>>13399
That is unfortunate. This may sound drastic, and it is kinda, but if you aren't attached to the area you might consider moving west and/or south. Once you're out of the midwest they pretty much don't salt the roads afaik. Texas, Colorado, Montana, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho are all potentially viable areas that shouldn't be too shitty in terms of taxes (not in that order, Oregon is pretty much Washington level socialist with a lower pop, but if you live outside Portland the taxes aren't too bad). The rest of the south is probably fine for cars but the culture is very different. I don't know about jobs though. Depends on your field.
>roads
sucks
>inspections
Damn, they fail you even for body panel rust?
>cycle
That's the logic behind getting a cheap Japanese shitbox. Rarely break and cost peanuts to fix when they do. I don't know about New England but recently used manual Corollas are very common on the market here. Same goes for Civics but I don't think they are quite as cheap. Mazdas are a good option as well. I would stay away from Nissan, I think they've been sharing more with Renault recently.
>rambling
Don't worry about it, talking it out (or in this case typing) is good to do, it helps you see more of the situation as long as you aren't just sulking.
>investments
Good idea. I had to do a personal finance course in high school (where most of this advice is coming from) and the one I did was by this guy named Dave Ramsey. Basically, save whatever you can, even if it's only a few dollars a month. It'll happen slowly, but you'll eventually be in good shape if you can stay out of debt and maybe invest in some safe markets. Especially if you're still fairly young, chances are good that you will end up in a good place if you stick to it.
I'm normally much more of a shitlord, but when serious things like this come up I try to be less sarcastic and more helpful.
>what do you drive?
1998 Saab 900 turbo. Before that I had a 1994 900 turbo which was totaled about a month ago. The insurance settlement was enough to get a running but not great shitbox like I described, which would have been fine until I could save up for a good car (likely would have been another Saab), but it wouldn't have fit my cargo needs very well and my parents insisted that I get a decent car now rather than later. So I got a small loan (my credit union would only give me a little more than half the price of the car anyway because they are undervalued and the kbb value is low) and bought a decent car. I have a summer job that pays peanuts to cover the first few loan payments, then I'll get a real job and pay off the loan by the end of the year.
>what have you drove?
the 1994 900 mentioned above was my first car. I bought it (parents helped) for close to peanuts but it had a lot of problems that cost more in the long run. In retrospect I definitely should not have gone with that one for my first car, though it was fun and suited my wants and needs almost perfectly, which is why I bought another one. If I were to do it again I probably would have gone with a cheap Mazda. I'll pay back my parents eventually.