Mandatory factors...

2-4gb
Supports mp3 & wma format
Shuffle function
No music management software (I just want to drag & drop my music via usb port like its an external hard drive)
No "standard" batteries (such as AA or AAA)

Preferred factors...

Rechargeable via car lighter or usb

...any suggestions?

I think the iRiver Clix 2 line has all that and has a slick interface to boot. Be warned, they're like an iPod, 1.5-2 years of heavy use is all they're good for (I think the build quality is actually slightly better for iRiver). My ex abused the everyliving hell out of hers before it started glitching though.

They definitely mount as a hard drive.

I don't know if they fall in your price range, because you didn't really say. Don't buy used, portable media players, though.

Sansa SaanClip's are great wee things. Basic interface (which I like but others don't), drag and drop, You can get a 16GB player for £40 in the UK. Make sure you get one that can be expanded with a MicroSD card for maximum storage.

I don't want something to hold all my music, just something big enough to hold my "best" stuff & shuffle it without getting repetitive.

Judging by the prices on Amazon, Sansa looks like a better bet than iRiver...and you say it does all I want it to? What about the battery, how does it recharge?

After checking iRiver's website I see they've departed from their old ways to compete with Cowon. It's too bad none of their current models sport anything like a Clix design. The closest thing I can find on Amazon in functionality is the "T" line, the T7 has very few reviews, but does fit near the top end of the inexpensive category. It still supports a lot of formats, including Ogg, which is very nice.

Still one reviewer said Sansa was way better for the money. So you might be better served with one of those. I see it supports FLAC and Ogg, as well, and has a lot of reviews to pour over (SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)).

Looking briefly between the T7 and the Sansa Clip models, I'd go Sansa. At the 2GB price I wouldn't even be upset to lose the thing.

I can also recommend the Sansa Clip+ if you want something simple and stripped-down. I have one and like it a lot. It fits all of your criteria (well, I've never tried playing .wma on mine, but the Amazon page says it's supported).

There is a question of your battery capacity requirements, though. My Clip+ will run for about 12-14 hours on one charge, which is on the lower end of the scale (and using a microSD card actually cuts that time in half).

Can't you just take the cash you'd spend on the MicroSD card and spring for the Clip with the bigger internal flash memory?

Well, they don't come any bigger than 8GB. You'd be looking at moving up to the more expensive lines.

8GB is a lot of music, do you just like to have everything on there?

Well, my personal situation was that I had a 1GB Sansa Express with a 2GB card (which I think was like seven bucks). The card didn't cause any battery issues with the Express, so I figured it'd just be a little extra storage on the Clip+, with an option to buy more storage down the road without buying a whole new player. Six hours doesn't always get me through the workday, though, so I just don't use the card.

Honestly, I don't really need the expansion slot. 8 gig is plenty to carry at one time for my purposes, and I don't have a huge collection in the first place. More storage just means that I can have a bigger selection on hand and don't have to swap out files as often.

I have a Sanza Fuze I love. I think it has four Gigabytes, and I have something like forty hours of audio on there. It charges when plugged into a USB slot, and you can definitely drag and drop music into it, although I use WMP to manage mine.

Another vote for the Sansa products here. We own 2 or 3 of the old series Sansa Clip devices and they have been extremely reliable. I currently use a 2GB model in exactly the same manner you describe (i.e. it doesn't hold all my music, just the choice tracks), but I would prefer to have the 4GB or larger model; the 2GB only holds about 300 tracks. On the whole, they are well worth the low price tag, I might even go so far as to call them the highest end of the low-budget MP3 players.

I have a $25 Amazon gift card coming to me in the mail soon...I'm pretty certain I'll put it towards the Sansa Clip, it really seems to suit my needs. Just one last question.

Is there any significant difference between the Clip+ and the Clip?

I see you can get their SlotRadio cards for half off by buying a Sansa+ right now. I see no way to "liberate" that music. I might be able to tolerate lower sound quality music for 15 bucks/1000 songs, but not if I can't make my own playlist and play the music I want.

Don't post anything breaking GOG's TOS here. If someone wants to discuss (or rail against me, I'm open to that) hit me up on GOG PM on the subject.

I agree - Clip+ is still the best cheap solution. Very easy to use, very fast, nice and simple.