Best car ever
BestCar
on 07/29/2016
Comfort Rating: 4
Performance Rating:
5
Interior Rating: 3
Reliability Rating:
5
Safety Rating: 4
Technology Rating:
3
I owned this car for about 13 years, since new. I knew nothing about cars and this was perhaps the most poorly treated, neglected car you can ever imagine. Yet, it was lower maintenance than my current Japanese 'reliable' car, which I follow service schedule to the letter. The worst "problem" was at 10 years when squirrels ate through wires during a year of just sitting, the mechanic changed some fluids, replaced some seals (under 2k total, with all the squirrel damage). So, I stupidly was the worst car owner ever. Yet, the car was perfect. I only sold because I needed money for move and didn't need a car. But, from day 1, this was the best driving experience I have ever experienced. It felt like there was no car there, in a good way, like I was completely connected with road. The seats made my lower back hurt beyond belief after a long trip, yet I happily put up with this pain because of the driving experience (except winter, without snow tires, it was a really bad car in the snow). The cup holders, as everyone has commented on, were beyond bad. They broke in the first year and barely held a drink even when the flimsy 'arms' were functioning. Should be in a museum of bad design. It had other quirks, the steering-wheal/key would randomly 'lock' frequently during attempts to start it...sometimes I wondered if I was going to get going, but always did. I even miss these quirks! Seriously, when I got it people said it would be constant problems and unreliable and maybe I just got lucky (or this car is a masochist), but it was so reliable. And the MPG it got was insane!! I think even better than advertised, crazy.
