Faults:

When I bought this car it looked to be sound, The Engine ran like a dream, the bodywork was Excellent apart from the common wheel arch problem on the back, (Which is easily fixed).

The Problems I have had:

At 120000 Miles THE CAM-BELT SNAPPED, this was due to the water pump seizing which I was previously told by NIDD VALE VAUXHALL in harrogate, that it was fine. Luckily for me my valves where all OK.

At 121000 MILES There is a funny knocking sound coming from the Drivers side wheel, Possibly the Bottom Ball joint!!

At 123000 Miles The Speedometer stops working, Great I can't get done for Speeding, Vauxhall tell me it's a common fault, I tell them to repair it free of charge as it should be a recall, They send me a quote for £150 to repair, I tell them where to get off!

General Comments:

This car is a lovely car and despite having these minor problems with it, I would recommend buying a Vauxhall possibly not a nova because I could spend a fortnight telling you the bad things about them!! But on the Whole this cavalier was a bargain and I'm still very pleased with it, Although I quite fancy a 2.0L Turbo now!! This car is comfortable to drive, And it has not got power steering and I find it VERY light to drive. There is no road noise and on a 13 year old car I find that good. Excellent car would advise you find one!! good cheap motoring! ;)

Faults:

Brake pipes needed replacing, still had the original pipes after 11 years!

Starter motor replaced and breathers. All regular things for a car of that age.

Unfortunately I didn't keep tabs on my oil which meant I murdered the engine and caused an early retirement. I think the mechanic said the cam was seized. It was not worth fixing.

General Comments:

Had to buy this car quickly as I needed transport quickly and cheaply. Probably the best car I've ever driven.

Doesn't handle too good on corners, but can accelerate away pretty good for £300.

I would recommend this model to anyone. Parts are cheap and even the stupidest mechanic should know what to do with a Cavalier.

Faults:

Power steering rack needed replacing.

Clutch has a slight slip.

Battery was changed when it started losing charge.

When the car had a pair of new tires fitted on the front, one of the bolts was cross-threaded resulting in the hub needing replacing.

One front wheel bearing. This was due to the fact that when I replaced the hub bearing, I neglected to tighten the hub nut fully.

Has just started mysteriously losing water.

Horn stays on continuously when the ignition is turned on.

General Comments:

Very quick for a ordinary 2.0, I have managed to hit 120mph at one time.

Unfortunately the handling doesn't quite match the performance, especially as the rear shock absorbers are quite springy.

This particular cavalier is a G reg and looks rather dull with its original lights, wheel trims and grey bumpers.

However I have since replaced all the lights, the grille and the bumpers for later shape versions.

I have also exchanged the wheel trims for alloys.

As a result it now looks much nicer than it used to, as it now fully colour coded in metallic blue which is offset nicely by the alloys.

I would like to upgrade to a higher level 16v cavalier, possibly an Sri.

Many people say that cavaliers are dull, slow and boring. However it has seen many other vehicles off, including reps, white van men and boy racers.

The most expensive thing about owning a cavalier is the cost of insurance. As I am only 17 the majority of insurance companies refused to even consider insuring me. Luckily I was eventually able to secure a reasonable quote.

Overall a quick reliable car that can easily manage 32mpg.