Faults:

Windshield Wiper nozzle became plugged.

Idle "jumps" around now and then and the dealer blamed it on my performance muffler. I believe it's an O2 sensor problem. The problem is not enough to annoy me though.

Rotors warped at about 40000 and had them replaced at 55000 because they were bugging me so much.

General Comments:

Great car, it is pretty fast for its performance mods. I have an AEM intake, customized with a cold air extension; and a Magnaflow muffler. Even with the automatic transmission I pull decent 1/4 mile times.

Great styling, since I've added the GM licensed Wing's West W-Type kit.

The car is great besides the quality issues (squeaks, rattles, paint, etc)...but hey, its good for a second car haha.

Faults:

Rear defroster doesn't work.

A/C light turns on when A/C isn't on.

No real problems in a year of ownership. Quite reliable.

General Comments:

I had a 95 Grand Am that I loved, and this car is just about as roomy and almost as comfortable.

Great GM heat/air.

Step on the gas and it goes absolutely nowhere. Zero to sixty in a full minute. This is bad when getting on a New York City highway.

Eats gas.

Rather ugly body.

Faults:

The brakes have repeatedly been a problem. At about 7,000 miles the brakes had a partial failure which resulted in a minor accident. The dealer said the rear brakes were "dirty" and needed adjustment, and that the front rotors needed resurfacing. At about 18,000 miles the brakes again began operating badly and making noise. Same results from the dealer. at the present time the brakes sometimes seem to only have about half their stopping power. The dealer cannot find any reason.

Faults:

The only thing that has remotely gone wrong with this vehicle is a slight problem with the windshield wipers. There was gunk plugged in the little hole where the windshield wiper fluid comes out. Other than that, absolutely no problems.

General Comments:

I love this car. It has a great suspension package. In corners like its on rails. Very fast too. I have a sunroof and have no problems with leaks either. For being a cavalier, it's a head turner. Seats four and is very comfortable for four people. I have a huge trunk, so traveling is never a problem. This is an awesome car!

Faults:

Of the three years that I have owned my Cavalier, I have had only one problem with it. While I was away for college, I started having this lurching/jerking problem every so often. Mostly during acceleration, but it happened at a steady pace once in a while as well. I took it into the dealership there and after a computer replacement and five or six trips up there, they still could not figure it out. I had already checked to see if maybe it was the fuel injection, but everything was more or less perfect.

Finally I had a mechanic friend of mine take a look at it, and after less than five minutes it was determined that it was the MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor. So that was fixed, and to this day everything is great.

General Comments:

I absolutely love this car.

I can put just about anything on it, as far as aftermarket parts go. It always looks great, and there is so much available for it.

It gets relatively good mileage, and always runs great for me.

The interior could use some work in the "comfort" area, as far as the seating goes, but I'm getting aftermarket seats anyway, so it isn't a big concern of mine.

Faults:

ECM needed re-programming at 10,000 KM. (Factory recall).

Brakes needed replacing (Fronts) at 40,000 KM.

The cheap tires burned through at 50,000 KM. (The front tires even faster).

Squeaks and rattles are normal in a Cavalier. So I drowned them out with the stereo.

General Comments:

Great fuel economy. Terrible power. The engine would scream. I manually shift the automatic because I like to use the transmission to brake the vehicle down hills (saves on brake wear and doesn't hurt the transmission much).

Great air conditioning. Seat comfort is not good. On a long trip (Calgary -> Winnipeg and back, my back was killing me). NO lumbar support. But hey- it's a cheap car. The interior styling is cheap. GM tries, but fails in convincing you that this car is something 'more'. It's a cheap car, but fairly reliable - I was surprised.

One point of advice: Do not buy these vehicles used. Buy a Honda, Toyota, Acura, Lexus, or Subaru used. Those cars are built for the long-haul.

I am going to be leasing a 2003 Cavalier, so I'll put in my review in a few months. I'm leasing because I do not have great credit, and I NEED a car for my job. (Hey, I DID try to get a loan on a used Accord - give me credit).

The Cavalier is a good cheap car. Don't pass it up if you're on a tight budget and don't care about performance. The 2003 has 140 HP, though...