The 2000 Ford Windstar is developing a severe case of body rot. The unibody is going fast, the on-board computer is getting senile, the repairs are jumping from $250 now and then to $450 every two months. It's time. We normally don't buy new cars, the Windstar is the first - and only - new vehicle I ever bought and I saved up enough cash to buy it outright but paid for it with Amex for the points in late 1999. Now I'm ready again to get a replavement mom mobile and something for me too. I have a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee and it's hanging in there but at over 200K miles and with a lot of hard use, I can't expect much more.

I hate cars, I hate car shopping, I hate managing cars, I hate everything about dealing with cars. I think of cars as a troublesome necessity of life - so that's why I am asking for some opinion here.

I think we're going to buy new again, at least the mom mobile. I'll be OK with my jeep until the wheels fall off and the tranny fails (again). We can make new mom moblile a once every 10 years habit, I guess. I have looked at the vehicles from GM and Chrysler, and they have some phenomenal deals - but I have to admit that I have little confidence that parts and service will be easy to obtain in the near future. GM just sold the Hummer division to a Chinese company, they are also selling Saturn and Opal. Chrysler is heading to Fiat...and who knows what else. I have to admit that these facts and others have put GM and Chrysler in a very negative light for me as a buyer with a 10 year ownership horizon.

I have been looking at the Subaru Forrester, The Honda Oddesy, and even the Toyota Scion B they are pretty darn good. I've driven the hybrid SUV's - not impressed at all compared to the Prius, a vehicle I really like (my father in law has one). We need to transport 3 of my own kids plus any random number of spare kids that end up coming along for the ride, so 3 rows of seating is a must. I wish they still made decent station wagons.

Anyway, if anyone wants to talk cars...this would be a great time for it. Should I consider the Chevy or the Chryler products at all? What do you think?