It's not easy being green was the lament of Kermit the Frog (before making all that green on the recent Muppet movie). It's also not easy being green when you're an overpriced used car.

That's the consensus on five overpriced fuel efficient used cars. The 2010 Toyota Prius, 2011 Toyota Yaris, 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, 2011 Toyota Corolla and 2011 Kia Soul are all expected to see price adjustments soon.

Smart consumers will sit things out (if they can) and wait a couple months to buy one of those fuel efficient used cars. After all, it's crazy to pay almost as much for a 2010 Toyota Prius as you would for a 2012 model.

The article I wrote also discusses the possible insurance and financing problems with buying one of these overpriced fuel-efficient used cars.

That used Corvette sitting in your driveway, especially if it is of vintage mode, say more than 25 years old, could be a tempting target to car thieves.

That's the message of the latest report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which released its report on stolen Corvettes this morning. (Sometimes you can read breaking news on this blog.)

Anyway, the report finds that 1984 was the most popular year (and there's a good explanation why) and California is the place of most stolen used Corvettes (not too hard to figure out why). My article on most stolen used Corvettes will answer those questions and more.

Now, I'd like you to answer a question for me. Ever had a Corvette stolen? If so, share the circumstances, including the model year. Just curious if your stolen Corvette is among the most popular model years.

It's interesting how products that do well in the mortgage industry eventually make their way over to used car financing. Case in point would be balloon loans.

Basically, a borrower hedges his or her payments based on the assumption of more income when the loan comes due. It allows folks to pay for more car (and house) then they can afford. The last payment, the so-called balloon payment, is huge.

The problem is folks have trouble making that balloon payment because of poor fiscal habits (such as buying more car than is affordable).

Consumers need to be aware of balloon payments for used car financing. It's a potential fiscal disaster for those without discipline (present company included!).

In my other life, I write about new cars for various newspapers, including the Boston Globe, which means a new car in the driveway weekly. As such, I had a lot of experience with car seats and LATCH systems because I was forever swapping my girls' seats in and out of various cars.

That's why I was glad to see the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety validate my feelings on some cars: they have almost inoperable LATCH systems. (LATCH is the means by how car seats are installed in passenger vehicles.)

That prompted me to write an article listing the best and worst LATCH system used cars based on that IIHS report. It's interesting and potentially life-saving reading for anybody with young children.

After all, if it's difficult to install a car seat properly, most parents won't be able to do it correctly.