Good, inexpensive & fun to drive transportation

I have owned my 2001 ZX3 since May 2001. I currently have about 33,000 miles on the car. With a few exceptions I can say that it has been a very good car. I purchase a "no frills" version (I didn't know they still made cars without air conditioning!) and have only had one problem with the car. After the first freeze in 2001 the drivers side mirror broke when I was scraping the frost off. The dealer replaced it under warranty, no questions asked. Besides the regular oil changes and numerous recalls the car hasn't been in the shop since I bought it. During one of it's regular checkups I had the brake rotors turned because it had sat idle for three months and the rotors rusted. That is one annoying thing about the car is that the disk brake rotors will rust if not driven at least every three or four days.

Mileage wise, I am averaging 34.2 MPG. I have tracked all gas purchases and use since buying it so it is an accurate number. The highest I have gotten is 37 MPG and the lowest is 28 MPG. I drive ~18 miles to work on mostly state highways 45 - 60 MPH without a lot of stop and go. I got the 37 MPG on a trip to Georgia averaging 75 on the interstate. Overall I have to say that I am satisfied with the mileage that the car has returned.

Quality wise, hey, what can I say, it's an American car. I can tell you that it has held up better than our Windstar and the materials used have a decidedly better feel. The trunk (storage area) is quite large. The ergonomics of the car are very nice. I am 6'4" tall and I have more than ample headroom and leg room. As I said, I have the "no frills" version on the car and I have made a few long trips without cruise control, which I used to depend upon, and I haven't missed it.

The 'fun to drive' quotient is high on this car as well. I liken it to a legalized go-cart. I can also verify that the car handles excellent in snow, even with the stock tires. I am planning on replacing them before next winter with a more aggressive tread pattern which I hope will improve on the excellent handling. One plus that I have not read anyone else mentioning is the European style headlights. I have always like the way that European headlights have a definite cutoff on low beams to minimize blinding of oncoming traffic. I was happy to find that these were not removed when the car was Americanized.

To conclude, I really like this car and would recommended it to anyone who needs reliable transportation at a decent price.