if you are going to commute, look at
finding a place close to the Amtrak line,
a 2 hour hellish drive can be a 4 hour relaxing
train trip while you doze or catch up on
paperwork.
in that case, parking a beater car
up near a convenient station may well
be a decent match.
san diego is great, but, maybe you could
split the deal, look for a Lease with purchase
option, if the prices collapse, you walk away,
if the prices stabilize, you excercise the
option in a year.
The seller at least gets some cash flow for
a year, and a shot at selling it.
