are people, not business units. Thanks. And Good luck.

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State of Dyspepsia: Since Arlington County seems to be mostly hybrid vehicles at this point, there must be now considerable data on how well hybrids hold up under grueling taxi conditions. Where could one find this kind of data?

Warren Brown: Gas-electric reliability appears to be great. But there is little long-term data supporting that empirical observation.

Questions:

. What is the total energy cost of gas-electric hybrids from manufacture to end disposition?

. What is happening to those spent nickel-metal hydride batteries? In whose backyard are they being dumped and at what environmental cost?

. How close are we to a breakthrough in developing robust, more efficient lithium-ion, lithium-polymer batteries? How will such a breakthrough affect the resale value of current-generation hybrids?

Lots of questions remain to be answered.

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Fairfax, Va.: Warren, I love my 2004 Honda Element. Many complain that it's ugly, but its appearance has grown on me, and I absolutely love its utility, interior, and gas mileage. I feel like the car is specifically designed for me, and, when I bought it, I wouldn't have bought any other car, even if money were no object. Nowadays, though, I look lustily at the Ford Escape Hybrid. It's 30 mpg city rating is vexing to me, since I'm in the low 20s. Why hasn't the Element been given a hybrid motor? It seems like the market for Elements - active hip young people who are mostly concerned with utility and practicality - aligns very well with the market for hybrids. Thanks.

Warren Brown: Good morning, Fairfax:

I have the same question about the Fit, a subcompact that gets an unimpressive 30 mpg on the highway. My guess is that Honda's engineers spend lots of time and energy getting everything else about their vehicles--interior ergonomics, overall craftsmanship, maximum utility--perfectly right. Honda is hard to beat in any of those categories. As a result, many people are willing to accept fewer mpg to own one.

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Fairfax, Va.: Warren: Is there any move afoot in the industry to re-introduce station wagons as more fuel efficient alternatives to CUVs and SUVs? My recollection from years ago that there wasn't much, if any, MPG penalty from the sedans upon which the wagons were based.

Warren Brown: Hello, Fairfax:

Station wagons are being reintroduced. But the automobile industry no longer calls them station wagons. Auto marketing people believe that the term "crossover" has more consumer sex appeal.

Vehicles such as the Kia Rondo, Mazda CX-7, Chevrolet Traverse essentially are station wagons, now being offered with increasingly reasonable fuel economy.

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Washington, D.C.: I understand the Chevy Volt and 2 of the 3 EVs coming from Chrysler have a gasoline-powered engine that takes over when the battery power has been depleted. Does this engine recharge the battery? If not, to what do we have to look forward to if we live in a apartment/condo type community with a parking lot and no access to an electrical outlet to recharge? Will people who live in these type of communities just be out of luck in the next few years if and when EVs start to become the norm?

Warren Brown: Good morning, Washington:

Yes, all of those plug-in electrics have fossil fuel engines that recharge the battery-- usually after running 40 miles electric only. The idea is that about 70 percent of the nation's commuters drive substantially less than 40 miles roundtrip, conceivably allowing them to get through the workweek without burning any gasoline

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Rockville, Md.: A column or two about rental cars would be appreciated. We can't make any sense out of the categories of cars. We once had to choose between a Taurus and a Sebring and chose the latter only to discover it wasn't much bigger than our 1995 Neon and didn't have as many conveniences-- no overhead interior light, no map light, etc. Are rental cars generally stripped down versions? If so, they defeat our purpose of trying out a car for a weekend before buying a specific model. What's your solution to checking a car out for 24 hours or more?

Warren Brown: Good morning, Rockville:

Here is a quickie column on rental cars.

Rental car companies sell situational transportation as opposed to vehicles.

As a result, most rental car companies try to keep their costs low by buying as many de-contented models as possible.

In the past, domestic original equipment manufacturers--GM, Ford and Chrysler--did a very stupid thing from the perspective of winning the hearts and minds of prospective customers.

The Detroit Three used rental fleets as dumping grounds, places to send vehicles solely to keep their huge factories running.

The result is that many of those Big Three "fleet cars" gave a bad impression of all Big Three nameplates.

Like I said: Dumb, shortsighted management.

Toyota, by comparison, used the rental fleets to show off its products by supplying those fleets with better contented models.

Now, the Detroit Three appear to have learned their lesson. They no longer use the rental fleets as factory-output dumping grounds. The early result is that public perception of Detroit Three quality finally is beginning to catch up with the reality that Detroit Three quality is improving.

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Washington, D.C.: Are there any driving schools in the D.C./NoVa area that could teach me to drive a manual transmission? I really like the steptronic on my current car, but would like to make the switch to manual when I purchase a new vehicle next year. Thanks!

Warren Brown: Yes.

Please call the Potomac Branch of the American Automobile Association.

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Baltimore: Mr. B. - thanks for taking time out for these informative and entertaining chats. My wife's '96 Saturn is quite literally on its last leg, and it's finally sunken in that it's time to go car shopping (which she abhors). Basically, she's in the market for an econobox, maybe a little better, with good reliability/fuel economy (of course, right?). We've whittled the choices down to the Civic, Scion xB, Mazda 3, and Fit. We read your rave review of the Fit, and that is indeed her first choice, but there's quite a wait for it - there are barely any available just to even test drive. Should she be patient and hold out, or look at the aforementioned (or other) alternatives? Thanks very much!

Warren Brown: Hello, Baltimore:

If she can hold out for the Fit, I would advise her to do so. And be prepared to pay a dealer premium for that one.

If she wishes to avoid that hassle, the Mazda3 is a good alternative; but it's almost in as much demand as the Fit.

The Nissan Versa is a good, hassle-free substitute. So is the excellent, but slightly larger Ford Focus. The best value in the subcompact category--"value" meaning you get the practical, excellently ordinary car you pay for--is the Chevrolet Aveo. Hope this helps.

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Fit as Hybrid: As a hypothesis, the small size and space efficiency of the Honda Fit may work against the space needed to add a battery and the appropriate electronics/motors. Also the weight gain from the Hybrid-specific hardware would be a greater percentage of the base vehicle weight, changing suspension and handling characteristics and requiring further re-engineering.

Warren Brown: Agreed.

But what about Fit with diesel?

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Ashburn, Va.: What are your thoughts on the Volvo V50 Wagon? Reliable? I don't like crossovers, so I'm looking for a wagon, but unfortunately, there aren't too many choices here in the U.S. I wish Honda would bring back the Accord Wagon - I'd buy that in a heartbeat.

Warren Brown: Frankly, Ashburn, the Kia Rondo--EX version with V-6 engine MINUS those optional third-row seats-- makes more sense. Believe it or not, the Rondo's safety rating is just as good as that of the substantially more expensive Volvo V50 wagon. And it offers just as much reliability and utility as the Volvo.

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Atlanta, Ga.: Hi Warren. Regarding the Chevy Volt, have you seen or heard anything that would indicate the general starting price for one of these? If not, any guess? Thanks.

Warren Brown: Yes, and it's a bit discomforting. We're looking at a base of at least $30k, perhaps a tad more. Which is why our no-energy-policy government, which seems to have no problem paying for wars and corporate welfare, would be wise to encourage purchase of plug-in electric vehicles with tax breaks for consumers.

That would leave more money for consumers to pay the mortgages on their overpriced homes. Also, a huge consumer uptake of plug-in electrics would reduce our need to spend billions sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to secure oil.

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Eye Street: Hi Warren, I need to buy a hybrid sedan to use on the I-66 into D.C. from Fairfax each day. What would you recommend? I am not a car person at all -- just want a four-door that will get me back and forth. Thx

Warren Brown: I wouldn't recommend buying a hybrid for the commute you describe. Here's why: Most current-generation hybrids do their best fuel-saving work in stop-and-go city traffic. As a result, if you were driving from a D.C. apartment to a D.C. office, a hybrid would make sense.

But the electric portion of the hybrid drive train offers you little to no assistance at highway speeds, during which you are sucking gas.

It's better in your driving scenario to get a fuel-efficient small car with a traditional internal combustion engine. Check out www.greencarjournal.com for recommendations.

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Bethesda: Warren, when you drive across the border between Maryland and Virginia, or any border for that matter, have you ever "reared your head" in such a way as to cause concern for those people outside the vehicle you're traveling in? I want to try this, but I am not sure how it works. Thanks. lol.

Warren Brown: I try not to.

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Boston, Mass.: My friend has an '09 Mini on order. She got a note saying it was built, but now is waiting for some kind of EPA sign-off before she can take delivery. Do you know anything about this?

Warren Brown: That sounds like dealer bunk, Boston. All Mini cars built for U.S. distribution automatically are engineered to meet U.S. emissions and safety standards. There is no need for a special EPA sign-off on a U.S.-bound Mini any more than there is need for a special EPA signature for the importation of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Toyota models coming to the United States.

My hunch is that the dealership in question is playing the old game of selling to the highest bidder. An ordered Mini comes in. But the original customer has agreed to a lower price than the walk-in customer who is willing to pay more. So, the dealership sells the ordered car to the customer who is willing to pay more, and tells some lie about the EPA to the customer who has been waiting for her ordered car.

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Kia Rondo: But it's so ugly!

Warren Brown: Life is a matter of tradeoffs. You are free to pay more for a better-looking vehicle with more prestige and less utility.

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"...paying for wars and corporate welfare...": But it's okay for your mismanaging stooge buddies at GM to get billions for doing what they should have done all along. Come on, Warren, your ideology has more holes than the kleptocratically maintained levees.

Warren Brown: Yes, it's okay for Detroit to get the money.

But Detroit should not get all of the money authorized in federal loans to the car industry in last year's energy bill.

Some of it should be set aside for small, wonderfully innovative companies such as AFS Trinity of Bellevue, Washington. That, I think, would promote competition and good thinking in our quest for more efficient cars.

Let's be real:

Japan supports that quest via MITI.

China does it through the transportation and environmental wings of the PRC.

Brussels helps out a lot of the European car companies.

My take is that "corporate welfare" intelligently applied makes sense.

Repayable loans used to enhance our manufacturing base and reduce our dependence on foreign oil and, thus, our proclivity for costly military intervention in foreign countries makes sense.

But I'm having a hard time seeing the sense in giving $700 billion to banks and financial institutions that deliberately made stupid loans in pursuit of higher profits derived from the manufacture of nothing.

I would rather give that money to companies that actually make things. I would rather use it to pay off the debts, or to at least reduce the debt burden on individual home owners. I think that would have a more beneficial economic effect than dumping it into the coffers of banks in the hope that those institutions actually will do something to help consumers.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Why not the Hyundai Elantra for the person moving from the Subaru? I made the same move and have been very happy with my low-cost high comfort high-safety fairly high mileage box.

Warren Brown: I like the Elantra. It's a good substitute.

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Jersey City, N.J.: Regarding GM Volt and Chrysler EV's: Actually Warren, according to Edmunds and a few other news outlets and blogs this week. 'In contrast to popular (and our) impression, once a driver uses up his 40 or so miles of electric power, the 1.4-liter gas engine generates electricity to power the electric drive motor, but does not recharge the batteries. After the 40 or so miles, the battery becomes 400 pounds of uselessness, at least until the owner can plug the car into the electrical grid for a recharge.'-Love the Chats!

Warren Brown: Understood.

My point is that the small internal combustion engine extends driving range considerably beyond the electric-only 40 miles. If, as is assumed in the business cases of most car companies planning plug-in electrics, the average roundtrip commute is less than 40 miles, that means completing the trip without consuming any gasoline. That is the point.

And there is this: The fossil fuel used could be compressed natural gas, or propane, both of which burn more smoothly and more cleanly than gasoline. Future fuel combinations could include electric and biofuels, electric and diesel, electric and hydrogen

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Fairfax, Va.: My wife and I currently are not driving that much. I take Metro to D.C. Bucks are getting tight and we could cut back in a number of ways and thinking about axing a car of which we have four. It is just her and I and we have a GMC 2007 Acadia - lease for my PT music business, two Ford Focuses 2004- 70K and 55K miles, a Vette 2000- 60K miles. All are paid for except the lease of course which is a write off. I hate to part with the Vette but the Focuses are great commuter cars and aren't worth that much. If I get laid off again I might need one for a job that I do not take Metro to. What would you do? Thanks.

Warren Brown: Drop the Vette.

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Wheaton, Md. I have a friend who needs a reliable used car and has $4000 to spend. Any suggestions? I know most people seem to advocate sticking with older Toyota/Honda's but I wonder if there are any alternatives.

Warren Brown: Go to Carmax. Even at $4,000, Carmax might have something that is "maxworthy," meaning that it won't fall apart the day after you drive it off the lot.

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Germantown, Md.: When you get your test cars, you have to drive them for miles. So, do you just Drive, Plan a Vacation with each new car, or what? Thanks for the chats!

Warren Brown: My associate, Ria Manglapus and I, ordinarily spend lots of time on the road--she hauling children and family members all over Virginia, and me with weekly weekend roundtrips from northern Virginia to a family home in Cornwall, New York.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Warren, I have been to a few area Subaru dealers, and all seem to be offering a "No-Haggle" price within $100-$200 of each other and that is a few hundred below invoice. How firm are these "No-Haggle" prices? I was thinking of using Consumer Checkbook's price shopping service to confirm that I'm getting a good price - does the fact that they're all close to each other mean that using the shopping service is a waste of money?

Warren Brown: No-haggle isn't always what dealers portray it to be. It tends to work in the consumer's favor in Saturn stores, where no-haggle is something of a religion. Locally, consumers give the Fitzgerald Automotive dealerships high marks for hassle-free shopping. But if you still have buyer's anxiety, the best way to relieve it is through Washington Consumer's Checkbook for a relatively small shopper's assistance fee.

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Arlington, Va.: Isn't it likely that the person who wanted a hybrid to drive on I66 wants it to avoid the HOV restrictions?

Warren Brown: Not likely. Otherwise, why would he or she prominently mention I-66 as a proposed travel route?

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Arlington, Va.: I think Eye street Wants a hybrid to use HOV. The hybrid is to save time, not fuel. Still doesn't make sense however. Didn't Va. stop letting newly registered hybrids use HOV?

Warren Brown: HOV lanes for hybrids thankfully have been blocked in Virginia. It was a policy that made little sense. It defeated the purpose of the hybrid, designed to save fuel in stop-and-go traffic. And it undermined the self-described intent of HOV lanes by allowing solo drivers. A silly policy now gone. Good riddance.

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Florida: Warren - for the person looking for driver training for older drivers, he should check with AARP. My mom took such a course under their sponsorship and learned a lot of good, safe and common-sense techniques.

Warren Brown: Many thanks. You are right.

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N.Y.: Not sure what you mean on the Fit getting 30 mpg highway. Consumer Reports got 43 mpg highway with their fit, and the EPA rates it at 34 mpg.

Warren Brown: We at the Post got 30mpg highway in an early production, 2009 model. And what EPA ratings are you referring to? Pre-2008 ratings are mostly higher than the revised, more realistic 2008 and post-2008 numbers.

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Re: TDI: Does the great performance of the TDI outweigh the VW service issues described during these chats-- enough that I should consider purchasing one?

Warren Brown: Yes!!

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Madison, Wis.: Madison Med student again Young man is about 6'5" Will the Honda Fit, ahh fit?

Warren Brown: Yep.

Any car that can fit my NBA-length running mate, Brian Armstead, ought to be able to fit you.

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Claremont, Calif.: I would appreciate your opinion on purchasing an extended warranty. I bought a new Dodge Dakota in January 2008. It came with a lifetime power train warranty. I do not drive it much and intend to keep it until it, or I, drop. An "Added Care Plus" policy from Chrysler would cost $560 for 7 years/60,000 miles ($100 deductible). This seems like a fair deal. Agree? Thanks very much! Covered are: About Added Care Plus-- Added Care Plus provides economical protection for repairs on major power train components, plus basic component coverage. This plan extends your vehicle's power train and basic component coverage beyond the 3-year/36,000-mile manufacturer's warranty and covers more than 800 components, including: Engine, transmission, driveline, steering, air conditioning, engine cooling and fuel, front suspension, rear suspension, electrical, expanded electrical, instrumentation, brakes, anti-lock brakes, power group and luxury group. Details at: http://www.chryslerwarrantys.com/added_care.cfm

Warren Brown: Thanks for writing, Claremont:

I find most extended warranties worthless. If the insurance companies had many payouts on those warranties, they wouldn't offer them. So, I must assume that its the insurance companies wining the gamble on those warranties, and not the consumer. Keep your money.

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Warren Brown: Thanks for joining us today. Check in during the week. Beginning this weekend, we will try to answer as many of your unanswered questions as possible.

Thanks for today's production, Sakina.

Eat lunch, Ria.

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