Faults:

Hi I have a 1997 Chevy Cavalier and once I had gotten it there has been problem after problem. The ABS light likes to come on a various times whenever it wants. The Passenger side Rotor is warped even know I just replaced it. Over heating problem I replaced the Thermostat and Water pump. Now its the head or head gasket. I'm loosing antifreeze and it bubbles out the reservoir. I drove it like this for Ahh I say about 5 months. Then 3 days ago it started pouring oil out the side. And I now have a reason to be live my clutch is going out. And it is loosing power. If someone can help me and knows how to replace this please contact me Kootervalvez@aol.com Thank You.

General Comments:

This car is okay except for the oil pouring out the side that kind of made me mad. Over all it's a peppy little car and it handles pretty good.

Faults:

Tires at 93000km.

Brakes at 53000km and 101000km.

Power steering pump @ 28000km.

General Comments:

This Cavalier was manufactured in Mexico, not the USA.

Reliable like you wouldn't believe!

Lot's of body lean in corners.

Cruise control (rare on a Cavalier) is kind of choppy.

Great air conditioner; it's absolutely polar!

Fit and finish (especially the interior) isn't great, but the fact that this car is bulletproof makes up for it in spades.

Lots of exposed screws in the cabin.

Seats unevenly and under stuffed, and the springs are easily felt through the seat.

2.2L engine is loud and strained, and the 3-speed automatic has crude shifts and the overdrive activates loudly and roughly.

It's a struggle to maintain ~85 kph when loaded with passengers.

Less rear seat legroom than comparable Fords, Chryslers, Hondas, and Toyotas.

Fuel economy isn't great for a small car (20mpg city)

Faults:

The Transmission was rebuilt and the alternator replaced before I bought the car.

I had to replace the power steering hose at 160,000 miles.

I replaced the muffler clip.

Burned some oil I had to fill it up once a month about.

Slight rust on the hood from chips in the paint.

I totaled the car the airbags went off and I stepped out completely unharmed.

General Comments:

This car is a perfect first car for anyone.

It is 100% reliable and inexpensive to fix.

The seats are very comfortable.

It handles turns very well.

Its good in all types of weather.

The car is not very fast which is good for a new driver.

Outstanding gas mileage.

Faults:

Top needs to be replaced.

Seats were broken and wouldn't come out of the reclined position when I bought it.

General Comments:

This very well may be the perfect young person's sports car. It does have more body roll than I would like, but for $2400 it has been a wonderful car, and that could be fixed with better sway bars.

The seats were reclined too far back when I purchased the car and were broken (stuck in that position). I'm 6'5", so I was planning on replacing the seats for more space. I installed some leather seats and now it is much better.

The car is smooth, with gobs of usable torque from the 150HP 4 cylinder. If you really want to feel the grunt this engine can put down, buy the 5 speed.

It consistently gets 25 MPG in the city, and between 30 and 34 on the highway. 65MPH nets real good mileage while 75MPH drops it significantly. I have been getting 24-28 MPG average in mixed driving.

The car is capable of pushing past 100MPH even with the top down.

I found one which had been probably been owned originally by a girl, as it is purple with pink pinstripes. It doesn't bother me because I know it wasn't beaten on by a ricer-boy racer, and I don't have anything to compensate for.

I love this car, and it gets a lot of looks from people.