It's interesting that one tire is worn way more than the others. If you choose to keep the Armada, I definitely would have the alignment checked or you could chew through the next expensive tire pretty fast. I looked on-line and saw 305/50R20 tires for under $140 each (Goodyears and Kumhos). You could have someone local mount the tire and install it. On the wheel, though, that won't be much cheaper than the Cooper price you mentioned. I have no idea if any of these will handle better in the wet than the Vogues, but I'm sure there are reviews on-line which can help. You have two problems here. One is that you're talking about a stonking big tire. The other is that whatever you do should be done in pairs, as mixing sizes and brands of radials is not recommended, especially for a vehicle that doesn't handle that well anyway. I think your cheapest options are to suck it up and buy another Vogue or to just chalk this truck up to experience and trade it in without fixing the tire. You'll get dinged for it on resale, sure, but it's not like you'll get any more on trade for having four serviceable tires. I also think you really need to consider timelines. If you can hold on to the truck another couple of years, barring any major political or petroleum catastrophes, you'll get out of being upside down. OTOH, you'll likely have to replace more tires by then, there may be other repairs as well and you'll be paying more for gasoline as the price continues to climb. There also is the consideration that SUVs may distinctly fall out of favor and it will be worth even less in two years than it would be if SUVs were still popular. Some options to consider: I'm not sure what you mean by "10K" vehicle. 10,000 miles? 10 grand to buy (neither the PT nor the Xterra fill that bill)? You could consider buying a "certified used" car -- they typically are checked better than other used cars and come with a longer warranty. You'll pay a little more, but you should be able to consider it more reliable. Strongly consider vehicles which don't hold their value particularly well because they make a zillion of them every year or the car is a little outdated. I don't think they make the Ford Taurus wagon anymore, but it would be a choice that would meet your needs. Or a lower-end minivan -- not the ones with leather and all, but a 4-cylinder Caravan or Windstar or something. You also could see if there's a way to finish off med-school pre-reqs with courses offered at a time which would allow you to keep your engineering job -- or take classes on-line, if that's possible. If you can hang on to your job a while longer, you can bank some bucks. You'll need them while you're in med school. (BTW, no problem with the "unbelievably long" post!)

I think the purpose of moving to a more efficient car is more than simply the cost. Unfortunately, China is dealing with shortages of gas because of requirements vs. availability. I think the more gas guzzling SUVs we get off the road the better it is for all of us as our future may not increase gas consumption at 10% annually (or whatever the stats). However, I do not see this happening until our politicians force or tax these big vehicles for destroying our roads, killing more other drivers in accidents, and taking 10 minutes as a gas station. If the $1500 is worth it - get a used Jetta TDI (maybe a year or two) before their prices start going up. I would LOVE to buy a Passat Diesel but waiting for a 6 spd manual version.

If the 06 Lexus has normal to low miles go for it. The normal off the lot depreciation is already done. We purchased an 04 Lexus RH330 in 07 with 26,000+ miles on it. My son took it as a trade at the dealership - yes he's in the business. Since my wife has always wanted a Lexus, we did the deal - fair price for her trade. The vehicle is running just fine and should make 200,000 miles with no problem. The workmanship, comfort and ride are exceptional. And unless you look carefully, you can't tell if its an 04 or 05 or 06 or 07 & etc. Enjoy the journey. eal51 in western CT

Hey--what constitutes and "American" car these days anyway? Many of the Fords and Chevys (how does one pluralize "Chevy?")are made in Canada or Mexico--while Honda makes most of it's cars sold in the USA here IN the USA. And, of course, Chrysler is now DAIMLER Chrusler--and a German company... Our 2001 Odyssey is also paid for. I hope to drive it for a few years more. If anyone is looking for a LITTLE car-be sure to look at the new Honda "Fit." Elder Son took an internship away from home this summer and needed reliable transport. We might have gotten him a Fit if we could have secured one in the limited time-frame we had. Though perhaps not. We always hesitate to purchase a car it's first year out...and then DH and I feel there's something WRONG about giving a kid a new car...weird prejudice from OUR up-bringings, perhaps. I didn't have a NEW car until my FIRST minivan. (1992 Villager...) As it was, we picked up a used 2005 Scion aB with fewer than 10,000 miles on it. It's in our name--we just let him use it. We'll probably give it to him when he graduates college in 2007. It's a lot of fun to drive-and relatively safe for a small car. I just wish it had the side curtain airbags that the Fit has. Ah well, it DOES have ABS. And it got 39 mpg's on the highway when he drove it up to Cincinnati. melanie