Being scared of cars isn't unhealthy. Rather, it's a sign of respect for what four wheels, thousands of pounds of mass and gobs of power can do to yourself and others when forced to an immediate, screeching and metal-crunching stop. It's a good feeling. It makes you feel alive. Click "next" to see the cars that get our hearts racing.

Car: TVR Cerbera Speed 12

Why We're Afraid Of It: Starting with the obvious: it's a TVR. The specs almost match up with the Veyron except, you know, it's much lighter. And why is it so much lighter? No complex crumple zones, safety equipment, or electronic nannies to weight you down. But hey, you didn't buy one thinking you were going to live that long anyways.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Cubensis

Car: Dodge Viper SRT10

Why We're Afraid Of It: It'll burn you one way or another. It'll either leave a "Viper tatoo" of charred flesh along your calf as you exit or, if not given the proper respect, out the narrow front windshield. All power and no visibility make this a toy only for the well insured.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Us

Car: Caterham R500

Why We're Afraid Of It: If the Caparo T1 is like driving an F1 car, the Caterham R500 is like driving a motor and not much else. It does 0-to-60 MPH in... NOW. At a hair over 1,100 pounds it's got a power-to-weight ratio of 520 HP-per-ton. Windscreen and heart pills optional.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Arcsine

Car: Any Cobra Replica

Why We're Afraid Of It: Oversteer is a helluva drug. Shops like Factory Five have continued to pour more power into Cobra replicas and, in the name o fidelity to Shelby, not much else. It's basically the best way imaginable to piss your pants.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: VeeArrrSix

Car: Porsche 930

Why We're Afraid Of It: Though it's the best sort of being scared, the original Porsche 911 Turbo was one of the earliest production vehicles to feature turbocharging. With around 400 HP coming out of an engine hanging out the back, the physics of the 930 are questionable and become that much more frightening when you throw in überturbolag. Stay on the throttle and it'll, almost magically, get you around the corner. Lift and you're toast.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Jeb_Hoge

Car: Wienermobile

Why We're Afraid Of It: We enjoy driving the occasional commercial truck, but when you remove the box and throw on an awkward and top-heavy dog-in-bun costume things change a bit. Based on a GMC platform, the latest big Wienermobile is powered by a 300 HP, which is completely manageable. What scares us the most about this particular vehicle is everyone else on the road swerving into us while trying to take video with their cell phone. We hear it's worse than a Bugatti.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: PDQ2

Car: LS-Powered Cars That Aren't LS Cars

Why We're Afraid Of It: Whether LS1 or LS9 not all cars were intended for large, powerful V8 engines. And while throwing out a flat-head six in an old truck and dropping in an LSwhatever feels right, a Corvette-powered Chevy Aveo or Corvair is a proposition only for those without a history of heart problems.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Dmartino

Car: Dodge Caliber SRT4

Why We're Afraid Of It: Sure, 285 Horsepower isn't that much, until you consider it's been put in a vehicle barely designed to handle 100 HP. Buy hey, FWD cars with lots of power isn't necessarily bad, it's why God created differentials... except this doesn't have one. It has a "braking" diff that just hard-brakes one of the wheels on you. It's as comforting as it sounds.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Us one winter in Chicago.

Car: Caparo T1

Why We're Afraid Of It: It's considered the F1 car for the street. We'll reiterate: it's the F1 car for the street. Lots of power, not much weight, limited protection, and it nearly killed Jeremy Clarkson. Where do we sign up?

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Motor_Yakuza

Car: Chrysler Sebring

Why We're Afraid Of It: The Chrysler Sebring Convertible doesn't have half the power most of the cars on this list have, but it feels like it's made of tin, drives like its tires are coated with astroturf, and is so loud with the top down that you're sure death is but a pothole away.

Who Is Most Afraid Of It: Lprice

Click "next" to go through our list of ten cars potentially deserving of capital punishment. We've also included ways that they can maybe secure a pardon from the governor. Of course, one of these cars is just unpardonable.

Car: Chevy Impala
Suggested By: MaxForrest32
Why It's On Death Row: In trim levels lower than "SS", the Chevy Impala is but a shadow of its previous self, fit only for duty as a municipal service vehicle. It's one of GM's most revered nameplates on one of GM's most out-of-date cars.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: We've always loved the idea of the Impala and it would be a shame to waste all the positive energy around the name. Perhaps our dreams of a G8-based Impala will not come to life, but in the next round of platforms we hope something is waiting to underpin a truly awesome, RWD Impala.

Car: PT Cruiser
Suggested By: vwminispeedster
Why It's On Death Row: The PT Cruiser has been around for almost a full decade with only minor changes. As cool as the idea of a retro American car was at the turn of the millennium, it's no longer that cool. It was a hit, and now it just wont go away. It reminds us of the time we heard the band Wang Chung at an Earth Day concert. They were a one-hit-wonder and, rather than trying to expand, they just played various versions of "Everybody Wang Chung Tonight." It was sad.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: Retro isn't always bad. If only there were a small Italian car Chrysler could somehow bring over to fill the cool-cute-compact hole in their lineup...

Car: Chevy HHR
Suggested By: Dosdelon
Why It's On Death Row: Much like the PT Cruiser, the HHR was an idea that was probably only going to work once. The high belt-line, aggressive flares and tiny windows scream old GM.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: The Ford Transit Connect has filled an empty niche in the U.S. commercial market and, we believe, there will be some non-commercial sales soon enough. Take the awesome little Ecotec engine and small platform and try making a truly American high-roof wagon.

Car: Toyota Venza
Suggested By: Cgarison
Why It's On Death Row: The only thing the new Toyota Venza has truly succeeded in doing is forcing Honda to make an even uglier competitor. There are numerous vehicles in the Toyota lineup offering similar utility, size, and power. Why another one?
How It Could Get A Reprieve: People love their Toyotas and, it's somehow some people out there seem to love the Camry-wagon Venza. But rather than make a more aggressive, larger Camry, why not make a lighter and sleeker version? What a statement that would make.

Car: Mitsubishi Galant
Suggested By: SubcompactCulture
Why It's On Death Row: We once enjoyed the Galant, especially in VR-4 trim, a delightfully buzzy and sporty sedan to counteract less enticing alternatives. The Galant does none of that now. It's not particularly fast, sporty, or attractive. The interior is awful and the options are laughable.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: The Mitsubishi PS platform is no longer competitive, especially underpinning a sedan. But hey, a new platform with a bit of the edge back and a Raillart version could go along way.

Car: Lexus ES
Suggested By: Cardesignmike
Why It's On Death Row: You may wonder what a successful car like the Lexus ES is doing on this list, but hear us out. Toyota's CEO has recently said the company has stopped making exciting cars and it's something he would like to change. Most of the Lexus lineup is as good or better than most of its competitors. The ES is merely a rebadged Camry put there to bring in buyers that wouldn't be able to afford a Lexus otherwise.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: Why not build something exciting, with value to bring more buyers into the lineup? Less AARP more RPM? The HS was a start and the next generation ES could end up more like the LF-Ch concept? It's probably too profitable to ever happen, but we can hope.

Car: Mitsubishi Raider
Suggested By: OldeEnglishD
Why It's On Death Row: Take a drink for every Mitsubishi Raider you've seen on the road. Congrats, you're still sober. Mitsubishi has never been the best choice for a small truck in the U.S. and the Raider, which shares its platform with Dodge, is no exception.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: Why not a Lancer-based El Camino sport truck? Just because Pontiac backed out doesn't mean you can't. You had the balls to build a sporty wagon, show us up again and build a sport truck!

Car: Chevy Aveo
Suggested By: FlyingStitch
Why It's On Death Row: When Americans looked for small cars as gas prices rose America stepped up with what it had: a Korean car. It's small, crappy, and there are bigger cars that return better mileage. It's the best argument Chevy has for being used.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: We're not sure there are a lot of people waiting for the next-generation Aveo, but GM seems to have a few ideas for a small compact car. We sort of doubt it'll carry the same name.

Car: Maybach 57 and 62
Suggested By: Tonyola
Why It's On Death Row: This is a car we'd typically like but the Maybach is maybe the most expensive parts-binner ever. The 57 and 62 is just old Mercedes with lots of hype. It was cool for about two minutes and then everyone realized how much Bentley they could have for the money and moved on. It costs more than $358K to get into the door and the price jumps by leaps and bounds for all the status symbols you're going to want with it (goatcheese dispenser, anyone?). It's also very dated in terms of styling. Give us a BRABUS S-Class over this any day.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: If you're going to continue to charge insane rates upgrade the appearance, up the power so it'll go 200 MPH and get Jay Z to buy one.

Car: Chrysler Sebring
Suggested By: Everyone
Why It's On Death Row: The American car you'd swear was built in China. It's as if Chrysler had some sort of Major League strategy to destroy the company and move it to Italy and they needed a truly bad car to cause them to go bankrupt. There's nothing we like about it. There are no redeeming qualities in how it drives, looks, sounds, feels, or sells.
How It Could Get A Reprieve: No reprieve. No mercy. The best we can offer is a quick death. Which is better than the pain Chrysler caused us in bringing this horseshit abortion of a mid-size sedan to market.

West Virginia State Troopers pulled Jones over after two separate truck drivers reported they had spotted him pleasuring himself while wearing ladies stockings and panties. In addition to laughing their asses off, officers found a bag of meth and a smoking pipe in the car, presumably all part of the evenings planned festivities.

So, quick poll: what's more embarrassing? Being caught getting in touch with yourself wearing ladies underthings, or being caught driving a Chrysler Sebring? (Hat tip to Jeff!)

[The Smoking Gun]

You see, we were dicussing the incredible plastic-ness of our Detroit-made rental machine's interior (with the inevitable cause/effect Carpocalyptic digressions) and Assistant Perp TheEastBayKid brought up an idea suggested by Wheatking in this post about Peugeot's 12 Hours Of Sebring entry:

So.. we have the 24 hours of lemons, how about the 12 hours of sebrings. Really.. I mean the rental agencies are gonna wonder when all their sebrings are booked, with full liability insurance waivers, but it sounds like a good time.

Who's in?

Naturally, Chief Perp Jay Lamm thought the 12 Hours Of Sebrings would likely be just as much fun as the race he invented, and now all that remains is to round up sufficient participants to make it happen. You can pick up a used Sebring for cheap, or you could take Wheatking's advice and rent your race car. Just like GT350H renters back in the 60s, you could rent an extra-insured Sebring, remove the carpets and weld in a cage, and hit the race track. When you're done, cut out the cage, put the carpets back in, and explain the bashed body panels and blown head gasket by telling the rental company reps that "it just happened in the Waffle House parking lot!" Or, best of all, Chrysler could sponsor the event by donating a few dozen 2009 Sebrings to the cause, in which case all race officials would dress like Lee Iacocca and we'd find an '83 LeBaron Turbo convertible for pace car duty.

So, whaddya think? Are you in? Should the 12 Hours Of Sebrings take place the day before each 24 Hours Of LeMons race, or does an idea this awesome need to be a stand-alone deal?

Nothing highlights the story of increased repossessions than the story of 67-year-old railroad retiree Jimmy Tanks heard a commotion outside his mobile home bedroom window in his mobile home in Halsell, Alabama at 2:30 AM. Tanks grabbed a gun, walked out the back door and confronted who he thought was a thief trying to steal his Chrysler Sebring. In reality it was a repo man and two helpers trying to tow off the Chrysler Sebring. After shots were fired, Tanks wound up dead. It may be the only known case of a man killed over a Chrysler Sebring.

The man, there to repossess the car, Kenneth Alvin Smith, is now awaiting trial on a murder charge. Although Alabama's a state considered a Wild West territory even by the standards of an industry that's largely unregulated nationally, the AP claims it's representative of a rise in dangerous confrontations correlating with a rise in the number of repossessions nationally:

"With the U.S. dealing with an economic slide that has cost millions of jobs, the number of vehicle repossessions is expected to rise 5 percent this year. That's after it jumped 12 percent to 1.67 million nationally in 2008, said Tom Webb, chief economist with Manheim Consulting, an automotive marketing firm. That followed a 9 percent increase in 2007, creating more opportunities for bad outcomes in an industry where armed confrontations and threats happen every day."

Mostly the increase in violence appears to be coming from dropping untrained thugs into the repo-man ranks, something more states could regulate if they wanted to. Our thought is initially not to get in the middle of a question of deadbeats getting in the way of two-bit thugs trying to take back what's rightfully the property of a bank taking our taxpayer dollars — there's just too many hoops to jump through. But we will say repo men should be trying to take cars during the daytime whenever possible. Because if you're trying to take a car, even legally in a repossession, in the middle of the night, bad things'll happen. Like a guy getting killed over a freakin' Chrysler Sebring. [Detroit News]

Photo Credit: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News

10. Smart ForTwo

Though it may have novelty on its side, the Smart ForTwo is an otherwise dull form of transportation. It isn't fast. It isn't sporty. It tells people that you are willing to spend upwards of $18,000 to prove that you're driving because you have to, not because you want to.

9. Mercury Milan

The least sporty car built on Ford's otherwise capable CD3 platform, the Mercury Milan paired with an automatic transmission and fourbanger engine exists for those unable or unwilling to make difficult choices about their personal transportation. These are the people who accept "steamed vegetables" as a side-order and are flummoxed when a restaurant doesn't offer a house wine. Every time you see one on the street it's a reminder that they still make them.

8. Camry Solara

The Camry Solara is so offensive to those of us who love to drive because Solara owners think that they're driving something exciting. It isn't a Camry, it's a Camry... SOLARA! Toyota has managed to transform their otherwise bland but comfortable utility-driven sedan into a vehicle that retains all of the four-door's boring characteristics but adds an unappealing visage and subtracts some of the utility. It just screams "Look at me! I'm retired!"

7. Hyundai Sonata

For those who wanted a Toyota Camry but thought paying more for a better engine, better transmission and more attractive design would have been an unnecessary extravagance, the Hyundai Sonata sets a new high mark in low expectations. The biggest selling point of the car is its extended warranty, which guarantees you'll be able to keep a car you don't particularly like longer than other, better cars in its class.

6. Mercedes S-Class

The S-Class Mercedes isn't the fastest product from the German automaker. It also isn't the most expensive, best looking or most distinguished Mercedes. It's just the biggest. In fact, it's not the biggest. It's just the biggest car. It is a status symbol for immigrant business owners who want to prove their hard-earned money can be spent on car they don't really care about, that offers no significant value or advantage over the competition. It is a car that carefully eschews all of the company's history of making high-performing, exciting luxury sedans.

5. Lexus ES

Credit goes again to Toyota for squeezing as much life out of their lifeless platforms as possible. Carrying over essentially the same drivetrain as the Toyota Camry, the latest generation ES 350 is arguably less stately than its cheaper sibling. In an entry-level luxury market full of automakers attempting to outperform the competition, the ES 350 has a history of not even trying. Instead of earth-shattering performance, the Lexus ES has traditionally promised a quiet, relatively luxurious and unstimulating driving experience at a reasonable price. Where the ES has always excelled is in driving noise, or lack therof. The Lexus is so quiet most drivers probably wouldn't realize they were driving were it not for the trees passing by at a high rate of speed.

4. Kia Spectra

Pegged between the Rio and Optima, the Spectra is a wholly forgettable car in a lineup of cars that no one cared about in the first place. There are those who want and need affordable, reliable and economical transportation. They'll be swayed by the features that come with a Kia Spectra, such as an Mp3 jack, Tire Pressure Monitoring System and airbags everywhere. Features that will hopefully distract them from the fact they're driving a car that looks like the fake cars rendered for insurance advertisements.

3. Chrysler Sebring

That anyone has purchased a Chrysler Sebring is a testament to people's ability to be completely unable to appreciate the experience of driving. The digital read-outs, chunky plastics and numb driving experience are rivaled only by cars made in the previous decade. The design is laughably bad. We wonder if the cars are sold exclusively to people who haven't driven in ten years, rented one and thought "this is really nice."

2. Chevy Equinox

The only thing that makes the Chevy Equinox stick out in the crowded crossover market is the fact that it is the only car in America sold with a Chinese-built V6. The same people that brought you lead toys and melamine-tainted milk products are also supplying you with your car's engine. Feel better? The Equinox is a crossover in that it provides a mixture of horrific design and underwhelming performance.

1. Mitsubishi Eclipse

Once there was a car built by Mitsubishi called the Eclipse. It was a lightweight AWD sports car with a sweet little turbocharged four-cylinder engine that made you feel like you were in a rally car. And the entire package was available at an affordable price. Having created a car beloved by automotive enthusiasts, Mitsubishi decided to abandon it and move on to the far more lucrative and exciting high school cheerleader market. The 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse has no turbocharger, no AWD and the exciting handling of the first two generations has been replaced by a ride designed to offend no one. It's the sports car for people who hate sports, hate cars and hate excitement.

Auto Analyst Mike Wall explained the decision to the Detroit News:

"Given where fuel prices are at, I'm not sure that people are following the old progression that the higher the trim-level, the bigger the engine...(Chrysler) needs to hit what the customer wants, and that may be a 4-cylinder engine with leather seats and a navigation system."