"serious car shopping starts today"

I know better than to get too excited about anything in advance, given my past horrid luck in life. But I'm "praying" that I can find a car that is reasonably safe, that will up my employability, give me some much needed freedom, allow me to leave the house after dark- increase my personal safety tremendously, give me a much greater chance of finding residence in a safer area and improve my quality of life significantly.