Vehicular Upgrades

I have been driving used cars my entire life. Driving them until they die. Aaaaaand I'm over it. Don't get me wrong, my 'bu has been a good car, but now that it's paid off, I don't really want to keep paying for annual tweaks on it, fixing old tubes/belts/AC etc. It's probably about time to get new brakes, too, so I'm out.

Because 90% of our driving tends to be in-city, we've been looking at hybrid vehicles, namely the Toyota Prius...



and the Ford Escape. Not that I need an SUV for off-roading or anything, but I am tired of trying to squeeze furniture and other random payloads into the back of my Malibu, and I don't want another truck.



Plus they have goodies like navigation, satellite radio, power outlets, etc. Which is pretty sweet. The option to have oil-slicks, smoke-screen and rocket launchers added on isn't too bad price-wise, but the cost of the ammo & refills is what adds up real quick. I'll probably pass on those.