[BrickTamland]

I could buy a 2008 Ford Fusion SEL 4-cylinder for $13,995. That is with 22,000 miles, heated leather seats, sunroof, CD changer, SYNC, and all the airbags. With the kind of negotiating room in the price that is commonplace today, I bet I could go out the door for $13,000. If I sold my car for $11,000, a hopeful price, my additional cost would be $2,000. I would get a year old car with most of the fixings mine has, great mileage, and a good reliability record for a steal compared to other midsize cars.

What's keeping me back? A 27 mpg car is not that good. Sure, that's 5 mpg better than my car, but who knows how long gas will be cheap. When gas hits $4 again and more and more cars will be getting closer the congressional mileage mandates, 27 mpg does not seem that great, especially with a new Fusion due soon that will average several mpg better with a more powerful engine and a superior transmission. The 2.3/5-speed auto combo has been noted by the magazines to be a noisy, abruptly-shifting combo.

I should wait until I am done with school, with my Masters' degree, before I get a new car. I could have enough saved up to buy a brand new Fiesta or Focus, two cars that look to be very appealing in 2012. They will be vehicles Ford has intergrated worldwide, therefore meaning a great focus (ba-dum ching) on fuel economy.