A jewel!

I can think of very few cars that are more satisfying than this one. The quality of its materials and the overall fit and finish give you the impression of being in a more expensive vehicle. Not a rattle, not a shake (not kidding!) and it's 11 years old already. It has been hard for me to find a newer car that feels as rewarding. Particularly remarkable is the sound of the engine and its seamless power delivery. Remember - when this car came out, overhead cam engines of this size and this price were still considered something of a specialty. And while not a stunner, it is indeed a nice car to look at, chiseled, with balanced lines, a relatively long hood and a relatively short rear deck. My only true reservation lies with the car's limit of adhesion, which I blame on the suspension being too ride-oriented and the car being rather under-tired. Indeed the standard factory tires (205/65-15s) reach their limit of grip too quickly and too unexpectedly. I was able to somewhat improve this rather inexpensively by changing the tires to 215/60-15s.