The GM card paid off!

I got my GM Mastercard 8 years ago when they were a fairly new concept. My family and friends were reluctant, but I stuck with it. I soon upgraded to the Gold card, so I could earn more points per year, and keep them for more years. 7 years later, in 8/99, I got my first NEW car! The sticker price was about $16,000 because of several upgrades. I got to knock $5000 off with the GM rebates from the Mastercard. My husband and I debated lease or own, and decided to lease. (That's a whole topic in itself though!)

So what do I like about my car? Other than really low lease payments on a new car? The Prizm is exactly the same car as the Toyota Corrolla. It is made of the same parts, assembled at the same factory. They just slap a different tag on it. Everyone knows Toyota is reliable, so right away, I felt good about that. And I paid several thousand less than my sister, who bought a Corrolla a couple years before. I like the gas efficiency, the comfort, and the style. For a small car, it has pretty good "get up and go" thanks to the overdrive, even on the automatic. The air conditioner works blissfully. And, as slight as it may seem, there are 3 well placed cup holders, which fit nearly any container (more than I can say for the Jetta!)

If I had to complain, it would be that the windshield defrost is quite slow. Also, within a year, the driver sun visor broke, and it took about 2 months to get a replacement from the dealer.

All in all, I'm really pleased with this car. I will most likely trade it in for an '02 when the lease is up. Its very affordable and runs great.