Faults:

Alternator went a month after purchase from previous owner (mileage estimate 104,100).

Having trouble starting it because of suspected low fuel pressure (I just hit the gas while starting the engine, seems to work for now).

Gas mileage has not been up to par (possible O2 sensor problem).

General Comments:

I haven't owned it too long, and despite the alternator going and minor mechanical problems, it's a decent car.

As for comfort, it is a bumpy ride. You can feel EVERY little bump in this car. Seats are alright, I've been on some long drives in this thing. Heating and A/C work awesome. Don't like that my model doesn't have tilt steering, but I got used to the wheel position.

The cup holders are also in weird places. Have to open the center compartment to use second and third one. Ashtray is also weird, doesn't open up very much, I just use the front cupholder, it has a removable rubber insert, so it's easy to clean.

The car doesn't seem to have much power when taking off, but when it gets going, it will easily overtake others.

Handling is alright, but has that sort of 'touchy' feeling; don't know how else to explain it. It feels like a cheap car, which it is, so fair enough.

Pretty cheap to maintain and repair. Also cheap to run. My MPG isn't that great at the moment, but I still don't spend a whole lot on fuel compared to others.

Overall, it's just another cheap car that has some good things going for it.

Faults:

This car's faults were purely due to age and mileage.

The alternator went the first day I got the car.

Fuel pump went at 165000.

Motor mounts at 170000.

I recently replaced everything in the suspension at 190000, because I wanted a smoother ride; original suspension at 190000, and only the shocks were bad.

General Comments:

What's there to say, it's a Cavalier. Nothing fancy.

Half decent performance.

Strong three speed automatic transmission that was serviced regularly since I owned it, and still shifts fine (knock on wood).

Was the best car I ever bought for four hundred bucks out of a guy's front yard.

Air conditioning and everything still works.

Just regular maintenance; it irks me when people bash these cars, and yet they are the same people that never pop their hoods, or check the fluids or change any of the fluids, and run over everything BUT the neighbor's dog, before complaining about their suspension being worn out.

The oil pan has finally started to leak, and guess what, I ain't changing it till it gets bad, because the car still uses less than a half quart between oil changes.

Whoever owns the same year with the OHV engine, that slight ticking you hear coming from the engine at cold start ups is normal from what GM says. They told me the lifters bleed out overnight, and it's nothing to worry about.

Faults:

My base 98 Cavalier had more problems than I could count. I bought it from a friend (my first mistake) and she declined to tell me about most of the issues until after I had had it for a while.

I took it into the shop to find out about an oil leak. $55 repair for a new OSU (Oil Sending Unit). Well, that didn't fix it, and took at least 3 hours of my day standing around while the mechanic tried to get into the spot to change it.

In that same trip to the mechanic, which happened to be within 3 weeks of me purchasing the car (I hadn't even received my title yet), found out that I had a cracked head gasket, which was leaking antifreeze and causing the car to overheat. $900 fix to replace it, which I solved by running my heater full-time. Sucked on the warmer days, but was better than a $900 fix.

Fuel gauge didn't work, neither did the odometer. So how much fuel I had left was always a guessing game. Ran out of gas on at least 3 occasions that I can remember.

General Comments:

Let me say that I only spent $1000 on the car to begin with, purchase price. I also had a $625 title loan out on it. So when I wrecked it on the snowy Kansas roads, and completely cracked the radiator and the windshield, I removed my things and let the man in the tow truck keep it.

Great gas mileage... on the highway.

Everything in this car, as far as under the hood goes, is difficult to get to.