Certified pre-owned

    Now the rubber hits the road as it were regarding how serious I am about my objection to the phrase "certified pre-owned." My friend Walt found me a super-low mileage 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid at a reasonable price at a nearby dealership in about ten seconds. I'm thinking of offering an extra $100 or so if they'll call it "used" instead. Not very seriously, of course, but I'm thinking about it. I still have neither debit card nor more than one check, so I have to cross my fingers that nobody else jumps on this deal. Carfax says it's been on the lot for over a month, so the odds should be good. And there's another one at the same dealership with only a little more mileage. I feel good about this. Fond as I am of my old awful car, I'm not THAT damned fond of it. I had concluded that I could get more frequent oil changes and have a practically new car for $20 every couple of months or so. But a really GOOD car, one that I could take 1,000 miles if need be, would be a terrific change of pace.