Christmas present to myself

I had an unfortunate experience with my car (2002 Saturn Sedan) that started with a tune up and ended with a cracked cylinder head. I agonized for a few weeks on whether I should fix the old car ($2000) or if it was time to get a new one. I don't have extravagant tastes in cars and I was really hoping to use my Saturn for the next few years. On the other hand, I don't have time to keep repairing an older car. I need something reliable and not prone to problems.

(On a side note: when it comes to car-related decisions, that's when I really wish I had a car-savvy husband around. I take car of everything else in my life. Is it too much to ask for someone to take care of the car?)

Ok, back to my situation:
After much consideration, I decided to get a new car. The winner is:

2010 Honda Civic LX


I love my new car.

What's even better is that I felt I managed the whole car-buying-haggling-price problem fairly well. I narrowed it down to the car I wanted (Toyota corolla or Honda civic- the most boring cars in the world, buy hey, i'm not a car person and I need reliable). I then went to 4 dealerships and started talking price. Once I knew I wanted a Civic, I focused on the 3 closest Honda dealers and got a price quote from one of them. I took the quote to the other 2 dealers and asked if they could do better than that. I did the final negotiating on the phone- told the original dealer what I was offered (back and forth between the dealers) and finally got to the lowest bid. When the other 2 dealers wouldn't go any lower, I knew I had a good price. I was able to do it in a couple of days- yipee!

So, if you're ever in the market for a new or used car, I recommend Edmunds.com. It's a great website and that's where I started and got internet quotes from the dealers. Great way to go for a 'non-car' person.