personally, I'd say SSEi, but the smarter choice is the SLE because of better gas mileage, 87 octane fuel...

id say given her needs the SLE as well. It will defintely feel alot faster than the Cavalier, even if they are probably about the same. Can you say torque boys and girls?

Also the UIM isnt much of a problem if you fix it BEFORE it goes. You can order the parts on your own time and at your convenience. Instead of having to scramble around at the last minute to get your car back on the road. Plus all the other expenses that can come into play if it fails, such as towing bills, etc.

The ability to run fine off 87 Octane is a big plus, especially right now that gas prices are shooting back up again.

You could just get her an Intrigue or an Aurora. The newer body style of Auroras look pretty sporty as far as im concerned. The Intrigue is defintely much more tame, but can be made to look halfway decent. Both the 3.5 and 4.0 get good gas mileage, the 3.5 gets about the same as the L36, without the UIM failure.

btw: i think the 4.0 roras still "prefer" premium fuel for the best "performance"

To clarify, before getting to off topic re: 4.0L

95-99 requires 91+ due to 10.3:1 comp ratio
01-03 87, 91+ for optimal, but definitely not required as compression was lowered.

wasnt there a particular year group that actually didnt have knock sensors at all? I remember when i was looking at that Aurora, it was either a 96 or a 98, and i wondered why it required premium fuel and it seems like they didnt have knock sensors in them.

sorry for making this go even farther off topic...lets get back to the subject at hand.

soooo how bout them Bonnevilles?