Don't let the bastards get you down, Pauline--if you have the energy--pursue the National Labor Board option that Kendall mentioned above--while it true that an employer can let you go for no reason, there are some "reasons" that are unacceptable, and can cause big legal trouble for them--even without litigation, this can translate into a useful settlement (often paid as additional severance pay), if the employer sees that are interested in pursuing it--

As to the used car thing, consider checking out Carmax in Rockville--the have a huge inventory on the lot, and, if you don't see exactly what you want(year, model, mileage and price) you can check their on-line inventory and get it from there--there cars are mechanically inspected and tested before they offer them for sale, and they say that they will not offer any cars that have been damaged in accidents, etc--they come with a warranty--also, you won't need to negotiate price--