lol... my question really wasnt a dollars and cents question, as such. my question was really one of being indecisive of choosing between repairing a older car or saying f*ck it and buying another one. for the record: i am a physical therapist and i own a home care company. i travel over 400 miles a week to see patients. most of my patients are in the worst neighborhoods. on many levels, it has not been a wise idea to use a "nice" car for my job. my small, yet, well directed company has fortunately allowed me the ability to be able to own a SUV to handle large jobs, a BMW for liesure and a clunker to complete my patient visits. however- since you brought up bush vs. kerry, let me say this. part of the reason i am able to have 3 cars is that under bush, small businesses like mine have been allowed to keep more of the money that we earn, so........