[KarlCarrera]

Get the fire extinguishers out. Here goes, I purchased a 94 Jetta (5sp) to drive back and forth to work knowing that the oldest daughter would be driving soon. Excellent shape, and prior to her "purchasing' the car from me it was perfect. Really ran excellent, and in fact my last ticket was in it. (90 in a 75). Lasted about 1.5 years (for her) until it was totaled (speed? carelessness? lack of attention?) pick one. Insurance was high(she was paying), and maintenance seemed to be constant.

Her replacement..2001 Saturn SL2 AUTO. (she and the Ins. Co. paid) Still going strong with no problems after 4 years, with no leaks, no oil usage, or huge problems. 85000 miles.

The second and third daughters also got 1999 SL2's with Auto's. Maybe I'm just lucky or picky, but no problems with them either.

One of the daughter's wanted the ION, found a 2004 with just 37,000 miles. Again, picky or just lucky? No problems to date. (8 months)

Mom and Dad bought the first cars for all the kids. They (girls and the boy. but that's another story) had to pay ALL maintenance, insurance, fuel, tire, and any other cost.

These Saturn's are certainly not the best cars in the world, but they have proven (so far) to be cheap to operate and insure, and have been very dependable. There safety rating is average to good, and after selling one of them (99 SL2) the return on investment wasn't terrible. (Paid 6k, got 4.5k three years later, and even in this market a sign in the window was all it took. Less that two weeks)

My .02

Karl
88 targa