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Car Shopping

Ok, so this weekend I went looking for cars to replace my 12-year old red chevy crapalier. I ran into every kind of car salesman. The slimy kind, the old kind, the I don't care kind and the no hassle/nice kind. I even ran into a finance guy who asked me what he had to do to convince me to take his car home.  I was almost taken in by his let's make a deal attitude but little did he know he had just ran into "I am on a tight budget girl." I haven't bought a car since I was 20 (and really my mom negogiated that deal and that car) and I wasn't about to buy the first car I looked at.   Nope, little did Mr. Finance guy know that I wasn't making any deals until the good ole financial numbers told me I could. So I went home minus the new car but I sure came home with a ton of brochures.  The brochures were pretty but they didn't help me with my decision. This is where you the readership come in. 

Of all the cars I tested, I have narrowed my choice of car down to the trendy, yet practical, "Go, Green!" Toyota Prius or the totally fun, reminds me of my very first 4x4, all-American Jeep Patriot.  I have always owned American but I am willing to change for the environment cuz, after seeing ARTIC TALE I must save the polar bears! And if I buy a Prius I will be emitting less toxic fumes, thus saving the atmosphere and thus, preventing global warming, thus saving the polar ice caps from melting, thus saving the polar bears.  The "no hassle/nice salesman" at the Toyota dealership said I should think about what I would use the car for.  But I still can't decide so I have come up with some pro's and con's for each.

I am not a big camper/sporty gal so I really wouldn't need the Jeep but it would come in handy as we fix the house and go to Home Depo. However, it also only gets 25- 27 miles to the gallon. Then again I loved how it drove and would totally have fun going to work in it. Plus it has a little spot for my IPOD.  The Prius does have a lot of room, it's good for the environment, get 40-50 miles per gallon and you can drive in the car pool lane and get a $700 tax break for owning a hybrid.  However, it costs more than the Jeep, insurance is a little more every 6 months than the Jeep and it's not the prettiest thing from the outside.  I did just have the crapalier for 12 years and doesn't a girl deserve a bit more style? As of this blog I still can't decide.  It's a wash for me (both drive well) so now I need your help.  Which one should I get? Should I go green or go fun? Go practical or go big and roomier? Which way to go?

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