Faults:

Radiator and thermastat went at about 227000km.

Muffler and cat went at 25000km.

Many belts and hoses has needed replaced over the time I've owned it.

New battery, alternator, and work on the transmission oil pan were needed around 240000km.

General Comments:

Great car, takes a beating, but you need to know a bit about cars to keep them maintained. Mine's top speed was 175km/h while at about 235000km. The 3.1L has great power and never fails. Its only bad on gas if your very heavy on the petal. Great car, mechanically the same as a cavalier.

Faults:

Factory upper radiator hose leaked, had to replace.

Replaced thermostat just in case.

Sometimes rear passenger doors don't open.

Radiator fan stopped working.

High beam switch stopped working.

General Comments:

Surprised with power, 3.1 V6.

Gas mileage is great, I took a trip to Madison WI and back to Manitowoc on a tank of gas.

At 160k miles, it still wants to be driven hard.

No rust on body yet, (from what you can see on outside) I'm sure its all over though.

Have taken on many cars at stop lights, and signs, all I can say is wow..

Faults:

I've replaced the Alternator once, just like everyone else. I rebuilt mine with bigger diodes so I'll never have to replace it again. (Factory and Re-manufactured units all have tiny diodes which cause the alternator to fail. Common on all GM vehicles of that era)

My rear defrost stopped working, suspect corrosion in the switch or at a connection.

Main cooling fan on the rad stopped working.

I replaced the stock air filter with a cone type. I get great fuel mileage now!

Other than that, basic maintenance.

General Comments:

I bought the car for $1300.00 Cert & E-tested. Sure it's an ugly car, but out of all the cars I've owned, this one has been the most reliable. I have friends with 1998 - 2000 Cavaliers, and they're having more problems than me.

It gets good fuel mileage, has a great ride, and has no knocks or rattles. For it's age it's pretty quick off the start, and can hold it's own.

Faults:

Lots of problems with the fuel injectors around 100k

It has rough idle right now at 180k

Stock engine and tranny (no weird noises and smooth shifts)

General Comments:

This car gets bad gas mileage it runs rough at idle when at a stop sign and you have to keep on the brake through city travel otherwise you end up speeding...

It has very little power...

Can't adjust the backrests...

Optionless...

I can fit a lot of people and dogs/stuff in my station wagon...

Corners like a semi (bad)

Faults:

When I purchased it, the back passenger window was stuck down. The motor burned out long before I took possession. The front two motors are very slow, and sometimes quit working for a few minutes. The rear driver window is the only dependable one.

The fuel pump went out. We replaced the fuel filter at the same time.

The water pump went out at 115,000 miles.

Replaced the spark plugs several times before I realized the head gaskets blew at 125,000 miles.

The front seats have tilted toward the middle of the car, causing a bit of discomfort.

The rear seat has had some padding removed due to mold.

The thermostat began malfunctioning at 130,000 miles. It caused the car to overheat.

The radiator had severe leakage which was previously repaired. Replaced it with performance version.

Parking brake release lever broke off.

The harmonic pulley, a.k.a. (drive-line pulley), broke.

Car stalls when in extensive rain, or large puddles. Only stalls when puddles are gone over with on the passenger side.

The paint had been fading and looks pretty beat up. Mostly due to the paint process Pontiac used during the early 90's.

Some rust spots in the wheel wells.

I've had really bad gas mileage the entire time I had the vehicle. Even after all of the above. 12mpg, then I noticed that the spark plug wires were factory. I didn't think of it. Now I get 22mpg.

General Comments:

The previous owner obviously didn't know that "coolant" doesn't mean water. Severe water damage resulted in the radiator, water pump, thermostat, and the head gaskets to blow.

The seats issue isn't that big of a deal cause the angle isn't that bad, but its just strange.

The stalling when driving over a puddle on the passenger side, I have no clue what that is all about. Tested it with a hose. Not the same effect.

Steering wheel used to vibrate at speeds up wards of 75, but blown head gaskets, factory 13yr old spark plug wires, and being overdue for an alignment will do that.

Absolutely no problems with the transmission.

Over all, my car was abused pretty bad before I took hold of it. However, after all of that abuse, it is still running well. So I have to say that it's not all that bad.

For it's age, it's alright. But if you have the option, I'd go for anything newer and make sure you inspect for water damage. That was the most costly aspect for me.

As far as handling goes. It's 3.1L 6 Cylinder engine has a good amount of Oo Rah in it, and it gets 22mpg. Can get up to 95mph (so far as I dare to go). And it gets me from point A to B.