Michelle, I would have had a mini years ago if I hadn't had dogs. Now I can't afford one! I still have a 1992 Izuzu Rodeo that has 158,000 miles on it. I swore I would drive it into the ground. What a gem, I put almost no money into it except to change the oil every 3000 miles. Like you, I drive very little. Mostly lived near work and took few road trips. Then one day, at around 155,000 miles, my radiator went out just outside of Garberville, in the Sierras. I coasted into town, even my glasses steamed up. That got handled and then about 5,000 miles later my water pump went south. That's when I decided I couldn't trust the old girl for road trips. Not wanting to put damp, smelly dog in my pretty new car, I kept the Rodeo just for the dogs. I keep it insured only for liability. It's also good for dump runs and friends borrow it if they're moving. I bought a Prius in 2007 - then I sold it in 2008 for a bit more than it cost me. Now I have a Honda Fit. Small, nippy, but has very good cargo space, I found could fit dogs in it if only they would sit down and not smell. Hence keeping Rodeo. It's really fun to drive and now with Scoop gone, it works well for Rags. He was never the one to go full out swimming and deep sea diving so he was never the smelly one. Rags just stands in the back, body quivering, whining "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Rob, I once had a Miata and I loved it too. I sold it to buy a teepee. I had more fun in the Miata.

Golf rebadge proves Rabbit didn't die After two years of waiting and wondering, Canadians finally get a chance at the new Golf and it's not even a new Golf ... it's a new Rabbit. The Rabbit was beaten to Canada by the new GTI, which will also carry its own identity rather than also tie it to the Golf (of which both are versions). A 5-door GTI is available as of July 2006. It was 1984 when the Volkswagen Rabbit was last marketed in Canada to coincide with the change in Golf generations. The Golf has been one of the best-selling nameplates in history and will undoubtedly continue, since the Rabbit is simply a rebadge only for North America (as it was between 1975 and 1984). The reason is that VW wanted to capture some of the nostalgia of the name, but in the process it also brings the car appeal to a younger audience. VW Canada originally projected sales of 4,500 cars through to the end of the 2006, but is already adjusting its projections upwards under the knowledge of initial demand, and an aggressive lease strategy. There are several exclusivities to Rabbit, including the 2.5-litre 5-cylinder engine that isn't available to Golf (but is also dropped into Jetta), and its being sourced out of Wolfsburg (most of Canada's Golfs were made in Mexico). The engines continue to be sourced out of Mexico, which means they'll rack up the frequent flyer miles since they get shipped to Germany to be bolted in cars that then enter Canada through Halifax. VW Canada's Executive VP, John White says there is no import gains realized in relation to Free Trade. Rabbit comes to Canada in 3-door and 5-door hatchback bodystyle, all powered by the 150-hp 2.5 20-valve inline-5. Power delivery to the front wheels is entrusted to 5-speed manual or an optional 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic sequential mode. That allows the automatic to actually attain better fuel economy, due to the extra gear and the capability to short-shift. Both transaxles feature gears that take good advantage of the engine's power bands, meaning progressive acceleration. The manual's crisp shifter and smooth clutch make for very relaxed driving. As with any VW, the cars are stocked with an abundance of safety assists, including anti-lock brakes, traction control (ASR, for anti-slip regulation), and electro-mechanical steering assist, which VW claims is nearly an active steering system. A fully independent suspension grants a typically solid Golf ride, soaking up just about any severity of broken pavement. Handling is relatively stable and there isn't any reason to believe the new Rabbit won't adopt the Golf trait of lifting the rear inside wheel on tight, high-speed corners. Standard equipment includes semi-automatic climate control (you can set the temperature and it the system will maintain it, but the fan speed and vent location are manual), power windows, locks and mirrors, height-adjustable driver's seat, active head restraints, and front side-impact airbags and full side curtain-airbags. The 5-door Rabbit adds 8-way adjustable front seats, upgraded centre console with adjustable armrest, and a rear armrest with pass-through for the 60/40 split folding seatback. Popular options include the 6-speed automatic, stability control (ESP), a power sunroof, 16-inch alloy wheels, rear side-impact airbags (5-door only), in-dash 6-CD changer, and heated front seats and washer nozzles. An iPod plug-in is available later in 2006. http://www.autonet.ca/Spotlight/NewModels/story.cfm?story=/Spotlight/NewModels/2006/06/15/1634865.html

We ended up with the Honda Civic EX. We looked again at the Corolla, but they checked and told us there wasn't a white Corolla in a 5 state area with ABS and side airbags. They said they had never seen one at all with stability control. ??? We had an offer of a white Honda LX without side airbags for $15,200 with 1.9% interest. There was no white LX with sidebags anywhere in the state. We almost took the one without the sidebags, but we really want the side airbags. They didn't have a white EX with sidebags, but they found one at a dealer 300 miles away. They wanted $400. over invoice. Too much I though and we left after 3 hours. They called me at home and knocked $100. off. Still too much. They called back and offered invoice. I took it. They are still of course getting a dealers holdback and I am sure there is more. The EX also has ABS brakes, sunroof, and a few extra bell and whistles. We are paying $17,475 with 1.9%. I hope this is fair. What do you think?

I am totally and irrationally attached to my old car. We just got a "new" one - a 2008 hyundai santa fe, but I am already thinking about what to get next when we sell this one. We got a killer deal on a low mileage used one and could probably even make money if we sold it today (and would make money if we totaled it). I love having a bigger car with a toddler and I love AWD in bad weather but I do not really love the crappy gas mileage so hoping in a couple of years our options are better for a CUV with better fuel economy (some of the models coming out this year look good so we'll see how good they really are and then look for a good deal in a couple of years). But we just put a lot of money (where a "lot" is relative to the value of the car) our 2001 Honda Accord. NOTHING special about it at all but I just love that car. It needed a new CV joint, 4 new tires, an expensive 100k mile service and new brakes. Somewhat recently it had the timing belt done and a new clutch. It runs like new now and even though it's nothing luxurious or sporty and never was, if I am going somewhere by myself and the weather is OK I will always take the old car. To me it's like that perfectly faded, broken in pair of jeans that are just starting to get good after 10 years. yeah there are a couple of frayed edges but oooh so comfortable. DH wanted to sell it when we got the "new" car and go back down to one car again (we have shared a car for the last 10 years or so that he has been working from home) but it's really much harder to do that with a child... and I just could not bear to give up the old car.