I bought my 1995 Grand Am based on looks and price. I thought for $18,000 it would be hard to get something else that looked so sporty. As the years have passed I realized I bought more than looks, I bought a ride.

This car is one of the most unique colors I've seen. It's a teal green with charcoal interior. It is not a color I've seen on any other vehicle, and not many Grand Am's. The comments on it's slick looks seem to flow like water downhill when she's freshly washed and waxed.

Among the upsides to this car is gas mileage. I drive almost a 50-50 mix between "highway" and "city". I feel like that gives me a good view of the true gasoline consumption of the car. I normally get between 30 and 35 miles per gallon. With my driving habits (the word maniac comes up more often than I like) that's not too shabby. I compare it to the 20-25 I get out of most cars.

Extra's are a plenty on this ride. The stereo is the first extra most people look at, so I'll start there. I have a CD player that plays great. It's factory installed and they have made skipping a thing of the past for me. It's reception of local and distant radio stations is surprisingly clear for a car as well. The only CD player problem I have is that in cold weather it must warm up to almost room temperature (60 degrees) before it will play. The rear speakers in this ride are cannons. For a factory set they are possibly the best I've ever had. Clear, durable, and loud come to mind when I think of them. One word comes to mind when I think of the front speakers: blown. They just didn't hold up too well.

This car also has air conditioning that will freeze you out of the cockpit! In the middle of summer all you have to do is drive a few miles and it's nippy to the point of being uncomfortable. The main drawback to this is the severe loss of power when it is running. You lose much more power than you do in most cars.

I also have other extra's which dont merit much description such as cruise control, delayable wipers, fog lights, back seat and dash board cup holders, and electric locks. They all function properly, but just aren't interesting enough to write much about.

All these options came in a car with a manual transmission and four cylinder engine. That is a must for me (the transmission) because of the performance I get out of them. I was shocked at the package because I normally have to drive a stripped down model to get the transmission type I insist on.

The upholstery has held up well for the 78,000 miles this car has traveled. No tears anywhere and it's been simple to keep clean. As far as mechanical trouble, there hasn't been any maintenance other than oil changes. She's smooth as a clock and requires almost as little upkeep.

This car sold me on the Pontiac line and I will continue to be a customer. I can't wait to trade for a newer model. I just hope they live up to the expectations set by this model.