Vehicle for adventure

Conversation I had with an 11 year old:

Where's your punch bug?
I don't have it anymore. It was old and it died.
(sad face)
But a man in Buffalo bought it and is going to put a new engine in it.
And then he's going to give it back to you?
That would be nice, but no.
You should get another punch bug.

Update: Bug is getting a second life! As a Turbo Beetle! Evidently the guy my dad sold Bug to has a turbo VW Beetle diesel engine that he wants to put in Bug's body. I don't know how he can put a diesel engine into a car that doesn't run on diesel fuel, but that's his plan. Where can I get a new engine and become a Turbo Jen?

I thought about buying another Beetle. It's my favorite car and, after driving around in a bubble for the past 5 years, it's going to be an adjustment to drive anything else. And I will definitely miss the flower. But I'm leaning towards a more reliable car that will take me on adventures, not be the adventure. Plus I don't like VW's redesign for the 2012 Beetle. It's just not as cool.

To some extent I still think a car is a money pit. After all, it is a depreciating asset. But it's also a vehicle for vacation and exploration. Once I started thinking of it that way, the car hunting process became more fun. Though I want to dig as shallow of a money pit as possible.

So I've narrowed it down to two options. Either pay cash for a used 2-3 year old car with low mileage or buy a new car from a dealer offering 0% interest loans. Must be relatively small, a hatchback and blue.

Lyric of the moment: "All there is left to do is get up, get up, get up, there's a dance floor waiting." (Because I've been rocking out to Something For Rockets while walking to work.)