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Features
Cars deemed safe, reliable for student drivers
u C hris G arfield _____________
Page Editor
O w ning a reliable, cool
and safe, bu t m ostly cool
car, is great for the m o d em
high school student. It's
a w ay of getting around
and the best w ay to avoid
riding the "lo ser cruiser."
H ere are five cars that
are the w hole package:
dependable, secure and
slick.
H onda Civic, no doubt,
is the m ost popular car
for teenagers. H atchback
or sedan it can be seen
everyw here. W hat m akes
the C ivic so appealing is the
price, m iles per gallon and
the look of the car. The new
H onda Civics gets betw een
30 - 40 m ile per gallon,
w hich is not bad for any
car. Som e teenagers have
to pay their ow n gas so a
non-gas guzzler is required.
Be careful, though, H onda
C ivics are often stolen a lot,
so keep your doors locked.
The C ivic has a reputation
for perform ing w ell having
good gas m ileage and for
handling smoothly. It also
has lots of safety features
like anti lock brakes and air
bags.
A Toyota C orolla can
take you from high school
to college and then to your
first hom e. It's a sim ple, safe
car that still looks pretty
| weet. If you're technology
challenged, this is the car
for you as it is equipped
w ith big knobs and labels.
You w on 't get lost trying to
find out how to turn on the
air conditioning, like som e
other new er cars. Even w ith
its great m iles per gallon, it
supports a pow erful engine,
a plus that you w ou ld n 't
expect. The Corolla is
decked out in tons of safety
features like a tire pressure
m onitor, rear head restraints
and dual air bags.
The next sw eet ride is a
Volvo w hich com es from
a car com pany know n for
safety. They m ake classy
cars that run w ell for a long
period of time. Som e of the
Subaru Forrester
older cars that Volvo m akes
are lem ons, bu t overall
Volvo has a pretty good rap.
The Volvo S60 is a perfect
car for a student. It is slick
Toyota Corolla
• Reliability: 4/5
• Safety: 5/5
• Cool: 4.5/5
i
? ..
.....
”1 like my
Forrester because
it has all-wheel
drive."
— Jeff Bändel,
senior
j
• Reliability: 5/5
• Safety: 4/5
• Cool: 4/5
"The best feature of my Corolla is
the windshield cleaner. It cleans very
V o lvo S60
Ik !
• Reliability: 4/5 wel1'"
• Safety: 4/5
• Cool: 3.5/5
—Anneliese Sytsma, junior
"I got my Volvo
about a year ago
and I love it. It runs
great and I haven’t
had any problems
with it,"
—Christopher
Thompson, junior
Honda C ivic
Volkswagen Jetta
• Reliability: 3/5
• Safety: 4.5/5
• Cool: 3/5
• Reliability: 5/5
• Safety: 4.5/5
• Cool: 5/5
"I love my Honda
Civic, and I don’t have to
fill my tank twice going
up to the mountain."
—Brynn Hayes, junior
"I just got my
Jetta and it’s great.
It gets good gas
mileage and has
lots of features like
heated seats and a
sun roof."
—Erin McCauley,
junior
Photos by Chris Garfield
looking and also very safe.
The S60 is offered in all
w heel drive, w hich is great
for driving up Mt. H ood
safely. The Volvos are safe
and are equipped w ith side
and head air bags, plus it
has four w heel anti-locking
brake system .
Volksw agen Jetta's are
the classic girl car. They
have been around since
1980 and w ill be driving
around for aw hile. They
have a boxy shape w hich
drops their cool status
a little b u t overall it’s a
quality car. They are know n
for driving sm ooth and
getting great gas m ileage.
Safety is also not a problem
w ith the Jetta w ith air bags
every place im aginable.
Volksw agens also tend to be
easier to w ork on.
The last car on the list
is the Subaru Forrester, an
SU V shrunk into a sm aller
car. It offers the sam e pow er
and safety as an SUV, plus
it's unique looking. The
Forrester can get aw ay w ith
the boxy look because it is
aim ed for a m ore sporty
crowd and m ade to drive
hard. If you're looking for a
car to go up the m ountain
in, this is the one for you.
It has a pretty pow erful
engine and all-w heel drive,
all the tim e, so there is
no need to w orry about
losing control. A lso, you
don't have to w orry about
getting hurt in this car since
it topped every com pact
sport crash test according to
the Insurance Institute for
H ighw ay Safety.
Looking for a car that is
cheap and reliable? You can
find these cars and m ore on
craigslist.com , autotrader,
com and at used dealers.
break brings relief, fun vacations
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continued from page 5
"I’m looking forward to the
warm weather, meeting cute
boys and getting a great tan,"
Michelle Francis, sophomore,
who is going on a week-long
cruise to Mexico during the
break, said.
Many of the destinations
that have for years been popu
lar places are slowly fading,
Krislip explained in her article.
Lake Havasu, Ariz. and Las
Vegas, Nev. are no longer in
the top ten, whereas places
like Paris, France are quickly
gaining speed and moving up
in the list as Europe becomes a
hot spot for U.S. tourists.
"I'm just really excited to
experience a new culture," Ari-
ana Harris, junior, who will be
visiting France over the break,
said. Recently, the amount of
travel-to destinations outside
the United States has increased
im mensely. Travellers have
developed a yearning to visit
places where they can find cul
tural diversity and new,
exciting activities.
How do these
places become
so popular? For
som e reaso n
they possess
som e sp ecia l
q u a lity th a t
keeps travelers
coming back year
after year. Since the
break comes right at the be
ginning of the spring season,
many people try to go some
where sunny and warm to find
a reprieve from the cold and a
kick-off for the summer. Places
like Mexico, the Caribbean and
Florida offer heat, sun, beauti
ful beaches, and lots of tourist-
friendly activities.
"From the Northwest, any
place warm is a desired destina
tion," Cindra Gero, travel agent
at Sun Connections in West
Linn, said. Some people begin
planning for their Spring
Break vacation far
in advance; many
for at least a year.
There are many
w ays to plan
trips, either by
booking each
p art in d iv id u
ally, purchasing
a package, or using
a travel agent. However,
booking sooner usually means
better prices.
"If you and your family want
to go someplace warm during
spring break, starting to plan as
early as November or December
of the previous year is not un
usual," Gero said. If you have not
already made plans for spring
break, it may not be too late to
make accommodations.
"Planning in advance will
give you more flexibility of
flight schedules and the best
available room category at the
best rates. But if you need last
minute help, we are here to help
you," Bates said.
It is important that when
making plans for a vacation,
especially outside of the United
States, you plan far in advance
and research where you will be
staying and visiting so that you
can be prepared. If a passport is
needed for where you are going,
it is important to apply for one as
soon as possible since they can
take anywhere between one day
and two months to arrive.
For students, there are many
safety tips to keep in mind. If
going across the border, such
as traveling to Mexico, be sure
to get the proper immuniza
tions, get to know the language
enough so that you can get help
if needed, keep any cash in a safe
place, and be aware of your
surroundings at all times.
'Travel agents can help with
all the legalities of teen travel
and we also have access to
many tour companies," Gayle
Cole, travel agent at Sun Con
nections in West Linn, said.
And since most travel agents
work with wholesale com
panies that sell packages at a
bulk rate, they can usually plan
your trip for a much cheaper
price, and are very knowledge
able and helpful.
In future travels, not only
spring break, make sure
to keep these tips in mind,
and consider using a travel
agent if you want to get
the best deal. But no matter
what plans you have for
this Spring Break vacation,
be sure to get in lots of
relaxation and rejuvenation.
And most of all, have lots of
fun!