My husband was given a 1979 Ford Futura when he turned 16. Now, at 16, most people are just glad to have a car that runs, and the same was true for my husband. As we graduated from high school and headed off to the University of Alabama in 1988, that Ford Futura became less reliable and more of an embarrassment to him. Imagine all of the rich fraternity boys driving around in their new SUV's. He swore to me that when he graduated from college and got a "decent job" his first order of business was to buy a car he could be proud of. It turned out that the Dodge Stealth was that car.

How it Looked

Our Stealth was candy apple red with black leather interior. It had a sleek design and we constantly received compliments on the car...from teenagers. It looks a bit like a race car with the spoiler on the back. The model we had was a 2-door hatchback, which made for a very roomy trunk. You would actually be amazed at the stuff we were able to get in the back of this sports car. When I became pregnant with our first child, we actually fit a crib (broken down, of course) in the trunk, including the mattress.

The two front seats were incredibly roomy, even for a pregnant gal. The back-seat consisted of 2 bucket seats, and when you pushed the front seats back to accommodate my 6 foot husband, and my own 5'8" frame, the back-seat became all but nonexistent. This car did not seat even 3 adults comfortably. The sound system was basic on this car, so we added a CD changer. One perk I found neat was the fact that there were speakers in the headrest. Both the console and dashboard were roomy and adequate.

How it Performed

I bet I'm going to be shunned for this by some of you, but here goes...I don't buy many American-made cars. I had a Ford when I was 16 and had so many problems with it that I stuck with foreign cars thereafter. When Dustin bought the Dodge Stealth, I was skeptical, but it turned out to be needless. This car never needed servicing in our possession and drove like a charm. The ride was incredibly smooth and comfortable. Our car was a 5 speed, and that only enhanced the driving experience. It was so fast off of the line, and it had wonderful pickup no matter what gear it was in. This made it easy to pass on any type of road. The tires were large and the car was low to the ground so we never had a problem with hydroplaning. It got pretty good gas mileage for a sports car as well, approximately 20 miles to the gallon. Now that I've given this American car such a good report card, I'll tell you this: Everything on the inside said "Mitsubishi."

If you are looking at one of these cars for your teenager, stay away! It is very fast and very powerful and even a pregnant woman in a business suit could be goaded into a race, I'm embarrassed to say. If, however, you've driven a clunker your whole life and feel you deserve a treat, go right ahead. You won't be sorry. This is an excellent addition to your mid-life crisis!