I'm looking into purchasing an automatic 2004 Crossfire. And I have some questions regarding long term problems and thoughts on what I'll be using it for.

I'm currently a college student, so I will be using this car for the usual college things, getting food, shopping, buying are supplies (I'm an art major) pretty normal stuff. I'm located in the city, so I won't really be using the 'speed' factor you could say.

I've been talking to my uncle and he says sports cars tend to have lots of little problems that cost a lot of money and says it's not very practical. I was told since it uses a special oil it will cost more ($60 to $100) I was told, but I was wondering if what my uncle said was true for the Crossfire? If so, what kind of problems is it going to have?

I know a Pontiac Aztec is a terrible comparison, but to just give you an idea of what I'm talking about --

My 2001 Aztec always has problems. There has never been a day when there HASN'T been a problem. The engine has never run right really, or there's always something wrong that has to be fixed. My brother owns a Nissan Maxima and literally has never had any problems with it. Does this run true for the Crossfire? Being in college I'm not going to have the flexibility to go to a mechanic everytime something goes wrong, so I need a car that is going to run like my brothers car -- that being very well without any problems.

What problems have you experienced if any? Does this car cost a lot of money to keep it up and running well? How much money am I looking at here for the upkeep or problems I'm going to run into? And do you think this car is practical for what I'm going to use it for?

I absolutely love how this car drives. It just clings to the road which is something I wish my Aztec did. It handles like a charm and I really like that and want a car that does that. The features are amazing, I love the security system it has (being my school is in the Ghetto that is important) and the trunk space seems suitable for what I'm going to need it to do.

Also. My other question is. I'm going to have to do A LOT of driving. By a lot of driving I mean driving from Florida to California type of driving. How does this car do for long distance driving?

Thanks for your help. Any thought what-so-ever would be great. I really think this car will work for me, but my uncle is convinced all the problems it will have being a sports car is going to cost way to much and is not worth it and I should get a Ford Impala or something along those lines.

My last question is, I've heard so many different things regards MPG that I'm kind of lost on what to believe. I will be using this car for normal driving and not using it to speed or luxury driving you could say. Under these conditions, what kind of MPG do you think I will be getting? I've heard from 12-18, to 17-22, all the way up to 30 MPGS (which I find it hard to believe but maybe it's true)? To give you an idea how fast I'll be driving, I'll probably be in the 25-45 mph, unless on the interstate or free way I'll go from 65-75 mph, not faster then that.