response 1 of 120:

Nov 16 15:13 UTC 2003

I was more or less looking at two or three cars, and more or less 
basing my choices on Consumer Reports on-line.  From their reviews, I 
settled on a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic.  They're two excellent 
cars from the reviews, with great gas mileage (near 40 mph), and the 
features I want (air, cruise, 5 speed, CD player) for a price I can 
afford; aroun $15,000.

But I'm a member of a GM family.  I have a dad who retired from GM, 
and a brother working for Saturn.  Consumer Reports really hates GM; 
none of their cars are reviewed as being very good, and the ones in my 
price range are rated as horrid.  I was interested in a Pontiac 
Sunfire or Saturn Ion or something like that.  They're described in 
terms that make it clear you'd be nuts to buy one.

Anyway, I called a local GM dealer to see what the family discount is, 
and it's remarkable; it's a couple of thousand dollars.  Also, Chevy 
Cavaliers are drawing $4000 rebates right now.  In addition to that, 
there's a financing discount; if you put up to $2000 down, you get 
half of that amount as a rebate.  I could buy a Cavalier with 
everything I want except cruise control for around $8500.  It's EPA 
rated at 26/37.  Consumer Reports tests cars for mileage, and they're 
usually not too far off from the EPA numbers.

The Cavalier is a crummy car compared to a Corolla or Civic, but it's 
a little more than half the money for me.  I'm no car nut.  I just 
want to get to and from work, and go on occasional vacations.  
Sunroofs, spoilers, alloy wheels, etc. do very little for me, I find, 
when I contemplate paying for them.  I'm thinking this Cavalier might 
well do all I need.  It even comes in different colors.  Many cars 
come in shades of black and white, plus red, and that's it.  This one 
can be had in green (Go State!), or yellow, orange, or a few other 
colors.  As long as it doesn't cost more, that's a bonus.