Reply #61: scions

[emarch]

hey, becky. i was faced with basically the same problem as you a year ago and decided to look for a new or newer-used car. i started by researching biodiesel as an option, but because i couldn't pay for a car in cash and no bank would loan me under $7,000, i ended up looking at new cars that i could finance through my credit union. it sucks that i ended up spending more money because i didn't have money on hand – my fault. i shopped for my credit union's loan sales and got a better rate than the dealer gave me – way better.

i did TONS of research and comparison before choosing the smallest car necessary for my needs with the best safety, efficiency, and reliablilty available. scions are very affordable, safe and my xB (the boxy one) is very roomy but gets better gas mileage than a mini cooper. the little one (xA) people have mentioned above is even better. the last bonus, if you end up buying new, scions are sold for exactly what they say on the sticker, no haggling by dealers allowed – ever. that was awesome. you can even build yours online and order it through the website. whatever the price comes up to is what you pay plus delivery and tax. i have had mine about a year and i adore it. if you can't afford a hybrid, at least try to do the least amount of damage possible.

sidenote: if you are able to come up with a chunk of cash or a small loan, if you get a used diesel you can run it on biodiesel or you can even buy a conversion kit and run it almost completely on used vegetable oil which many restaurants will give away free. practically zero emissions and beats the crap out of hybrids for MPG when running on veggie oil. there's lots of info online, just do a search biodiesel in your area.

good luck!