First one I could call my own was a 1997 Saturn SL2, bought new. I had told myself once I graduated from college and got a job, I was buying a NEW car, no matter how basic. Forest green, tan interior, and a five speed. It was a good little car, got 128,000 miles and 7 years out of it before I needed something larger.
It survived having a tree branch fall through the windshield during a thunderstorm, but the body shop fixed it up good as new. After a few months I think I finally got all the fragments of glass out of the ventilation system.
About the only time it nearly let me down was when a gear shift cable clip popped out in mid flight on the road, and I couldn't reach first or second gear. Coincidentally, it happened right in front of the Saturn dealer, which was closed at the time. I managed to limp home carefully starting out in third, and doctored a breather filter clip with some tin snips to make a makeshift clip until I could get back to the dealer.
It survived having a tree branch fall through the windshield during a thunderstorm, but the body shop fixed it up good as new. After a few months I think I finally got all the fragments of glass out of the ventilation system.
About the only time it nearly let me down was when a gear shift cable clip popped out in mid flight on the road, and I couldn't reach first or second gear. Coincidentally, it happened right in front of the Saturn dealer, which was closed at the time. I managed to limp home carefully starting out in third, and doctored a breather filter clip with some tin snips to make a makeshift clip until I could get back to the dealer.