The right car

If you lease a car...you better keep the mileage down, otherwise you get charged a penalty for excess mileage at the end of the lease. I would never lease a car....(former consumer math teacher). Why not keep the Subaru until you know the job is a keeper?

what is wrong with a 1998 Outback? What do you mean "UPGRADE"?

I drive a 1999 Outback with 103k plus miles. It is in great shape, gets me there safe and secure, and I have room for baggage etc. It isn't about "what" you drive, as long as it is dependable and gets you there safely. A Subaru will last 200k plus if taken care of.

I am in agreement, no need to upgrade. I drive an 06 forester, granted it's newer than yours, but it suits me fine. My team of hospice patients are our "rural" team, meaning I drive consistently around 600 miles a week. My advice is to drive your existing car until you absolutlely cannot anymore.

Leasing is a horribly expensive and poor option. New cars are also not so hot. drive until it dies while saving cash for a ~2 year old used subaru to replace it. That will get you the most bang for your buck.

Drive it til it drops, but when it comes time--NEVER LEASE, always buy.....((even if you don't buy new, i hear the subaru wagon is one of the best pics, according to car & driver, and clark howard).

I currently have a 99 saturn wagon with 203thousand miles on it...i've been doing home hospice for 2 years, i put at least 45K/yr on my car (I am weekend call nurse).

I'm going to upgrade after the holidays (I live in Georgia, so we have what is called "ad-valorem tax", so if i were to buy a car now, i'd have to pay the advalorem tax again in january)...

I'm getting a SCION xB, clark howard rates it as a dependable car for the cost $17-$21K. You need something that has some room--my philosophy--I'd rather carry it with me than have to run 26 miles from home to office for supplies.

linda

My mechanic is the greatest! He helped me keep my '90 Honda running for 183K mi. When it died (I'm still grieving), he sold me a '96 Honda for $1800. Someone had left him with it after he fixed it up.

Right now, my agency pays $.40 mile for visits. I am expected to have automobile insurance and give them a copy of current insurance and state driver's license. There is a certain part of the IRS that describes using vehicle expenses as a deduction. Since you are doing the investigating, I'd like to hear about this. From what I have understood, in the past, to claim your vehicular expenses as a tax deductions -- well, I never really understood it.

I've been in HH for a couple of years and having a dependable ride makes my day so much better!

Is your car paid off? If so my advice to you is to put aside (in a separate savings account-interest bearing) every month the amount that a reasonable, 2009 dollars, car payment would be for you. Don't touch that money for any reason. Drive your car until it dies which may be well into the 200k mile range if you take care of it. By that time you should have a fairly large chunk of money for a down-payment on a new car or even enough to buy one outright. Leasing is never a smart option. If you want to lease a car because you can't afford the payments to buy it then you can't afford the car...period. The reason so many people get into financial trouble is because they live outside of their means. Don't fall into that trap. Making good decisions now will impact your life far into the future. The car you have now has wonderful safety and reliability ratings. Sure they aren't the prettiest cars on the road but pretty won't save your life. I'm on my second Subaru (2008 Forester) and will probably never buy a different make. It's smart of you to be asking these questions. Hopefully we've provided some good insight.