Faults:

Radiator fan didn't work, resulting in overheating.

ABS in rear wheels didn't work.

Air conditioning didn't work.

General Comments:

When I bought this car, the previous owner said the engine was replaced when the car had 230000 kms, which is not a very long engine life. The car had been maintained extremely well in order to make it to 300000 kms.

The car handled and accelerated quite well, but the complexity of repairs makes it very hard for the home mechanic to fix many of the things that were wrong with the car. I couldn't find the thermostat when I wanted to replace it. Apparently it is right next to the water pump somewhere, but I never ended up replacing it after all.

There is no dipstick for the automatic transmission fluid.

The ABS sensor for the rear wheels was enclosed in a bearing assembly, making it very hard to access, unlike my other car, a 99 Subaru Impreza.

I would not recommend any compact front wheel drive GM product. The complexity and difficulty of repairs makes it not worthwhile to own a GM, but that's the GM way.

Faults:

Head gasket due to overheat 2008.

Constant overheating problems, cannot seem to fix it.

Rust on the body.

New brakes wore through after only 20,000 miles, 2009.

Emergency brake notification stopped working, 75,000 miles.

Heater and AC fan only works at highest setting, 75,000 miles.

Intermittent engine knocking at 77,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car is a nail biter to drive, I never know if it is just going to overheat on me.

I keep getting this particular problem worked on, and it just doesn't seem to go away. I hear it is a common problem. The car runs hot, the dealer said that is the temperature the engine is supposed to run at. However, if it is going to run hot, then it should stay there and not overheat!

I live in the mountains, and I just cannot drive it on a mountain pass; it is a constant worry, because the engine threatens to overheat the entire way.

I have had to replace the thermostat twice, head gasket twice, water pump replaced, nothing seems to cure this problem.

Now, the engine is knocking.

I have always had regular maintenance done to this car, always followed the recommended guidelines and it doesn't matter, this thing could break down on me tomorrow. I cannot trust this car, and I need to just get rid of it.

Faults:

All the problems with this car have been brake related, except for replacing the muffler, which was around $200.

- Brake line had to be replaced; cost around $300.

- Brake drums and parking brake cable cost around $200.

- Brake rotors around $100.

General Comments:

I bought this as my first car at an auction a year ago for $1650. Originally I tried bidding for a 2001 Corolla, but it went for over 4 grand, but I am actually glad I got this car, because it's been so reliable, and I drive it almost everyday.

I really don't understand how so many people are having this head gasket problem (which were posted on this site 7 years ago), because my car is 11 years old and it still runs great.

The performance is pretty decent; I barely have to tap the gas to accelerate on the highway. This is good compared to the Toyota Corolla I drove for driver's ed, where you have to almost floor it on the highway, and it can barely handle 110km/hr.