By Katie Walker
In an effort to ease your troubles with finding the right car, I, Katie Walker, have personally compiled the best (in my mind) comparison chart to date for your well-equipped, safety-in-mind, compact sedans. I’ve taken all the confusion, complications, and frustration out of car buying… but I’ve also eliminated half the fun in going car-shopping with dear old dad. I’ve hand-selected seven cars that I feel would be a great buy for any new driver or for anyone looking to purchase their own vehicle for the first time: Honda Civic EX, Chevy Cavalier LS, Saturn SL2, Dodge Neon ES, Toyota Corolla LE, Ford Focus ZTS, and Kia Rio.
A momentary digression: Perhaps you’re wondering why I’ve not included any sports cars, vans, trucks, or SUVs. It’s because I personally don’t think a first-time driver should be behind the wheel of any of those vehicles. A sports car is a BIG NO-NO. Any parent can attest to this. Sports car = fast, powerful engine = speed demon driver = undoubtedly wrecked or totaled sports car. Unless you like paying the body shop thousands of unnecessary dollars, we recommend you steer clear (no pun intended) of Mustangs, Camaros, or anything of the like. As far as vans and trucks go, they’re just too big and bulky. Some of the smaller trucks (e.g. Tacoma, S10) are all right, but otherwise the size is a bit excessive. But then again, some of you college or grad school kids out there who are buying your first car on your own might need a van pretty soon for your newly-started family. And the SUVs… well, I have just three words for you: high rollover probability.
Back to the car-buying… I decided to check up on the identical same package for each car. They’re all the 2002 models, in metallic silver paint, with the following accessories: power windows/locks, keyless entry, CD player, automatic transmission, air conditioning, and cruise control. Some features automatically came with the particular model I chose. Other features are not available at all for any make of a model. I compared size, mileage, warranty, safety, and price. I realize that this data may be a little hard to follow, but it’s a lot easier than going to ten different car dealerships, and researching the Internet for about seven hours (both of which I did). My overall choice: the 2002 Honda Civic EX. Maybe I’m a little biased because I have my own Civic, but I really think it’s the best package.
Yes, I realize it is the most expensive on here by $2000, but you’re paying for quality, folks. Did you know the Honda Civic is the third best-selling car on the road? Every standard EX comes with all those features above except for automatic transmission. (Somebody thought it would be a good idea if they made every car a manual unless otherwise requested…) Some of you out there may think that cruise control and a moon roof are unnecessary features. That’s fine. Thereare other Civics that don’t come with them, like the DX or LX. They’re just as great. My second pick would be the Chevy Cavalier. It might have somewhat sucky mileage, but it is a great car. Great features for a great value-you just can’t beat that!
