It had finally come time to purchase my first brand new car- with my own money. Fresh out of college, I wanted to invest in a car that will be able to last me for the next five to seven years or so, be incredibly reliable and fuel efficient. I also knew I wanted a sportier car, preferably a coupe, and one on the more affordable end.

Shortly before I embarked on the car search, I became much more in tune to the different models I saw on the road. I was drawn to four specific ones: the Nissan Altima Coupe, Honda Civic Coupe, Honda Accord Coupe and the Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe.

After doing some comparisons, I eliminated the Altima and the Accord, and decided to test-drive the other two to make the final decision. First, I stopped in the Honda dealer near my home and took the Civic for a little 5- minute cruise. In like, but not in love, I headed to the local Bloomington Mitsubishi dealer to test drive the Eclipse Coupe.

When I slid into the leather seats, I immediately felt comfortable. After pulling out of the lot, I realized not only was I physically comfortable, but I felt a sense of comfort in the control I had of the car (and for the first time driving it, it was a good feeling). The dash was very user-friendly, clean and efficient and the wide windshield gave me a great view of the road.

In terms of performance, I was impressed by its 2.4L, four-cylinder engine and its 5-speed manual transmission (but chose to go with the 4-speed automatic) during my Bloomington Mitsubishi test drive. I was also pleased to find out the Eclipse Coupe achieves a fuel economy of 28 mpg highway and 20 mpg city. Its standard features were the 17” alloy wheels, AC, front and side airbags, anti-lock brakes, keyless entry and an engine immobilizer.

I wasn’t going to pass this one up, especially with the $20,000 starting price. So that day I drove off the lot in my black 2010 Bloomington IL auto Eclipse Coupe. Of all the optional features, I chose to dress mine up with heated front seats and temperature and cardinal direction displays. It’s been a month so far and every day I’ve looked forward to getting in my new coupe.

Visit O’Brien, the only Normal car dealer for top-of-the-line Mitsubishi models, to test-drive a new 2010 Eclipse Coupe or any other members of the Mitsubishi lineup. You won’t be disappointed.