Car Prices!!!!!!

We have been having just one of those months when not a things seems to be going right!!!!
Friday, My children & I were coming home from picking my son up at the high school and the car broke down..... I had to have it and us towed home. This car is special to me (It was my dad's before he died and I feel very attached to it), So it brakes my heart to see it falling apart - The tranmission has been slipping, brakes are shot, It leaks water and want's to over heat ect..... so I have had to face facts that this car has seen it's last days on the road (Maybe I will keep it in the yard though...). I for sure don't want to take on a huge car payment - We had just gotten to a point were we had no payments at all ect. for utility payments & car insurance. We went looking for a car, I was stunned to see what they cost! We are all fighting over which way to go with this problem, I want a $3,000. car so we have no payments but my son & husband both want something "nicer" and payments - We will see how it works out as we need to move fast.