The final decison:

So, I wound up with a lovely Black Saturn ION instead of the other cars I mentioned.
Here name is Chloe and she has already made her first roadtrip to Portland, Oregon.





I couldn't wait to get her out on the road. I have been itching for some nice quiet "ME" time for a while now and what better way to get that than to drive for 10 hours (each way. uphill, in the snow :] lol)
Here are a few photos of the highlights:














It was beautiful! Exactly what I needed.