Faults:
Let me start off by saying that I AM NOT the owner of this car. I'm writing this review for my son, the owner of the vehicle.
I'm not sure of the full extent of issues the car has had, however my son has required a ride back from the dealership for repairs several times.
For right now, the biggest issue is the steering. The steering clunks loudly when turning or when driving down a bumpy road.
A less serious (but extremely annoying) issue that it has currently developed is the loudest rattle I've ever heard a car make. At speeds over 30, the rattle is terrible. It sounds like it is coming from somewhere in the dashboard, but I haven't been able to locate it.
General Comments:
My son bought the car used in 2008 with only 12,000 miles on it. He paid approx. $11,000 after taxes for it. A very good deal actually.
Soon after buying it, he regretted his decision. I'm currently looking after it while he is on a business trip, and I have driven the car several times.
The cars exterior looks good from a distance, however upon a close inspection you'll find misaligned body panels and tiny scratches. The scratches aren't the car's fault, and perhaps the car was in an accident (which may have caused the misaligned body panels) but it still doesn't speak well for the car. The doors are hard to shut, and have many rough spots in the hinges where the doors catch and just simply stop dead, meaning you have to actually push the door all the way closed.
The interior is pathetic. The rattle I listed earlier is annoying, but beyond that the interior is just cheap and tinny. The entire center console wobbles back and forth when going over bumps. The interior fit and finish is awful, with gaps showing up everywhere along the dash. The steering clunks, but the steering wheel also feels like it's binding up, and the bearing in the column is obviously on the brink of failure, as you can hear it grinding AND feel it in the wheel. Except for the clunky steering, failing column bearing and god awful rattle, the interior does seem to keep out road noise. But then again, maybe all of those problems are just drowning out the road noise.
The 2.2L Ecotec does provide good fuel economy (the MPG computer on the dash showed 35 MPG, and when I filled it up and calculated it myself, it came to 34 MPG, not bad). However the good ends there. The engine is hopelessly weak. Flooring it gives you a disgusting whir and absolutely zero acceleration (at 5000 RPM's in first gear, it barely hit 25 MPH). Climbing hills is a struggle (and there are tons of them here in my town). The car will downshift into second and scream along at 4 grand, just to hold the speed you were going; pathetic.
Ride quality is actually very good. The car easily blocks out most of the (many) potholes and bumps in the roads of my small, rural hometown. However the handling isn't so great. It gets around corners okay, but gives you zero feedback. But that's not really the point of this car anyways, as it is just a basic mid-size sedan.
Our family has owned only a few GM products, and all of this is why. Even my son admits he would have never even considered purchasing it if it weren't for the great deal he got on it. He is very unhappy with the car however, and plans on trading it in on a Honda soon after he returns from his business trip. Judging by what I've seen from driving this car for a few weeks, I'd say that's a wise choice.
28th Sep 2010, 10:33
I bought an 04 LS 6 months back and have the complete opposite experience. In my opinion the car is worth more than I paid for it: no steering issues, no misaligned body parts, no hard shutting doors, no interior parts wobbling, etc, etc.
Your son's car was probably so cheap for a reason: "accident/rebuild". As they always say if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is...