The time has come. I've had my Saturn for almost 10 years and 179,000 miles, and I'm told the engine is FAILING. Every day I drive to work is a day I may not make it! Well. In a reasonable amount of time anyway. I have never bought a car. All my cars have been hand-me-downs or, in this case, a graduation gift. I thought maybe some of you fine automobile owners might benefit me with your experience.

Basically, here's what I'm looking for, and I realize I won't get all of these things:

*good gas mileage - I am spoiled by the 33-35 the Saturn gets
*room for dogs/band equipment as well as people - so we're probably talking hatchback/station wagon
*NO SUVs
*money - I don't have much, and what I do have is supposed to be going to keeping us afloat with a reduced income
*a reasonable amount of assurance I won't be doing this again in a year or two

I'm not all that picky when it comes to cosmetics--my current car is liberally held together with Gorilla tape, which is the beauty of having a (black) plastic car. I just don't want to make my normal impatient mistake ("This will work, I'm done!") and regret it or have to do it again really soon.

Any advice?


And just a reminder, I've signed up for help_pakistan, if you're interested.

Charles Foster Kane's mom is also Endora?

I'm so confused.

This is up there with the Major Strasser/Gwynplaine/Cesare thing.

I need to make a list of actors being in unexpected places. Like how Shatner's adorable wife on For the People is Lucille Bluth. I know I have more, I just can't remember right now.

What are yours? I mean, what actors, divided by time or makeup or genre or whatever, totally surprised you when you realized they were the same person?