After having flown to Spokane, Washington, I needed a car to drive. My assigned car at the Spokane Airport was the 2002 Chevy Cavalier. It was one of those funky gold colored cars you see, easy to spot in a parking lot. One of a kind. The interior was beige with cloth seats.

I found this car with automatic transmission easy to drive. It had appropriate power. I am a rather cautious driver and I felt it had adequate power to merge onto freeway traffic. Compared to my F150, I loved its turning radius.

One of my tasks was to drive from Spokane to Seattle, a distance of 275 miles one way to take my grandson to the zoo. I didn't realize it had cruise control until the last day I drove it, almost a week later. It is located on the wand to the left of the steering column, the same wand that controls the headlights. I could have used it, since 80 mph came very easily and the cops in Washington State frequently drive unmarked vehicles.

Speaking of headlights, I couldn't figure out why I had the little green headlight symbol on the instrument panel lighting up. Was something WRONG? I looked through the owner's manual, but couldn't find that symbol. Pulling up to another vehicle, I realized that was the symbol for running lights. My lights were always on; a feature that would have come in handy in Canada, where I believe it is a law.

Driving back from Seattle at 10pm, I must have had my running lights on. The highway seemed dimly lit ahead of me. I would occasionally put my high beams on, distracting the oncoming traffic. I didn't realize if the lever is pressed all the way to the front, or is it vice versa, the high beams are on, and the opposite for regular lights. What do I know? The headlight control on my F150 has a knob on the dash, and my Mazda B2000 has yet another location.

One distracting feature is the way the radio operates. I hear it is common on new vehicles, but if I take the keys out of the ignition, the radio stays on until I open the driver door. Otherwise, I like the radio with its sound quality. There are "seek" buttons that come in handy when traveling through areas of the country where stations change frequently. There was also a CD player in our car. If I would have realized this, I could have brought along some CDs for the times when none of the radio programming pleased me. There is a nice time and station display.

Traveling on I-90 between Spokane and Seattle, I found a fair amount of road noise. If an area was newly blacktopped, there was very little road noise. If the road was a bit older, or didn't look quite as black, there was a fair amount, and I needed to turn up the radio a tad.

One annoying feature of this vehicle was the front-end spoiler. Each time I pulled into a parking spot with parking bumpers, or pulled up to a curb, the spoiler would scrape. I was worried that I just might crack it and owe a big bill at the end of my rental.

A feature I liked was the interior lights. I got out of the car upon arriving home, and had to get my grandson out of the back seat. The interior lights stayed on the entire time, shutting off only after the back passenger door was already closed. There must be sensors under the seat.

I was pleased to see there were rear window defrosters on this vehicle. I could have used them on my 1983 Chevette. I didn't have to use them on this trip.

There was storage on either front seat door for maps or napkins. The glove box seemed roomy. I didn't notice a place for a passenger airbag. There was room for my large suitcase and perhaps another one in the trunk. There was additional room for my carry-on bag to the side of my luggage. There was also a button on the dash by the driver to open the trunk. The gas door was on the passenger side and did not require a key or a lever to open. I have no idea why some manufacturers put those doors on the passenger side instead of in the back or driver's side.

There were two cup holders, which I didn't realize were there until the last day, along with an additional one in the console where the automatic gear shift is. There is additional storage in the console, along with an area for coins. Perhaps one could store their CDs in this. As well, there were two vanity mirrors on the sun visors.

My 6'3" son didn't complain about lack of leg room while seated in back. I could easily slip my purse back there when I had front seat passengers.

Handling
I came across some gentle 90-degree turns along the Interstate. They weren't sharp, but I felt I was going too fast to steer safely. Maybe that is because there are mostly straight-aways here in the Plains States and I am just not used to those curves. Other drivers didn't seem to have problems going faster than I was. I never skidded, but didn't want to take that chance. A 50'+ drop is a long way when you're in a car.

Gas Mileage
I did about 40 miles of in-town driving before taking off for Seattle, a drive of 275 miles. Arriving in Seattle, I filled up, taking 10 gallons. I estimate my gas mileage at 31 mpg.

There is a tachometer, fuel and mileage gage on the dash. Going up mountains, I didn't go over 2.5 rpm. (I don't know how to equate that. Is that 2.5 thousand rpm?)

Unlike the Chevy Prizm I rented from National last year, my tush didn't get one bit sore, and my knee didn't ache when I did long distance driving.

Overall I liked the car very much, with the exception of the front-end spoiler and the radio staying on after you take the keys out of the ignition. Perhaps some of the features I described to you are "old hat." Then again, I'm an empty nester and have been driving a pickup for 13 years.

The following is taken from www.kbb.com (Kelley Blue Book)




Standard Equipment --------


Air Conditioning

Alternator, 105-Amp.

Armrest, Front w/Storage

Axle Ratio, 3.94

Battery, 525-cca

Brakes, Power Front Disc

Braking System, F&R Anti-Lock

Cargo Net

Clock, Digital (w/Radio)

Console w/Storage

Cup Holders, (5)

Defroster, Rear Window

Drivetrain, FWD

Emission Equipment, Federal (Must Code)

Engine: 4-Cyl., 8V, SFI, 2.2 Liter (Must Code)

Floor Mats

Fuel Tank, 14.1 Gal. Cap.

Lights, Cargo Comp't. & Daytime Running

Mirrors, Dual Visor Vanity

Mirrors, Dual w/LH Remote Control

Moldings, Body Side

Mud Guards, Front

Preferred Equipment Group-1SA (Must Code)

Radio, AM/FM Stereo w/CD

Restraint System, Dual Front Air Bag

Seats, Cloth & Vinyl (Must Code) Bucket w/Folding Rear

Stabilizer Bar, Front

Steering Wheel, Tilt

Steering, Power

Tachometer

Tire, Limited Use Spare

Tires, (4) P195/70R14 BSW

Towing Cap. (Towing Not Recommended)

Trans., 5-Spd. Manual w/Overdrive (Must Code)

Trunk Release, Power

W/S Wipers, Variable Intermittent

Walk-in-Device (Coupe)

Wheel Covers, 14"

General Specifications:
Sedans: W.B. 104.1"; O.L. 180.9"; Width 67.9" (w/o Mirrors); Height 54.7"; Cargo Cap. 13.6 cu. ft.; Curb Weight 2676-lbs. (Base & LS), 2809-lbs. (Z24).

Warranty:
3-yr/36,000-mi Limited Bumper-to-Bumper; 3-yr/36,000-mi 24-hr Roadside Assistance; 6-yr/100,000-mi Sheet Metal Rust-Thru.

Engine Specifications:
Code LN2 (1); VIN 4; Cylinders 4; Liters 2.2; Fuel Induction 8V SFI; HP 115; Torque 135

Code LN2 (2); VIN 4; Cylinders 4; Liters 2.2; Fuel Induction 8V SFI; HP 105; Torque 115

(1) w/o Fuel Conversion-KL6. (2) w/Fuel Conversion-KL6.

EPA Estimated Miles Per Gallon:
w/LN2 2.2L Engine & Manual Trans.: City 24; Hwy 33

w/LN2 2.2L Engine & Auto Trans.-MX0: City 24; Hwy 32







Amount Paid (US$): 14,800
Model Year: 2002