Criteria for my last purchase: "has to haul stuff, hold two big stupid dogs, not cost a fortune and not kill me at the gas pump".
End result: 2012 Silverado, 2WD, V6. Manual windows, doesn't even have a CD player. Most boring whitebread vehicle ever, but gets the job done. (In fact, since it's white, I think I may christen it "Whitebread").