Merryheart, Sometimes I have that kind of car trouble, but not as much as I used to. Since I have become more proficient at starting plants from seedlings and cuttings, I don't buy nearly as many as I used to. However, I still have to look at every plant-selling place we pass, whether it is a nursery or a home center store or whatever.....cause you never know what you might find! For me, the 'danger zone' is on-line seed shopping. It is so easy. You just go to a website, pick out the seeds you want, and order them. The sees are delivered to your house, and then the real fun begins. I really have to stay away from the seed company websites because they are so tempting! Dawn

Yes, Carfax is accurate and reputable as a source of information that could appear on records associated with a car's title and registration history. A clean Carfax report does not in itself indicate a good car, of course, but it gives you information that's valuable, such as how many owners the car has had, whether it's been in serious accidents, where it's been, etc. It can also help you verify the accuracy of the mileage. Carfax would not usually indicate mechanical problems, of course. Carchex, which is the site you referenced, is a chain that provides 155-point vehicle inspections. You can get a Carfax report through them. I do not have any experience with them, but have no reason to believe they would not do a good job. Other reputable local mechanics would probably also be fine as a way to have a car inspected. Two suggestions for decent low-cost cars that are available with manual transmissions are a Hyundai Accent or a Chevy Cavalier. The Accent is said by Edmunds to have a current retail value of about $3,900 for a 2003, which is pretty reasonable for a car that's only five years old. To get a Cavalier for $4,000 you'd probably have to get a 2002, but that's still not too bad. They're both very serviceable little cars. Cavaliers are probably more common in most areas, so parts may be cheaper and more widely available. Values should be dropping, too, because Chevy replaced it with the Cobalt a few years back. (There are millions out there, so getting parts will never be a problem for as long as you care to keep one.) The Accent might be easier to find with a manual transmission; most Cavaliers seem to have 4-speed automatics.

Now hold on. The holes are broken. I assume you mean the side is ripped out of the hole or something? If the bumper is otherwise serviceable, just have a welder weld up the holes and redrill them or weld a plate to the side and rebolt it. Probably could get that done for $100 or less. Junkyard parts often use a guideline of 50% of new price. The u-pull places will be cheaper than a place that pulls it for you, however many places will even install it for you so you could have a cheaper alternative to a body shop. Another option for this is to check with welding schools and the like. Sometimes they'll let you bring in a vehicle to have it worked on if they're covering the type of work you need. Or you might be able to find a talented student to do the work for you. Like with so many things, it's connections. Start spreading the word. Work, social places, church, etc. If you're not in a hurry you could find a shadetree mechanic or a good samaritan to help you out. Personally, I'd first look into finding a welder and see about a repair.

sooey--Thanks for posting your experience! It's encouraging to hear so many stories about how easy it was to ship a car. I just wish it wasn't so far! She doesn't need the car until the summer, so I have several months to figure out what to do. In the meantime, I have to decide what to buy to replace my Honda. It's been such a good car, I'm kind of reluctant to part with it! It just doesn't meet my/our needs any more. And the car my sister's driving won't pass inspection in September. She was really excited when I asked her yesterday if she wants to buy my car. Now if we can work out the details...