I bought this vehicle new in 2001. It is a compact econobox which has held up pretty well over the years. The car is fairly cheap to run and maintain, and repairs are reasonable both in terms of price and frequency. It has front wheel drive, which is very useful to me since I live in a rural area on a dirt road. I think that over the 14 years I have owned the car, I have repaired just about every part of the car except body work. The car is usually dirty but it is not the ugliest car on the road. I wanted a stick shift for economy reasons, so I actually paid extra fro that feature. My Ford is pretty plain, a four-door sedan with a minimum of extra features. It took me about 5 years to pay it off, so for the last 9 or so years I have had no car payments. One thing I really don't like about the car the amount of plastic parts, but I accept that a cheap car is going to use a lot of plastic. I do not have a deep emotional bond with my car. I try to treat it decently and hope it will do the same until I have enough money to buy another one. I have never had a life-threatening experience in my car, and generally it is reliable.

Last year I purchase a certified used Toyota Corolla LE from a nearby dealership. It only had 20,000 miles on it, and it looked like the previous owners had taken really good care of it. I bought it in silver because it stays looking clean for longer and it takes a lot less to maintain. Since then, I have not had a single problem with the car. It has almost 50,000 miles now but it still runs as when I purchased it. I have always trusted Toyotas. Family and friends recommended me after driving a Mazda for a few years and they were not wrong. I do the regular oil changes and rotation every 3,000 miles and have not experienced any problems whatsoever. I just wish people saw Toyotas a little different. I could afford cars that are a little more expensive, but the maintenance is up the roof.