Faults:

The rotors had to be replaced/repaired by the service center where I bought it twice. My husband and I finally bought aftermarket rotors, replaced the factory rotors, and no more problems.

General Comments:

I am a large lady. By large lady, I mean that I am a very tall, overweight woman. This makes for finding a comfortable car tricky.

My husband and I looked at several cars including the Kia Sephia, Ford Taurus, and Ford Focus before finding that the Chevrolet Cavalier had MUCH more room.

Once we found the Cavalier and took it for a test drive, I fell in love.

Faults:

When I first leased the car there was a squeaking noise coming from the wheels. I took it to the dealership and they could not find anything wrong. I got mad, kicked the hubcap, and discovered the noise. They wrapped the inside of the caps with duct tape (fixes everything!) and all was well until the next summer. The trick seems to be to get the hubcaps lined up exactly right and hope that weather changes don't affect it.

In 2001 the car developed a clunking sound that could also be felt when you turned the wheel at low speeds, say turning into a parking lot for example. I went to another dealer (the previous one had scratched the side and refused to fix it) and they said there was a TBS about it, but GM had not created a "fix" yet. I waited to hear from them. Finally, six months later I went back to the same dealer and they didn't pull out the TBS on it, they just replaced some parts and it has been perfect ever since. Also, since this was under warranty, there was no charge.

After all this time there is a small rattle in the dashboard, but other than the problems discussed above, its been a good car. I don't think I will get a Cavalier again as I need more room to haul my paintings and building materials, but I am a little sad to have to let it go.

General Comments:

This car has been very dependable because I have taken care to receive good work and kept up with required maintenance.

The seats can be somewhat uncomfortable on long trips (over nine hours).

Faults:

2 weeks after I got it, the front left strut bearing went, lots of grinding and clunking. Replaced under warranty.

After 2 months of owning the car, a loud ticking emerged in the engine. The faster the engine, the faster the clicking. It was a broken bearing bouncing around in a cylinder. They replaced that bearing, as well was the other 3, new water pump and oil pump while they were in there. The list of things they did for me was extensive; roughly 30 items, amounting to over $4200. Ack! All under warranty though, great customer service.

After that week and a half in the shop, I was glad to get her back, but that was 3 weeks ago and now we have to take a trip back. I was simply backing into the driveway yesterday and the power steering failed. It hasn't been diagnosed (i'll take it in today), but other reviews I've read have noted power steering pump issues. I hit 50,000 clicks 6 days ago... warranty is up: (I'm gonna fight for a free fix though, this is getting ridiculous.

General Comments:

It's a beauty car to look at, silver, sunroof, hot car, power everything. I learned standard just so I could own this car and it's a blast to jump up to high speeds in no time, but the seats don't accommodate quick cornering very well at all.