It's that time of year again. No, not the eating until you're comatose and feverishly unwrapping presents from suspicious bearded men in red suits time--it's time for Motor Authority's Best Car To Buy award.

For 2013, we have an incredible short list of cars. Any one of them is deserving of an award for their balance of performance, style, luxury, value, or sheer behind-the-wheel exhilaration, but, as with the Highlander, there can be only one Best Car To Buy.

Here, we take a quick look at each of the contenders, calling out a few of the highlights of why they deserve to be finalists in our selection process.

As you know, we pick the Best Car To Buy here at Motor Authority based on the full year's worth of driving experiences across our full team of editors. Evaluating the cars in different locations, conditions, and situations, we are drawn to the car that we would most want to park in our own driveways--and which we think most belongs in yours.

That's the Best Car To Buy award in a nutshell. Look forward to highlights of each of the nominees over the coming week, with our announcement of the winner due on December 10th.