My wife has a 50-minute commute to work everyday and her Toyota Tercel was on its last legs. It was burning oil to the point that we kept a few quarts in the trunk to be added as needed. It also was a two-door and did not lend itself very well to getting my one-year old daughter in and out of the back seat. We needed a new four-door car that would be safe for my wife and child as well as fuel-efficient. We also didn't have a whole lot of money to spend but felt a new car with a warranty and up-to-date child safety features was the way to go.

SHOPPING
We first went to the local Toyota dealer that had big signs advertising 0.9% financing. My wife had gotten 140,000 miles out of her Tercel and liked it very much. It seemed logical to buy another. We looked at the Echo, Corolla, and Prius. The Prius and Echo were nixed quickly for price and size respectively. This left the Corolla. It fit in very well with our price range and was roomy enough. We headed inside to talk price/financing with our salesman when we were told that, oops, 0.9% only applies to the higher-end models like the Camry and Avalon. We'd end up with somewhere around 7% financing over three years. Needless to say, we were pretty miffed as we walked out staring at the huge sign touting the 0.9% financing on new 2002s.

We know a lot of people who own Saturns who liked them. So, we went a few blocks down the road to the Saturn dealer to see what they had available. First of all, I really enjoyed the no-pressure approach of the salespeople. The guy at the Toyota dealer was very condescending and immediately put us on the defensive. Since we bought the car at the time when they were phasing in the new 2003s, all of the 2002s had an additional $1000 knocked off. Plus, it turned out that they were offering 0% financing over 3 or 5 years! (On all of the models)

After driving around in an SL1, we decided that the SL series would fit our needs best. We gave the salesman our list of "must haves" and eventually settled on a dark green SL1 with automatic, cd player, and sun roof.

GAS MILEAGE

Chicagoland is infamous for high gasoline prices and they only seem to go up. According to the specs, we should be getting between 27 and 37 MPG. My guess is that we're averaging about 32, which is pretty good considering most of our driving is non-highway.

COMFORT

I am 6-foot tall and enjoy my Krispy Kremes way too much. My point is that I need a fair amount of space. The back seat is not bad so long as the front seat is occupied by a small person who doesn't jack the seat too far back. The front seat is comfortable, but only if my seat is all of the way back. So, whoever sits behind me, currently my daughter in a baby seat, has to be little. All of the controls are well within reach and the two cup-holders are adequate for anything but the Glutton Gulp from 7-Eleven. There are also two smaller cup-holders in the back. The adjustable steering column is great. Something the old Tercel never had.

STORAGE

The trunk of the car is fairly small, made smaller by the trunk hinges that force you to rearrange things around them. The back seats do fold back and this will allow bigger items to fit instead of passengers. It also has an escape button just in case you get locked in the trunk. I guess this is designed for drive-in sneaks.

DRIVING

The car handles fairly well and has a smooth ride for a smaller car. It does not have a whole lot of get-up-and-go, though. I suppose that's the trade off for getting the better mileage with the SL1. The SL2 has a few more horses under the hood and I'm guessing a bit more power. It corners reasonably and brakes well.

GOODIES

For a low-end car it has some decent options such as intermittent wipers, headlights-warning chime, cruise control, power sunroof, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, and CD player. Another great feature that everyone should already know about is its plastic, dent-resistant body panels. I live in an area known for brutal winters and rust can creep up on your car in a heartbeat. This feature limits the amount of damage all of that road salt can do. I also love the fact that the engine heats up quickly and retains its heat for a long time.

SAFETY

This car as driver and passenger front air bags, daytime running lights, childproof rear door locks, and child seat tether hooks. Antilock brakes were an available option, but we decided against these because many companies in the insurance industry are no longer granting discounts if you have them. They claim that the frequency and severity of accidents is no different between cars with and without them. Whether this is true or not, who knows?

NEGATIVES

You will never mistake this car for a luxury vehicle. It's fairly noisy and all of the plastic feels and looks cheap. I am frequently re-tucking in fabric that is coming out from corners on the ceiling. It also isn't going to win any races. One feature I wish the car had is doors that automatically lock after you reach a certain speed. It's not uncommon that I realize the doors have been unlocked halfway through a trip.

SUMMARY

If you are looking for an economical car with a few bells and whistles, this may be the car for you. The mileage is great and it's an attractive car to boot. Plus, if you can get the 0% financing, go for it. No sense putting any money down with a deal like that.

Amount Paid (US$): 16,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: SL1 Automatic