As for me, we are car poor right now. I drive a 10 year old Buick Rendezvous crossover SUV that gets bad gas mileage and is way too big and things are starting to break. My wife's '07 PT has 70k miles, so she's good with her PT.
I am either going with a Jeep Patriot or a Dodge Dart. Both have their strengths and advantages. I will probably go with the Patriot (base model Sport FWD, white, with base engine). I think the only options I will get are the AC and AT. The 4WD is tempting, though, and only $2,000 more and would be sort of cool to have and would increase the resale value. But I don't really need it, I guess. Total out the door price should be under $19,000. The Dart SE with AT and Value Group (AC, power mirrors/locks, keyless entry) will be about the same price. I will probably go with white on either car, but the Laguna Blue and Deep Red/Redline colors are tempting.
I'm spending enough in gas now to make the payment on a new Patriot or Dart. What is your next purchase going to be?