Cole's new car...

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it took me nearly two full months but I have finally gotten myself a new car in the form of a red 2008 Saturn Astra 5-door.

You may be saying to yourself right now...You bought a Saturn? Honestly, I never pictured myself owning a Saturn but this car is very "me". With the elimination of the Malibu Maxx Hatchback from the GM family of vehicles, came the introduction of the Astra hatchback.

To be honest with you, I didn't even know the Astra existed until a month or so ago when I saw a tv commercial that perked my interest. The sporty compact hatchback is very much like my old Malibu hatchback, just sportier, a bit smaller, more features, and better fuel efficiency (key!!).

I ended up going with the manual transmission in this vehicle which I suppose, was odd for me. Ever since I first drove Lesley's parents manual Hyundi Accent I have been enjoying the fun factor of going without automatic. The automatic version of the Astra also was a bit harder on gas which made the decision an easy one. I suppose the ultimate deciding factor was that I didn't want to spend any more money than I had to and that I would rather spend the extra $1300 on a big sunroof rather than on boring old automatic transmission!

This car is cool. It handles awesomely and it has some sexy lines. It's comfortable for a little car and has some great features such as: OnStar, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps, rear wiper, and a massive sunroof, all of which the Malibu didn't have. The greatest part is the way this car drives. It is smooth and takes the corners very well. No wonder it is one of the most popular cars in Europe.

Thanks to GM for bringing this baby across the Atlantic so we can enjoy it too.