To buy or not to buy?

Jon Froderberg with his 2001 Ford Focus ZX3.

• Talkback: Are you buying a new car?

Why I want to buy but will keep my Ford: I've been test-driving new cars, but uncertainty about employment means I'm probably going to hang onto my 2001 Ford Focus ZX3. I bought it in December 2005 for only $10,000. Now it's nearly paid off, it runs well, and maintenance costs are low.

The Focus is a bit of a squeeze when I have my four kids with me. I don't like that it's such a plain car - no power windows or locks, not a great sound system. And there are certainly more comfortable, more optioned vehicles I could get. I realized that when I recently test drove a Kia Soul.

I like that the Soul is a fun car and a little bigger than the Focus, but still has a 4-cylinder engine. I may get one of those used. But for now, I'm going to wait and see how things shake out.

My thoughts on the Big 3 bailout: It's kind of scary about Detroit. If GM or Chrysler are allowed to collapse, the ripple effect would be tremendous.

But if you don't offer quality products with features consumers are looking for, what do you think is going to happen?

I think Ford has been able to stay away from government loans because they started restructuring their debt earlier than the other two. GM and Chrysler didn't sell off excess brands when they were able to, and now they're stuck.

NEXT: David Komer: 2001 Ford F-150 Supercrew