My husband never cleans the car. It’s disgusting. What do you recommend I do?

Hey, this is a car column, not Marital Relations 101. But okay, here it goes: Lose the dirty prick. Or pay a detailer whatever it takes to get the interior back to new, then put it on your guy’s credit card. Get him to remember this: It’s always easier to find a couple minutes to clean up today’s mess than a couple hours to clear out this year’s catastrophe.

If my wife wants one kind of car and I prefer something else, how can I get her to see the light?

You can’t. You have to find a compromise. There’s no single “right” car, SUV or truck etched in stone for anyone. Sit down with her and figure out what is most important in your next vehicle. Space, comfort, safety, performance, reliability, looks and fuel economy should all be on that list somewhere. Of course, there’s also the all-important price issue: Figure out what best fits your budget, needs and wants, in that order.

How do I get my girlfriend more interested in cars?

Try talking less about cars, and show more interest in what’s important to her. This way, she’ll be more likely to reciprocate.

A lot of our friends with kids are buying minivans with small flip-down TV monitors to keep the little ones occupied. Should we follow suit?

Anything that’ll keep the kids entertained is a good thing. These systems cut down on distractions from the children while driving, especially if you enforce the “headphones-only” rule for watching (plus, headphones will save you from listening to SpongeBob SquarePants over and over again). While these rear-seat DVD systems are primarily found in late-model minivans, they’re starting to pop up in cars now as well.

My wife practically hugs the steering wheel when she drives, but I like to be far back from it. Which way is safer?

The steering wheel is like that piping hot coffee in the morning: great when you need it, but a real hazard when it unexpectedly ends up in your face or lap. A rapidly inflating airbag can kill a driver sitting too close to the wheel, as can a collision between your cranium and the surface of the steering wheel. Whether your wheel’s equipped with an airbag or not, further is better. Advanced driving schools generally recommend that an arm’s out position is best for both safety and control, with a slight kink in the elbows ideal when holding the wheel at the three and nine o’clock positions. Power-operated pedals are now appearing on more cars and SUVs, and these help to keep shorter drivers clear of the steering wheel by easing the need to move the seat forward into potential harm’s way.