Cameron's Thoughts

I have been thinking a lot recently about what kind will be my next purchase. I still have quite some time to think about this since the lease on my current car won't be up until June of next year. I bought my 2001 Toyota Echo on a four year lease. It's a pretty good car, but I think I should be able to get an even better car for the same money I paid for that one. I bought it in June of 2001, and after Sept. 11 that year, with the economy going to crap, there have been TON better deals on cars. I have still seen deals much better than I remember back when I bought my Echo. Anyways, I really am having some trouble deciding what to get. I am a slacker, so I would like to be prepared once that June '05 date comes around. I won't be able to take my time then as I will need to have a replacement car ready to go. I saw my current dream car in pictures of the most recent Detroit Auto Show. The Nissan Actic. Though only a concept car, if this came out, it would be pretty cool. Looks a bit different, but it's kinda like something you might see in a movie of the future, like A.I.. Here are a few highlight's about this car that I like:

"The IT system boasts a 100-gigabyte memory and a portable wireless hard drive. The LCD roof panels provide the ability to use visual displays to change the “interior environment.” The Actic is the future contained in a rounded silver pod."
From North American International Auto Show website.

"Actic provides nearly unlimited opportunities for its users to explore and challenge the relationship between exterior and interior environments and to introduce elements of personalization by projecting video displays on a series of six roof-mounted flat LCD screens."
From NAIAS 2004 Highlights: Nissan Actic Concept.

Other than that, there are a few other cars currently on the market that I am looking at. I have kind of been thinking about the 'modern stationwagon' look of the Toyota Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe. I would probably go with the Pontiac though as my Dad works for GM and I get a discount for buying those cars. Another car that I like is the Mazda3. It's a sporty looking car with some nice features. I have also somewhat considered the Saturn Ion (another GM car) but I still have to look more into that. My mother-in-law just bought a brand new Hyundai, but not sure what kind. It was really nice with power everything, a power sunroof, and keyless entry. They were able to talk the price down to under $12,000. So far, these are the cars I am considering. I have also heard some commercials on the radio for Sundance (a somewhat local dealership) having Chevy Malibu's for like $190 a month and Grand Prix's for $220 a month. Those are some nice car's and for prices like that it might be worth checking out.