Looking for a car...

Can you believe that six months ago I was fearing we were going to be homeless and now I am car shopping???  Crazy, right?  Actually, we are looking to lease a car.  Frank's job requires him to commute quite a distance every day and he no longer needs the big cargo style van because he no longer has to cart all of his tools and equipment.  That thing is a HUGE gas guzzler.  

We're not prepared to buy a car but we figure we can lease one.  With the lease we have to put less money down than if we were buying and we can find a brand new car that will fit in our budget.  The main problem?  Me.  I don't want a compact car.  I like my SUV.  I like sitting up higher (probably because I'm so short) and I just like the looks of it.  For the monthly amount that we want to spend, we have a wide variety of compact cars to choose from.  Whoopee!  

Frank will take my SUV because we aren't limited on miles that way; with the lease you can only use a certain amount of miles before you get charged for them.  Bummer.  The reality is that it would be better for HIM to drive the compact because of the fuel economy but with the amount of mileage he'll need to use, it's not practical for us.  Plus, with him being on assorted construction sites, I fear something happening to the car.

So I am searching lease deals.  I am going to hit the Kia dealership this weekend and see what kind of magic they can come up with for me.  After that it's the Ford dealer and then the Hyundai.  If I can keep payments at $169 a month or under, I will feel like I won the lottery.  Plus, our days of sharing cars will be over!  Since right now Frank still has the work van, he tends to take my car whenever he has something other than work to do - like play with the band - and then I am left stranded because I can't drive the van.

My fingers are crossed that I can find something good, fast...