Intrepidation

...and the aerodynamic efficiency of a barn

Even though I've dogged the `93-`97 Corollas and Prizms about some of their cheap parts, they do not rattle at all...good power too...even with 2 gears missing

I wonder if San Andreas has a real car patch?

An Opel minus the center stack. Also I was never a fan of the Opel's or Saturn's tail lights.

That car pictured looks sexay

I guess we were just lucky Granted mine's not a model for greatness anymore, but it's 17 years old with more miles than most cars of any type have. It has broken it's motor mount a few times (something inhereit to Shadows I've heard, though not once happening to the `87). Also withing the last 2 years it's had electrical problems where the dome light would not come on (broken wire...fixed). I also remember about 5 years back the headgastket was replaced. My father's a mechanic, so these things were fixed on the cheap). Last winter the break lines were replaced (New England winters are tough on cars), and the master cylinder was replaced. Currently it has no problems except that in sometimes stalls in cold weather before it awrms up, and in reverse. I will also admit that the regualtor on the driver's door of the turbo broke a couple years ago (it has power windows), and then the passenger side did later. Still, it's even older than mine, an considering `93-`97 Corollas and Prizms have $h! regulators for their manual windows, it's not that unreasonable. The Turbo also no longer works. As you may know, they didn't have intercoolers, so you had to let it idle after using the turbo a lot before turning the car off to cool the turbo...one day my mom didn't...and yeah. See the thing is that this Shadow has never had an engine problem to the best of my knowledge, and doesn't leak any fluids either. I still think they are good little cars, since it was at least 10 years before any real problems cropped up, and with 208k and 172k (i think) respectively, the fact that they still run well is nothing to sneeze at.

Agreed, the Captiva looks better. Which is ashame, cuz it woulda been nice to see something other than GM's corporate stereo there

This may be true, but it's also changing thanks to the debut of the Caliber, and the soon-to-be-released Sebring and Avenger mid-sizers...which have a real shot at selling very well. The redesigned Caravan/Town & Country should help boost sales and maintain DCX's lead in the minivan segment. The Nitro will finally give buyers a smaller alternative to the Durango...itself will be getting a hybid version and MDS (finally). The Charger should remain popular, since for those wanting fuel efficiency can get the V6, which is no slouch, the Magnum may gane some momentum as an alternative to SUV...and if they ever upgrade the lower models' trannys. Dodge still needs a subcompact though...Chevy is the only American company with one...smart move on their part.

So even optioned it still has a dead space where a button should be? Pathetic I agree, this looks exacty what it is: A Japanese ruck trying too hard to look American and failing. -- Toyota is a Japanese company, and you'd be stupid to think otherwise.

I wondered te same thing! The manual has no tach but the automatic does. wtf is up with that? Still, I know the tach was an option with the manual...just not standard.

I disagree about the G6 looking better, though I'll give hp...but the Avenger is supposed to have a 6-speed right? 2 more than the G6 Nothing wrong with a family resemblance...plus I think this looks better (gasp!)

Not Sure about the 70's... But the 80's is a no-brainer Chrysler kicked off the minivan segment, which revolutionized people hauling, and was a tough act to follow for years (I would say until the 2ng gen Oddessy) (That's our `86 Caravan LE) 90's Cab-forward design became very popular in the 90's as did the gentle lines and shapes, both techniques are stiull used today, though to a lesser extent. 00's Anglular design and boxy shapes, as well as smaller greenhouses are all the rage now, and I'd say the 300C is the trendsetter. -- didn't pick all Chrysler's cuz I'm a Dodge fan, but rather that they seemed to really set the trends in motion...I believe Chrysler has been at the forfront of trends for a while now.

I disagree, the Shadows were not "junk" Speaking from experience, since my family still owns our 2 Shadows...an `87 2.2 Turbo and my `89 2.5. Granted mine is rusty and leaks some oil and tranny fluid (not much), but the other doesn't leak at all. Both have the original powertains, and mine even has the original exhaust system. Materials are good and IMO better than a lot of the interiors that followed them. After being in an accident, I can tell you they are well built too. Gas mileage is great in them as well. I would say 25-30 city and p to 40 on the highway.

Scientology is stupid

No way, it looks awesome, especially in red, but that's my opinion

So now that my girlfriend Jessica is up here with us, so is her car, the infamous Prizm. This also happens to be the first GM car to be in my family (we are traditionally Chrysler owners, and even though it's technically a Corolla, hey it's at least got a GM badge on it)I decided to take some pics and show everyone. Now, these pics have been taken after I've replaced a lot of the broken stuff on her car: - HVAC knobs - 2 broken and wouldn't stay on - Interior driver's door handle - housing broken off - Exterior driver's door handle - handle broken clean off - Rear view mirror - adjuster broken, wouldn't stay in place - Driver's door Window Regulator - broken to $h! - Clamps that hold the driver's door panel on - Tangled rear seat belts - Cupholder - jammed and wouldn't come out, replaced it - Inner fenders hanging out (no idea how/why) - put them back in place This in addition to the clutch and timing belt that was replaced over the summer, oh and welding the exhaust system back to the car after it fell off. Having spent plenty of time with this car, not only on the trip up but I've been driving to school lately, I thought I'd make a little review about the car, should anyone be interested in a used Prizm. Not Quite a Rebadge Corolla Even though at first glance they may look almost identical, save the tail lights, and they do share a lot of parts, there's actually significat, though subtle differences from it's Toyota cousin. The corner headlights, door shapes, side mirrors, bumpers, tail lights, and fenders, as well as the dash, are unique to the Prizm. My friend owns a `93 Corolla, and parked side by side you can see quite a few differences. Of course, plenty is still shared with the Corolla, including the seats, door panels, windows, cupholders, lower dash, guages, rear-view mirror and of course the powertrain and platform the cars ride on. Exterior Design The little differences add up to lend the Prizm a bit more contemperary look than the Corolla, especially from the back. SInce the car has been in the mid-west all it's life, the body is naturally in great shape, with no rust and paint that is still shiny. The only exception is the dent in the passenger side fender, from her Aunt's friend, and for some reason the bumper is badly misaligned on the passenger side...not loose...just not even. What is very interesting, is that while my friend's Corolla feels like a tin can somtimes, due to the fact that when you close it's doors and truck they close with a "tink", the Prism's doors and truck close with a reassuring "thunk" Unlike my car, whose lights have clowded over, her's look like new and the work awesomely, illuminating the road ahead and then some. Interior The dash design, save the guages, is uniquw to the Prizm. In my opinion it looks much better than the Corolla, as the design is more cohesive, and it looks better integrated. The center stack is nicely designed and well integrated, butter than most cars of the day and better than some of today's cars. It's light years ahead of the Cavalier's or Neon's dash design. There is a an ergonimc glitch, as the cupholders are right below (and too close to) the stereo. In the Corolla, the stereo is on the upper part of the dash. It doesn't look as nice but functions better. From what I've heard they've gone through 2 stereos in that car from liquid damage. The gauges are simple but clear and easy to read (same can't be said for my car's gauges) The materials of the dash are also very good and sturdy, with soft touch surfaces covering the upper dash and nicely textured plastics on the lower dash. The rear-view mirror is mounted to the roof as oppsed to the windshield, which I like because it illiminates the chance of it coming off the windshield (the voice of experience). The rest of the interior is nearly identical to the Corolla, which means they share the same positive and negative aspects. While most of the materials are very good, there are some cheap plastics, and in the worst places. The window cranks, and particularly the door handles are made out of cheesy, cheap, plastic, that not only looks like it'll break but it has. Both my friend's Corolla and the Prizm suffer(ed) from broken handles, though I've replaced hers. Likewise, the exterior door handles are made with plastic that is not very durable, as the driver's handle was broken right off and a chunk of the rear passenger side handle broke off...by my pinky! I always tease her that my Shadow's handles will ouyt last the rest of my door, since they are made out of very strong material (same for the cranks). Powah One thing I'm glad the Prizm shares with the Corolla is the Toyota built 1.6 liter I4, good for 100 horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque (I belive this is with the 5-speed). Paired to a 5-speed manual, it feels much quicker than the numbers suggest. Of course, right now 3rd and 4rth don't work, and the tranny will need to be replaced at some pointed, but it still has plenty of power. It's very quick off the line and you can easily break the tires loose. 2nd ends up being a very tall gear, all the wya up to 30/35 mph where you then shift into 5th. It sucks sure, and saps power from the engine, not to mention it's a bitch not to have 3rd in the hilly areas known as Massachusetts, but it does fine for now. I can say that the short throw shifter is a blast to use, even with only 3 gears and reverse. The clutch is reasonably light and very responsive, especially since it's brand new. Steering is precise and well waited, and there's a good amount of feedback to boot. It should be noted that this engine sounds great, much better than my Shadow, and considerably better than my friend's Cavalier. Unlike those two engines, it sounds very refined yet very good under full throttle..you wanna rev this thing...and I'm not tipically a fan of the way 4 bangers sound, so that's aying a lot. Interestingly, it sounds slightly different (and better) than the Corolla my friend has, despite teh fact that the powertrains are the same. On the Road With a good powertain, precise steering, and good brakes and pedal feel, this car is pretty damn fun to drive. It handles very well, and has no troubles going fast. Unlike my Shadow, which isn't a performance version and can really only go about 70-75 before feeling uncomfortably loose on the road, the Prism can easily do 80-90 and still feel secure. The speedo is rated for 110 mph, and she's taken it up to 100. It's a great highway cruiser as well as being fun to car up the tiwsties (Which I do everyday on my way to and from school) Conclusion So in the end it's a good handlingly, nicely styled, and, for the most part, well built car, that's grown on me a lot. I would deffintely recommend this car to anyone looking for a first car, or one with good gas milage (40+ mpg on the highway). This is literally the newest car to join the family, and I'm quite happy Jessica owns it Even though I'll always dog her about the door handles and regulator

Oh I see The body looks like it's in good shape.

The interior is pretty cool ooking, nice to see a new wheel design, even if it looks like a Caddy or Saab wheell...not a bad thing though. Still the same r radio The exterior looks to Korean from the back, mainly cuz of the tail light design, but if the spyshots of the Red Line are any idication, it looks promising in that form.

I'm confused...isn't this a Sonoma?

ANd the problem with that is? Now Dodge has the same cab configurations as Ford and Chevy, except they are bigger (class leading). There's nothing wrong with it, after all, the truck market is all about bragging rights.

It's growing on me, but i wanna see one in person.

Looks good in red. How are the materials? Anything of the soft variety?

So is the door armrest hard plastic or soft?

Beyond Ugly

Oh God my eyes!