As many of you know, my current buggy is about to expire soon with only 208,000 miles on it. I cross my fingers everytime I pull out of the driveway.

I'd like to find a 4 cyl. Ranger or a Ford station wagon, or potentially a Toyota truck. I thought I'd feel things out here and see if anyone might have a gently used one of the above they want to sell.

Alternatively, though I said I'd NEVER do this again....if someone has good connections and can help me get a 2004 with a decent price (I'm a woman, I don't wnat to haggle -- but to get a good price I think you have to do that.) I'd be appreciative of any suggestions/steering.

2 wheel drive only in a world where gas sometimes flirts with $2/gal.

brownthrasher NOSPAM @ bellsouth . com

I have to say that Carmax was the best car buying experience that I have ever had. No haggle on the price, easy to deal with paperwork, easy financing options, reliable used transportation. And you can shop for what you want on-line. Just an Idea.

I'll second the CarMax experience. You may not find the cheapest cars on their lots, but they are dependable cars and they have warranties to back them up.

We've bought our last three cars from them, and can't really complain. If we just shopped the used car lots, who knows what we may have ended up with?

You mentioned the four cylinder Fords. The last time I shopped for a new car (for my daughter) I found the Ford Focus and entry level 2004 Ford Mustang to be good values for the money.

I ended up getting her a 12 year old Volvo instead, but you might see if your employer participates in the Ford X-Plan program. That will get you a new car at a discount without having to haggle over price, as the X-Plan price is printed on the invoice. I know Ga. Tech, many other schools and larger companies are on the program.

~erik~

I worked at GT for 20+ years, but am not there now. I haven't heard of this X-plan. It sounds RIGHT down my alley. I work for a county Board of Education, and am considered a State of Georgia Employee as a school teacher. I have no clue who to ask about this x-plan. I'll do a search on the internet, but maybe Ford would know who's on the list? Thanks for the info!

I've also done a Carmax purchase and was happy with the car. It's the one with 208,000 miles on it now! Used cars can't be financed as long as new ones, and one of the driving forces right now is to keep the payments in a certain range.

I appreciate the ideas though. I'm pretty naieve about these things.