I am, god help me, thinking about buying a new car. I am pre-approved from my credit union for a 5 year loan at 4.75%, and I've been considering a Hyundai, specifically the Accent.

As much as I love my Jeep, and as little as I am paying (and owe) for it, the maintenance and repair costs are getting to be a bit much. On the one hand, so many things I can repair myself or at least obtain the parts on my own. On the other hand, what good is it to have a car if you are always worrying that this time you are going to have to take the bus home because it wouldn't start? In addition to the problems I've had with the clutch, the fuel pump, the seat belts, and the battery, there is the fact that random screw keep popping out of worn threads, that the rust is getting rustier, that the rear defrost never worked, etc.

I need a car in order to substitute teach, and given that other employers aren't exactly falling over themselves to get me (the job I hoped for all summer went to someone else, and I didn't even get and interview) I'm going to be needing it for the foreseeable future. I wasn't able to get the roof off this summer, and I hardly drove anyway, so the allure of driving with the wind in my hair is diminished.

The Accent is a fairly economical car, and would at least double my gas mileage. Plus, Hyundai has that amazing warranty. Almost everything on the car would be under warranty for the whole time I was paying, and some things would still be for several years after I owned it outright. I know that the conventional wisdon is to buy used, but I want the full warranty and I don't plan on trading up every few years. Unless my career and financial outlook change dramatically I will probably have my new car until it is a very, very old car.

I haven't made up my mind yet. I have until then end of October to decide and still get the loan I mentioned above. I'm a little nervous about the prospect of buying a new, new car. (Large purchases usually make me hyperventalate.) I've also got more research to do. And who knows, I may score a fabulous new job in the next month that would allow me to resume my bus commute. And pigs might also be airborn.