An all round great car
I can honestly say that nothing except for the down-pipe manifold keep coming loose. has gone wrong with the car in the 2 years that I have owned it.
The Cavalier is an all round quick and reliable car to own. The one thing I would recommend too any body that drives them hard is to up-rate the supension.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th April, 2005
Very fast, comfortable, cheap car
Had to replace camshaft censor.
Had to replace crankshaft.
New Shocks.
Main brain blew up, hard to find new one, cost £500 for a new one off a crashed cavalier.
Very fast car.
0-60 in 8 seconds.
Good handling, but tends to under steer at fast, hard bends.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th April, 2005
A decent car - quick, reliable and good value
Mostly wear and tear, but a few other minor faults as well:
Exhaust and heat shield had to be replaced had to be replaced shortly after the car was purchased.
Suspension bushes had to be replaced.
Brake pad warning light keeps coming on as the sensor has broken (I just ignore it tho as I know my brakes work!)
Sometimes suffers from rattly tappets for the first few seconds on cold starts (A common Ecotec / Red Top problem).
Driver's door lock broke.
Performance is very good considering the weight of the car, if you keep the revs up. 0-60 takes around 8 seconds so it's quicker than its closest rivals and it should top 130mph. The engine sounds really good, but the close ratio gear box could do with a 6th gear for quieter motorway cruising.
Ride and handling is quite good, but there's quite a lot of body roll and understeer when it's pushed really hard. The sports seats are very comfortable and supportive.
Build quality is very good and the whole car feels very solid - better than the Vectra B and Mondeo in my opinion.
Economy isn't too bad - it averages about 30mpg.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th December, 2004
Quick, comfy, and reliable
The Cam speed sensor failed causing engine management light to pop up.
The I.A.L. valve went - caused erratic idling.
Keeps pulling to left especially when flooring it. Had tracking checked and brake callipers checked, but still pulling.
A few flat spots since I started modifying it.
The clutch has a very annoying squeak each time you use it.
Looks nice, in dark met. green with skirts and alloys.
Fairly quick with the short ratio gearbox, beats 2.0 Ford Mondeo and the TD-Ci variants with ease.
Quicker than it's replacement Sri, and looks much more sportier than Vauxhall Vectra.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th December, 2004
Fast, but unreliable engine!
Engine keeps stalling when at idle, sometimes engine will auto rev up to 2200 revs and eventually stall.
Coolant expansion tank seems to be leaking from the top, even though the lid is on tight, and I heard a bubbling noise coming from it after a fast run.
Something leaking - may be coolant tank.
Electric aerial bit weird, as it does it job, but when you swith the stereo off, and the aerial goes down, you can hear the motor still running from inside the unit!
It looks really sporty with the 15" alloys and body colour side skirts.
Had mine lowered 30mm all round, and handles brilliantly.
Can anyone tell me what needs sorting (engine wise) to sort out the stalling, and it does feel a bit hesitant sometimes.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 22nd August, 2004
Needs a new idle control valve, quite common, vauxhall charge £130+vat Leicester motor factors about £69+vat, they have a website.
We had a great cavalier which we sold in January 2003. Towards the end of the ownership, we experienced the same aerial problem you stated in your review. In the end it rectified itself.
7th Nov 2005, 20:21
Another overblown claim, try adding another 10 seconds or so.