Used Vehicle Hunting

Finding a newer vehicle to replace my 1997 Dodge Dakota is turning into a time consuming challenge. I have it narrowed down to either a 2008 Ford Escape or a Toyota Rav4, but other interesting prospects keep coming up. For a while I was considering the Subaru Forester, but decided that a Forester would be too small. The Hyundai Santa Fe Crossover SUV is also an interesting prospect. Having never owned anything but Dodge and Chrysler products, the thought of buying a Ford is kind of scary. Ford has been building Mazda Tributes since 2001, so it's no surprise that the dashboard layout looks so similar. The Escape Limited model has everything that I'm looking for in a compact SUV, but the price tag is in the $20k to $24k range.

The problem is that cash is such a valuable commodity these days. And, with a four week layoff looming and the possibility of a job that could disappear any day, the thought of handing over $20k is not very appealing. It takes too long to accumulate that amount in this economic environment. And buying a car is probably the worst investment you can possibly make. Speaking of the environment, it's also depressing to hear stories about that BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I knew that was going to be bad the moment I heard about it. It's surprising that one oil well could cause that much trouble. The clean up work on that is going to take decades.

I would feel better if there was a hybrid vehicle on the market that I could afford. But those options are beyond my price range. So, I am forced to settle for a non-hybrid that gets only 5 or 6 mpg better than what I have now. I guess I should consider that a good enough improvement. Trading in the 97 Dakota for $2800 is also a big decision. I could probably get $1200 more if I sold it myself, but do I really want to mess with that? So, an over-priced Escape that looks more like a Tribute or a Toyota Rav4 with questionable comfort and quality issues? Nothing is perfect. All I know is that it won't be another Chrysler product. Where is that cash for clunkers deal when you need it?