Saturday, September 11, 2010

Beater Challenge Update for September

I've gotten to know the Cutlass pretty well in the last month and I've discovered there's things I like about the car and things I don't. It's not as refined as my old Infiniti and it lacks that car's performance. If you've ever driven a mid 1990s GM car back to back with a Toyota Camry from that era, you know what I'm talking about. The Cutlass came standard with features like keyless entry, ABS, and traction control but the design and execution of those features leaves you wondering if GM was even trying in those days. The fog lights are a prime example. On the Infiniti, they useful, adding visibility to the sides of the car and beneath the headlights. On the Cutlass they're afterthoughts that cast a feeble glow just bright enough to reveal their location which is buried deep inside the bumper.

There are other examples of shoddy work as well, but since I bought the car for less than I sold the Infiniti for, I'm reluctant to complain. Ultimately the Cutlass is a good, solid, reliable car. And except for some dents and scrapes which make it look a little like Mickey Rourke, there is nothing wrong with it. In the month that I've owned it, I've done nothing but fill it with gas and give it a good cleaning. If I owned the fictional Honda Accord in our challenge, I would have done all of that and written a check for $400 for the first payment.

So the score for the first month is Accord $400, Cutlass $0.

And that makes up for a lot. Even the fog lights.

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