In 1998 I became pregnant with my son, and immediately started looking for a new car. At the time we owned a 1994 Geo Metro (still have it), and my husband and I both agreed that it was not adequate to transport a child in safely. So I started hunting for an affordable car suitable for the transportation of a family.
I looked within our price range, which topped out at around 15 thousand dollars. I rounded my choices down to three: Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Prizm and the Chevrolet Cavalier.
Doing more research, I found out that the Chevy Prizm and the Toyota Corolla are made in the same factory in California, with the same dimensions and engine specifications. But the Corolla ranged from 1 to 2 thousand dollars more in price than the Prizm. So I cut out the Corolla, and I went to test drive the Cavalier and Prizm.
After test driving both vehicles, I ultimately decided on the Prizm. It was a smooth ride, easy to handle, quiet and peppy. While the Cavalier had style and almost a race-car type feel, it didn't afford much room, and the two door model cost the same as the Prizm four door model.
I'm a very picky car buyer, so I make the dealership bend over backwards to sell me a vehicle. I had them show me the engine (which had, in big bold letters across the block "TOYOTA"! Lol!), the kind of muffler, it's tire specs, etc etc. I was sold on the car, and bought it over the next two days.
That was back in August of 1998. The car is used mainly for mild travel about town with my son, who is now 13 months old. It gets great gas mileage, is still very comfortable and quiet. I bought a model with a manual transmission, and it is very easy to maneuver, and changes gears very smoothly. There is good head room for taller individuals, and all of the controls are easy to reach. The back seat is roomy, with three over the shoulder belts. There are also daytime running lights which I find very helpful, considering I live in a neighborhood heavily populated with children.
It's crash test ratings were some of the highest, right up there with Volvo, Subaru and Ford models equal to it's size class. My insurance premiums were lower with the Prizm than they would have been with the Cavalier, even though they are in the same price class.
I don't recommend the automatic transmission for this car, they are generally bad on gas and more prone to problems in the long run, not to mention that they add a couple of thousand dollars onto the base price of a car. I tested the automatic, and it was rough and loud compared to the manual.
Over all, this was a very good buy. It's easy to maintain, and the average fill up is around 12 dollars with regular unleaded gasoline.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14,500
Condition: New Model Year: 1998 Model and Options: Sedan Four Door
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