Dearly Departed SW2 - How I'll miss thee...

Sorry for your loss and intended indebtedness. You've got your own economic stimulus going. At least the Focus isn't the one with the wheels falling off.

Wheels? We don need no stinkin' wheels!

Good luck with the 300. I always liked that car, but the V6 didn't come with a standard, at least in Canada, and that's a deal breaker for me.

I agree that no machinery lasts forever, and the Focus seems to be one of the better choices among the current fuel efficient offerings. However IMHO substantial indebtedness is never advisable, and there is another alternative that you may not have considered but may (or not) fit your individual situation.

IMHO the SW series is a very usable body style and your car may still have service life remaining in lots of parts that can easily be removed. The used market seems to be full of good Saturn cars, some with very low kms. Many people shy away from used cars no longer in production. If you have the time to be patient, I suspect you can find another S series car which is very drivable and can be purchased for under $2k and maybe much less. I spoke with someone who had just purchased a SW with 120kkm for $700. Your car may have good value left in just the tires (mounted on rims) and battery and maybe seat covers or stereo. It is wintertime and it does not take much of a crash to write off a car but still leave a good powertrain and other salvage which you could use to repair your SW. You would own both cars outright and not have a bank forcing you to carry expensive insurance and would only need PL&PB. The insurance savings alone might be a substantial part of the cost of a good used car. About the only thing you need for this strategy is a place to park the unused vehicle until it is needed, and I suspect that it will still be worth $500 to the recycle your ride program in the coming year(s) or longer.

Good luck, YMMV