After searching quite a while for cars in my "affordable zone," I finally started finding vehicles, mostly in Albuquerque. Since that is about a 2-hour drive from our home, I could not waste time looking at cars that were hopeless, so I invested in the five-Carfax package. The very first vehicle I checked, a nice-enough-looking Ford Ranger, turned out to have been a shop vehicle for a car dealer after starting life as a rental, and it had been through two accidents and six owners. I passed, even though the owner offered me a price $1,000 less than the original asking price. Two more Carfax reports turned up questionable histories on cars I was looking at, and then my fourth report came up clean and recommended a price above Kelley Blue Book's. The Carfax report's last reported mileage was off by 100% (this car had 132k instead of the 65k Carfax reported, and that probably accounted for the price recommendation), but the vehicle had been driven the last several years by a student attending a local college, and its interior had a harder life than its mechanicals. After looking at and test-driving the 2002 Hyundai Elantra, I purchased it for $250 below the asking price. It needed tires and a new axle and tie rods up front, but it had been mechanically kept up pretty well, and it wasn't leaking any fluids except around the torn axle boot. In the month since I've had the car, I haven't had any problems except for a squeaking and probably in need of replacement serpentine belt. The new tires cleared up the vibration I experienced at highway speeds, and the new axle and boot restored steering to its normally quiet and smooth operation. The 5-speed transmission and the radiator had both been replaced, so the car is in many ways ready for the long haul. The lack of serious accidents and the no-lemon guarantee, plus the buy-back warranty from Carfax, gave me some welcome peace of mind when buying this car. Thanks!