While those smashingly popular no-interest car loans will make 2001 one of the best years in auto-sales history, it's anybody's guess how bad the inevitable drop will be next year, according to Jamie Butters of the Detroit Free Press.

Some say 2002 could be the worst sales year since the mid-90s. Others say it could be the third-best year ever.

At the pessimistic end of the spectrum is John Steigmann, who spent 21 years studying the economy for Ford Motor Co., and now sells his predictions independently. As Steigmann sees it, so many people bought new vehicles this fall -- taking advantage of cheap loan offers after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- that a quarter-million fewer buyers will be around next year. He foresees U.S. customers buying about 14.8 million new cars and trucks -- which would be about 2 million fewer than projected for this year and the lowest total since 1995.