My car -- a 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon -- needs a minimum of $1100 work. It's trade-in/sale value is somewhere between $500 and $1500 (yeah, right). It has 212,000 miles on it.

Why don't I want another Legacy Outback? They've got room, AWD, reliability (well, if you don't keep them as long as I do), there are tons around, and really, it seems to be more car for the money than the Toyota Matrix, which I do want, despite it having some things I'm concerned about (its AWD has issues and is in fact not being manufactured in the recent models) in general, and the specific ones we can find as well (generally too high a price, also various odd things like silly larger wheel size or sucky customer service or automatic transmissions).

We've been looking at and driving cars a LOT this week, not to mention calling around to see what's available, reading/researching online.... We were out from 10-5 today, just car shopping... yargh... what a way to spend my hubby's vacation...

In my daydreams? A Toyota Prius with AWD. But there ain't no sich thing (and I don't want, let alone could afford, a Toyota Hybrid Highlander)...

In our this-is-reasonable price range? A '00 Subaru Forester. *sigh*

I've talked (er, test-driven) myself out of the incredibly charming and wonderfully efficient Nissan Versa. It's just... there's just too much snow for me in that car. (My hubby would probably be fine, but a) I drive more hills more often, and b) he's a better driver.) Well, and it's new (read: too much money by, oh, maybe a factor of 2).

I just don't want anything bigger than the Outback, or less efficient; apparently I want something that drives as comfortably (to me) as will last as long, while being smaller, more efficient, more reliable/durable, and cheaper. And the Impreza is too small for the dog (who is, admittedly, 10½, and a Berner), at least, as long as I have the car seat too.

I just want a good car that fits what I schlepp and how/where I drive (dirt and/or hills) for something less than I make a year (OK, so I'm not working much, but...). How come that seems to be too much to ask?

Heeeelllllppp...