Faults:

1) Low Coolant Light always on even if coolant is full.

2) Stereo makes popping noise and cd player only half works.

3) A/C compressor recently developed a severe leak.

4) Loud clunking popping noise when car is put in gear or gas is applied.

General Comments:

The cavalier has been a pretty reliable car it has decent acceleration from a base four cylinder engine with automatic transmission. The bad part is that the car seems so outdated compared to other cars of this year make. I had a 1996 Corolla before this and it was so well built compared to the Cavalier. The paint has held up very well. I guess I would so so recommend this car to someone.

Faults:

That car was very very good to me! I bought it with 36,000 miles on it and unfortunately it was smashed while parked at 74,000 miles.

In the 5 years that I had it, very little went wrong with it. Of course, there were normal things I had to have done such as new tires, front brakes, battery, spark plugs and wires.

There were a couple of quirks that I just chose to live with rather than repairing such as:

The gas gauge would go nuts when it got below a 1/4 tank.

Windshield washing fluid stopped squirting out of the right side. probably just clogged).

The heat and/or air would not come on until you turned it up to the 3rd notch.

This is a very good car for the money!! I would recommend to anyone!!

General Comments:

This car is very reliable.

Faults:

Quite a few things have gone wrong with the car, too numerous to mention.

General Comments:

I am not too happy with the car. It's always in the shop. If you can tolerate one of these cars, buy one. Other than that, buy any Japanese car.

Faults:

My fuel pump went out around 45000 miles, but was covered by my extended warranty.

The seats haven't slid forward properly since 75000mi. The cables under the seat are faulty.

The remote latch for the trunk is made of plastic where it connect to the key latch. I'm on my 3rd replacement. My trunk lid is actually cracked on the inside.

The clutch went out at 127000mi. I replaced it myself and it's still good.

The check engine light came on just after 100,000. It's either the catalytic converter or the O2 sensor after the converter. My gas mileage hasn't been effected so I've done nothing about it.

My passenger control arm ball joint went out at 168000 so I replaced most of the front end. Including ball joints, drive shafts, outer tie rods, brake calipers, larger thickness rotors, brake pads, and rubber brake lines. I did all that for $410 plus tax.

General Comments:

My Cavalier has been fairly reliable. The fuel pump was the only thing that kept me from going where I needed to go. I've shared this car with 2 brother and a sister. I've driven it mainly, I'm now 23. Basically it's been through 4 teenagers.

The Cav is pretty peppy, but doesn't handle or stop very well.

The cup holder is in a horrible spot. I noticed the later models are fixed.

Faults:

It suffered a minor impact on the driver's front quarter.

The battery died.

The brakes needed to be replaced.

The electronic traction control does not function properly.

The ignition coil rusted out.

The windshield wipers needed to be replaced.

The driver's seat is starting to wear out, especially the side near the door.

The body joints at the trunk lip are starting to rust.

General Comments:

Styling is attractive, but unspectacular.

Gas mileage is disappointing, delivering about 20-25 miles per gallon in the city, and 30 on the highway during ideal conditions, but dropping considerably in the winter.

Road and engine noise are disturbing.

Ride is a joy on smooth pavement, but stiff, rough, and unpleasant otherwise.

The seats are upholstered in an outdated tweed that is itchy and unattractive. Further, the front bucket seats do not provide thigh support. My legs get very tired on long trips.

Backseat has a surprising amount of legroom, but minimal headroom.

Acceleration is very disappointing, and belies the sporty image of the RS.

Handling is quick, tight, and responsive, and definitely the highlight of this vehicle.

Factory sound system is quite good, and can be adjusted to meet just about anyone's musical and tonal tastes.

Air conditioning is ice cold. The heater takes about 5-10 minutes to warm up the inside.

Body panel fit is offensive. The spoiler is made out of cheap plastic that cracks easily.

The trunk looks larger than it actually is.

Controls are intuitively set up, and easy to get used to.