Pore Jud is deahd, pore Jud Frye is deahd.

I didn't really name my car, much less name it Jud Frye, but it is indeed dead. Gone.

I'm not much into cars. I have a bad history with them. This car served me well and seemed to have broken the curse. I drove it for 13 years. It never gave me any serious problems -- ever.

Until yesterday.

I had to take Mo to the doctor. I started the car and it made a funny noise. Hmmmm?

I pulled into the parking space at the doctor's office, turned the car off and smoke started coming out from under the hood.

Here I am with a sick six year old (sinus infection, on the mend today), in a parking lot a half mile from home with smoke/steam/whatever flowing from my car.

I called Mr. B with an SOS, turned away from the car and didn't look back. Mr. B SOSed our lovely and wonderful neighbor who rescued Mo and I after our appointment, took us to get his prescription filled and joined us for ice cream at the pricey neighborhood ice cream emporium.

Lovely neighbor, who is a mechanic, later went with Mr. B to look at Jud and they pronounced him deahd.

So now I need some kind of car.

I don't drive very often - usually only filling my tank up every couple of weeks - but fuel economy is still important.

I have to haul around stinky pets and messy Mo and sometimes stuff so it needs some cargo area (not for Mo -- he gets to sit in a seat -- but he sometimes travels with his own cargo) but I don't want anything huge.

I don't want something I have to worry and fret over.

I don't want to spend a lot of money and I might consider something used.

I kind of like those Honda Elements.

Are they any good?