Precious little available in a manual.

That makes it tough. I like manuals too, and they are always in short supply. Forget the Ford Escort suggestion then, I don't then they made manuals after 1999.

What sort of weather were you looking at when he was in babydom?

Fair amount of rain. We had the El Nino winter during his toddler years. That sucked.

Factor in that the baby's size is going to make a difference. As Lily is still reet petite, the getting in-and-out is relatively easy now, but will get harder as she gets heavier.

So, I too would vote on putting off the new car for the immediate future. There are a lot of expenses that come up with babies in the first year or two and having a paid off car is a nice luxury.

I would consider also if you are getting up to 12k that you aren't all that far from the price of a new Toyota Corolla (and better financing options with a new car could bring the payment down to about the same) that can get like 32 city 41 hwy. Might be worth it to save for a bit. Around here anyways Diesel tends to cost quite a bit more than gasoline (especially E10 ethonal) and cost might come out the same. Plus you get warrenty and about the best reliability record there is.

I'm just trying to think of options, in the end get (or don't get anything right now) what you would like the most.

As Lily is still reet petite, the getting in-and-out is relatively easy now, but will get harder as she gets heavier.

We already have to do some nifty contortions to get the seat in, and her added weight will make things right special in time.

So, I too would vote on putting off the new car for the immediate future. There are a lot of expenses that come up with babies in the first year or two and having a paid off car is a nice luxury.

I tend to agree, though we'll see how well we all deal with summer and the car. The current plan is to do a gas cost analysis, and see what sort of difference per month the increased MPG would make, then subtract that amount from the added expense of monthly payments. If it's enough, it might make sense to bite the bullet this year instead of next.

Around here anyways Diesel tends to cost quite a bit more than gasoline (especially E10 ethonal) and cost might come out the same.

It's almost identical here, which is a factor. Biodiesel's more, but for the first time in ages (I think the last time this was the case, I was still driving a diesel, which puts it at least a decade ago), regular diesel's about the same as the cheapest unleaded, and less than premium.

We already have to do some nifty contortions to get the seat in, and her added weight will make things right special in time.

I have a Civic HB as well and I can't imagine getting an infant bucket back there. Toddlers aren't a problem though.

It's almost identical here, which is a factor.

Weird how it's so different. I always get E10 and it is generall 15-20 cents a gallon less than diesel.

Stupid computer I'm waiting for. Do stuff faster so I can go home sometime tonight.

Four doors will make it very much easier to attend to the baby, seriously -- I have a Civic HB myself.

My family seems to avoid getting in trouble with the law by being, in some cases, the actual law.

I found an article that pretty much sums up the attitude toward environmentalists I see from people I know.

[link]

The environmentalists are just a bunch of wackos who have no idea what they are talking about. Meanwhile, the free market is taking care of any problems.