My father in law is a lifelong UAW member and recently he was telling me I should support our automakers and trade in my 170,000 mile minivan for a new one. "You make enough money and could easily afford a new car," he says. I told him there was no way I was going to get into a car payment and have to carry full coverage insurance on a car when the job and real estate markets are as fragile as they are. I have always bought decent used cars and drove them for several years. I've saved a lot of money over the years by doing repairs myself, avoiding payments, and paying cheaper insurance. Sorry, but it's not my patriotic duty to cripple myself with unnessassary debt.