UPDATE: I've owned this car for over a year now, going on a year and a half. So far I have had no repairs to make other than regular maintenance. The interior has held up to 2 teenagers and a 3 1/2 year old... all stains easily came off! Gas mileage continues to sit around 28 mpg in the city (my main driving), and about 30 on the highway. It still starts right up, never dies out on me, and is still the best car for me.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I admit, I have a need for speed. I need to pass quickly and when I press on the gas, I expect results immediately! I'm a safe driver, but to merge on a freeway these days, you have to be able to "fit in" where you can. I use to drive an old cougar, the ones with a 302 engine, and so I was accustomed to a fast car. The change of vehicles made me nervous, but I am pleasantly surprised that this car could keep up with any cougar out there!

Speed aside, this car has it all to me. The roominess of it and the head room above makes for a spacious ride. We fit 2 teenagers and a car seat in the back easily. This was my husbands primary goal (room) in finding a vehicle (did I mention mine was speed?) My son is a large boy, about 165 pounds at age 14, with long legs that need space. He sits comfortably in the back with both a sister and a niece next to him, and not a word of complaint comes from him! The front also has allot of room, so being cramped is not a problem when sitting in either back or front in this vehicle.

Road noise - I haven't noticed any loud road noise but maybe other people are more sensitive to it than I am. The stereo has a nice feature to it that allows for road noise and automatically adjusts your volume to keep it at a steady level for you.

Comforts - Oh yeah, they're here! There's cup holders in the back, a cup holder by the driver's left hand, and another in the center console up front. There's a lift up arm rest up front that stores your CD's or cassettes, and something which I adore is that all the holders have pop out rubber liners so keeping it clean is a breeze. I love the sound system and have no complaints there. And forget cold starting mornings, there's an engine heater you can plug in at night so you can jump in and go in the morning!

Safety - There's shoulder belts for both rear window passengers, with an added feature of store away clips so you can adjust the shoulder belt for smaller teenagers and adults to keep it off their necks! There's child safety locks on the back doors so your toddler can't open the door going down the freeway! Your local dealer will also install a top bracket to secure the car seat to for no charge if you need one (it's what the owners manual says at least). Safety glass windshield and dual front airbags ensure your safety up front nicely. There's even a lock-out button (for power window systems) on the driver's side which disables all windows and puts all control in the drivers hands :-).

Price - No complaints there. Originally priced at 12,000 by the dealer, they gave it to us for 9,450. Not bad for a 2 year old car. Well worth the price.

Appearance - I try to be objective, but honestly it's the best looking car in the row at any store I park at. Even the antenna looks good (kind of swirly like a barbers pole). The interior is done in a beautiful fabric and carpet that makes for a cushy ride.

Overall - Great car!


Amount Paid (US$): 9450.
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1999
Model and Options: Automatic, Power everything