CAR=INDEPENDENCE!!!

I'm not the type of person who asks for help. I've always been extremely independent and even the thought of asking for help makes me uncomfortable. However, I've come to my breaking point and I do, in fact, need help.

In December 2013, my car was deemed unfixable and my insurance company was unable to help in any way due to the problem being "mechanical." Within 1 week, my furnace began leaking carbon monoxide and was deemed unsafe for use and unfixable. Xcel Energy came out and turned it off and told me I needed to purchase a new furnace.

I am hardworking, responsible, and a soon-to-be-mother that now faces 2 major unexpected issues. Being that the weather was in the negatives, I spent my emergency fund for a down payment on a furnace. I'm currently still making monthly payments for the furnace and have now been without a car for over 3 months.

I've written to the Attorney General in hopes of getting some relief of the $7,100 I still owe on my car from the dealership that sold it to me. The company is out of business and the Attorney General is unable to locate them. I'm stuck paying over $300 a month on a car that is unusable. I have been to dealerships and explained my situation. I am just unable to put any money down or increase my current car payment by more than $50. Dealerships are unable to help me get into a car due to the amount owed on my current car and my financial restraints. I have found a few used cars that seem to be reliable (around $2,000-$5,000) but I don't have cash in hand for private dealers.

I've never been without a car, but this situation has put a very big strain on my friends who have been helping me out. I work full time and a soon-to-be single mother. I am fully relying on my friends to take me to work in the morning and pick me up in the evening. The simplest tasks are a struggle of schedules. I am unable to take myself to the grocery store or to my doctor appointments. I am very grateful for my friends and the help they've provided but we are now financially (and physically) exhausted and out of options. I just need a cheap, reliable car to get me from work to home and the grocery store until I am able to pay off my current car that doesn't work.

I own my own home and pay all of my bills on time. I live paycheck to paycheck and do NOT receive any type of government funding. I just got hit with 2 major unexpected problems at the same time. Any help would be greatly appreciated by me.