My favorite sports car!

I was in the market for a new car when my '97 Firebird decided to call it quits. I wanted a Trans Am, but with GM discontinuing the TA and Camaro, I had to look elsewhere. I wanted to stay with a sports car because I loved the power my Pontiac had. I didn't want to go back down to a 4 cylinder vehicle. I was having a hard time because I never really liked the Mustang. I was almost set on the Celica GTS when I decided to give the Mustang a try. I took one for a test drive and fell in love. I personally couldn't see spending more money for less car (Celica). I purchased the 2002 GT coupe in True Blue with Medium Graphite Cloth interior. I opted for the sport seats (I live in Florida - leather gets too hot). I also opted to go with the standard stereo (my husband is a stereo installer) and wheels (a friend had sport wheels and tires for a mustang he was willing to basically give us). I've never driven a car with a manual transmission before but the money we would save choosing that over the automatic helped us decide. I have to say, the five speed was very easy to learn on as it was very forgiving.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT INCLUDED AT NO EXTRA CHARGE
Safety/Security
Second Generation Airbags
ABS/Traction Control
Front/Rear Outboard three Point Shoulder/Lap Belts
Securilock Anti-theft
Remote Keyless Entry
24-Hour Roadside Assistance
Functional
4.6L 2V SOHC V-8 Engine
5-Speed Manual Transmission
Power Rack/Pinion Steering
Power 4-Wheel Disk Brakes
CFC-Free Air Conditioning
Var. Rate Rear Suspension
P245/45ZR17 Tires
Traction-Lok Axle
Stainless Steel Exhaust
Exterior
17" Alloy Painted Wheels
Fog Lamps
Rear Decklid Spoiler
Rear Wing
Tinted Glass
Dual Power Mirrors
Interval Wipers
Interior
Cloth-Bucket Power Sport Seats
Split-Fold Rear Seat
Defroster, Rear Window
AM/FM Stereo CD/Cassette W/ Clock
Premium Sound
Speed Control
Power Window/Lock/Decklid
Leather Wrapped/Tilt Steering Wheel
Console with Armrest
Dual Cupholders
Dual Visor Vanity Mirrors
Warranty
3 Year/36,000 Mi Bumper-Bumper

MPG for this car was listed as City: 18, Highway: 26

I rarely do Highway driving and after a year am still getting about 24 MPG driving in the city. This could also be attributed to the super chip we added which caused us to gain 2 MPG. The handling of this car is wonderful. The tires we added are Goodyear GSC 315 35ZR 17 in the rear and 275 40ZR 17 in the front wrapped around American Racing 17 x 11 in the rear and 17 x 9 1/2 in the front. The car also has a button to turn of the Traction Control which gives you just a little bit more power. The rear seats are quite small, however, they are bigger than those that were in my Firebird.

My only complaints with this car are that after a year the seats are showing a little sign of wear. The paint color is also difficult to match and has been changed at the dealer. A friend of mine had his rear wing repainted at the dealer and found that the color was different. I can also see a taller person having a difficult time driving the car.