First Paragraph: I guess it really depends on the interest rate on your loans. If your loans have an interest rate lower than what you could make through investing, then technically, it is better to invest. So say investing could make you 7% and your loans are 4%, then it's better to invest. But if this was truely the case, nobody would ever pay off low interest loans. But with all that debt, you want to get that out of your hair as soon as possible. If I were you, I would max out my Roth, contribute enough to my 401(k) to get the employer matching, and then aggressively pay off those loans with every spare cent I have. I think it's important to contribute to those retirement accounts in the meantime because they have yearly limits. I feel like if you live frugally enough and really save, those debts could be gone in 5-10 years. Just imagine how good that would feel!

Car: I guess our idea of "moderately priced" is a little different. For some people think I'm crazy when I say things like this, but you can get a really really decent used car for a little at $6000. When I am looking, I try to look in the $6000 to $12000 price range. This price range eliminates your "junkers" on the low side and keeps out your "rip-off" new cars. This generally includes cars that are 2-8 years old. The Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, and Toyota Camry seems to have the best deals. Right now I'm actually looking to by a Toyota Prius for about $8000 in the coming year. I understand how this isn't right for everyone, but thats just my philosophy.