Faults:
Cooling fan was not functioning when purchased, wasn't aware of this fact until on a hot day the temperature gauge was reading rather warm, and we noticed the air conditioning cut out at red lights and then would turn itself back on after pulling away, apparently a fail-safe mechanism that comes into play when the cooling fan relay fails. Replaced the part for like $10, however it does worry me that when this occurred there were no dash lights that came on.
Fog lights don't work.
Tops of the rear seats are noticeably sun-worn. I guess the previous owner parked it in the sun a lot. It's just a cosmetic issue.
General Comments:
Well, when my uncle brought home this car to be added to the family fleet, I got excited. It was the only car we've ever owned that was less than 10 years old when we bought it. My uncle paid $5,000 for it earlier this year at a local dealership. At 102,000 miles you'd never know it... it looks, sounds, and runs like a brand new car. It's very sporty looking on the outside, and is pretty nicely equipped with power windows, locks, air conditioning, CD player, chrome wheels, remote locks/trunk.
The 2.2 liter Ecotec engine is a great engine. It is very quick and at the same time very fuel efficient. The car is roomy despite the vehicle's small size.
The stock sound system is pretty good. The interior is rather dated, however. This car has the same interior (almost identical) to when it was redesigned in 1995. The only things that have changed since then are the gauge cluster, gear shift, steering wheel, and the radio.
The vehicle so far has been very easy to work on, though we haven't had to do much. We changed the oil for ourselves when the change was due, and after having trouble finding the drain plug, it was very very easy, especially because the oil filter is easily accessible next to the power steering box on the top of the engine.
14th Dec 2010, 12:21
Your instruments all failed because they are probably all on the same fuse. Did you check that yet?
Also, most of your complaints about sight and comfort should have been observed way back when you test drove the car and not years later.