Sometime in the next year we're going to have to get a second car for the Boy. Now that he's got his license it's nice to let him take the car by himself to work for the day and let me grab a few more seconds of sleep. Precious, precious sleep. How I have missed thee! And how much more important is that going to be in another week or so when I've got the babe home with us?

So back to buying cars. If you're like us, you know the benefits of doing a lot of your research on the Net. The days of going to the library and poring over back issues of consumer reports are mostly behind us. A simple web search allows you to get all the information you need from multiple sources without ever leaving your chair. If you're working a desk job this is also a benefit, because so often the dealerships are further away from your office and you don't need to leave work early just to go look at cars. When I bought a used car about 6 years ago, I did everything but test drive and buy the car online. Saved me a ton of time and hassle, and I didn't feel rushed into an impulsive buy without taking time to consider it. Car Prices being with they are, and insurance and gas usually being worse, this is not the time to make impulsive purchases.