1996 Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2 L4

Summary:

Yuck

Faults:

Head gasket.

Spark plugs.

Passenger door stuck closed.

Locks freeze in cold weather.

Trim coming off.

General Comments:

Terrible.

I put more money into this car in one year than I did in my old car in 5 years.

It has poor handling, weak acceleration, and the tires are noisy.

No interior storage space, trunk is small too.

Stereo leaves a lot to be desired.

Check engine light comes on all the time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd March, 2001

26th Mar 2005, 09:30

Better get the head gasket fixed before it totally stops!

1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Z22 2.2

Summary:

I love it!

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car.

General Comments:

I have made a few mods to it. Added some nice 5 star CSA rims, momo pedals, K$N filter, Reactive exhaust and for a 2.2 it really has some get up.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd March, 2001

1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Coupe 2.2L 4 cylinder

Summary:

Cheap, reliable transportation

Faults:

Plastic trim on the seats have broken off exposing unsightly mechanisms.

Fan motor makes a high-pitched squealing noise.

General Comments:

The car looks great, handles fairly, and was a good bargain.

The 2.2L doesn't deliver a lot of power, but the manual makes it more fun to drive.

In an entire year of ownership, I haven't had any major problems with the car. I would definitely buy another one.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th February, 2001

1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Z22 2.2 Litre

Summary:

A great little car

Faults:

I had to replace a clutch, two weeks ago.

General Comments:

The car is pretty good, I probably would buy another Cavalier. I really like the 2001 Cavalier Z24, I think they look really neat.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th November, 2000

1996 Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2

Summary:

A waste of money!!!!!

Faults:

You name it.

Radio.

I have a tapping noise in the engine, GM is trying to tell me it is normal. I have had to take GM to court in order to have this problem fixed.

General Comments:

If there is anyone else who is told that a "piston slap" is normal, please fight this, as it is repairable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 11th August, 2000

20th Aug 2002, 13:09

I own a 1996 Chevy Cavalier, in addition I have also had problems with a persistent tapping noise of some kind. One mechanic told me it was be cause "not only was my tensioner broken, but my timing chain was also broken-in three places no less". So about a month ago, I had those parts replaced. Now, the noise is starting up again and I have no idea what it could be.

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1996 Chevrolet Cavalier 2-Door Coupe 2.2 Four Cylinder

Summary:

Dependable, Long Lasting :)

Faults:

Nothing really, so far the car runs like a bear. It's never stalled or anything, only problem I had was a short in the cigarette lighter which blew a fuse and so I had no horn or cigarette lighter, but that's not that bad - only cost 12 bucks to repair and it's easy to install.

General Comments:

The car is quick for a 2.2 liter. I'm at 53,600 miles now and I service it regularly. It's been very dependable and I would definitely buy another one day but I think I'd go for the Z24 model - they are pretty sharp.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th April, 2000

1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Coupe

Faults:

I bought a 1996 Cavalier (CHEVROLET).

The first 3 months I had the new car I had to take it in 7 times for different things going wrong. Then I took it in for them to tighten my dash because it was loose. Well they cracked it so I took it back in and they put in a new dash, well I noticed it wasn't right so I took it back in. They had to replace the dash mount and after that the fan that blows inside the car was hitting something. I didn't bother to take it in. I went to mazda and got a 626, it is wonderful.

Back to the cavalier I bought a spoiler for the car. They had to order it from Mich. Well the first spoiler I got was cracked so I took it back then I didn't seem to hear anything. I called and they said they got another one in but it was run over by a truck on its way here. This went on and on I called GM. They told me they cannot control that because it comes from a place they order from and not from GM. And they told me that a man who owned a van (Chevrolet) had been waiting 2 years for his van door. That is my experience with Chevrolet.

General Comments:

I will never buy a Chevrolet again and I recommend no one else does either.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th June, 1998

7th Feb 2001, 18:18

It appears that all of the problems with your car were dealer related - they had nothing to do with problems with the car. The dealer you used just isn't very good.

9th Apr 2001, 17:24

I was having problems with the Chevy dealer that I was going to - I thought it was my car all along (although, I did have minor things going wrong). I switched to another dealer, and all is well. My Cavalier has been great - I think I just needed to find a dealer who knew what customer service was all about.

11th Feb 2002, 09:43

I have a 1996 Cavalier, too. I am happy with my Cavalier. I have not had much problems with the car. Usually, I have to repair it once a year for little problems! The dealer you had must have been crappy!

25th Sep 2002, 23:43

I had a 1996 Cavalier. It was the best car that I had ever owned. The car was totaled out in a five car collision. The car was built strong enough that I am still here to say something about it. I miss my car. It was a great value.

2nd Feb 2005, 12:35

I am a hard working single mother with 2 children, 1 with disabilities. I bought this car after many months of saving up, mostly to taxi my daughter to her frequent doctor's appointments, and to get to and from work. I have had nothing, but problems with my car. From the head gasket, to the CAT, you name it-it was replaced. My car was just out of warranty, and GM refused to reimburse me for the necessary repairs. I should mention that my car was less than a year old when I purchased it. I will never again make the mistake of purchasing a GM product. I will say that I now own a Ford, and it has been running strong for the past 3 years.