OT: new car advice

[Siri Amrit Kaur]

Coming into this discussion late, with a few thoughts not directly 
related to your car list.

A financial advisor once told me that making new-car payments for 
years was the single worst thing someone could do if they wanted to 
build their family's financial prosperity. He recommended getting a 
good-quality used car, paying cash for it and never make monthly 
payments. 

Of course, a good, reliable used car might not come cheap and you 
might not have that kind of cash on hand, but it's something to 
consider.

You can often find great deals on older, big luxury cars with a single 
owner. They've usually been well-cared for.  Nobody wants to buy them 
because they're looking for more fuel-efficient little cars so you 
can get them for a steal. I prefer big old cars because they're much 
safer if I get into an accident. I drive an '86 Crown Victoria with 
almost 200,000 miles on it, get 20 mpg and have been in 2 accidents 
that would have totalled a little car, but barely made a dent in 
mine. Aside from an oil drip and needing cosmetic work, it's a great 
car! The bluebook value is about $300.

When it comes time to buy another car I'm going to get a diesel. The 
engines are simpler to work on, have fewer parts to break and best of 
all, they can run on vegetable oil AKA biodiesel fuel. Think about 
it: the next time there's either a real or fabricated energy 
shortage, you can fill your tank with vegetable oil and not be 
dependent on foreign oil. 

Biodiesel fuel emits no carcinogens or pollutants whatsoever. If  you 
really want to drive cheaply, you can get barrels of used frying oil 
from restaurants and filter it yourself. Otherwise, bulk cooking oil 
from Sam's or Costco is very inexpensive.

Go ahead and laugh at me now.

Siri Amrit