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I also have a Ford Focus ZX3 with the PZEV enginge - no air and a 5 speed - that I got as an "advertised special" for $9k.
The 2004 Cav Coupe cost me 10,295, less $200 California rebate for increased license fees. List price was $10,700 with the 5 speed, air con, and cd player. If you punch in a California zip code on gmbuypower.com you can see the "Special Value Package" option, which is the 1SV package. You can't add any options, like ABS, or this model reverts to regular "base model" pricing. There are no rebates on this special model (but you save on taxes and license fees which would otherwise be charged on rebate amounts). Current rebate is $4,000.00, but I did the math and there is no way to grind a 2004 below 11,000 just with the generous rebate. I am sure, however, that these models will turn up in newspaper ads for under $10k at some point. It is a great marketing device.
My car is quite fast with the Ecotec. Of course the Focus is quite fast with the 2.3 PZEV adapted from the Mazda6. In a couple of years I'll decide which one to keep - the Cav or the ZX3. A lot will depend on dealer service, reliabilty, glitches.
My initial (over 100 miles) impression of the Cav is that the ZX3 has better NVH - "noise, vibration, harshness" - but a freeway speed the Cav is similarly quiet, with a solid feel over bumps, but comfortable on most road surfaces (the ZX3 I have, with the 15 inch wheels, is similarly compliant, but the ZX3's with the 16 inch wheels and lower profile tires are much harsher).
The air con is strong, but sounds odd - the proverbial "hamster in an exercise wheel" kind of sound. Maybe something is out of whack, or maybe the compressor/fan is noisy; I'll have the dealer check it out at the first oil change.
The Getrag tranny is worthy of "name branding." It is a nice unit, not as slick as the current Honda Civic 5 speed, but certainly "enthusiast" grade. The Ecotec is a little noisy until it warms up, then sounds more solid; it is always fast and strong. No hesitation like on the Focus ZX3 PZEV 2.3 (which I believe is the result of stricter pollution controls on the Focus).
I am really impressed by the highway mileage ratings on the Ecotec with stick. This brings back memories of my 35 mpg Neons and 39 mpg Civic. Also I am betting it will do well at interstate speeds, unlike my former VW Golf which tended to suck fuel due to the very high freeway revs.
Sound system is fine. I like the steering wheel, the actual temperature gauge, the 150,000 mile coolant (even if you are on the 3,000 mile service cycle!), the 100,000 mile spark plugs (even on the 3k service). I think its neat that Chevy includes in its official "inspections" "cleaning the radiator of bugs" since I do country road driving.
Finally, the Coupe looks pretty good. I peeled off the "Cavalier" emblem, so now all that you see on the back is the big gold bow tie and the emossed "Chevrolet" name on the back bumper.
Should be a great leap in quality and refinement but I'm sure it will cost considerably more than the 10K bargain you drive now.
:-)
I have been through several cars in my 7 years of driving because I get tired of them. I sometimes wish I still held onto one of the cars I had, a 99 Protege DX. It was totally basic except for automatic and a CD player, but it was one of the most reliable cars I have owned. It would be totally paid for now, but of course with about 150K on it with the amount that I drive.
Oh well, live and learn I guess...
The "safety" is relative. People are still driving VW Bugs on a daily basis,and you will ALWAYS encounter larger vehicles than yours even if you drive an SUV.
I understand about the sentimental value. My 99 [trouble free 44,000 miles] Cavalier is the first brand new car I ever allowed myself and I will never get rid of it. It's been totally satisfying and reliable as well. I have had my 63 Valiant for 23 years and it's not going anywhere either.[and I only have seat belts in that one and have never been worried about it's safety. You get to know your car's limitations.]
Remember, what your car is "worth" is what it's going to cost to replace it with something else.
It's an old friend, keep it and fill your bank account with the car payments you would make on a new one. It adds up fast.
He got a GM family discount, plus whatever other incentives are going on right now. He ended up paying 11-something out the door.
Is this a good deal? Or could he have done better? This was right near Youngstown, Ohio where the Cavalier is built.
Body and interior integrity high to date - no squeaks or rattles whatsoever.
NVH is higher on hard acceleration and during warmup, but comparable to Ford Focus at cruise.
Quality - fit and finish - seems comparable to the Ford Focus (which is high, except for 2000 and 2001 quality control issues) and my 2003 Honda Civic LX so far. It seems higher than Cavaliers I test drove in 99, 2000, and 2001. Possibly GM's mandate for better quality has made it down to the Cavalier; I was worried that GM was only pushing Impala and Malibu quality. In other words, nothing I have seen so far makes me think the Cavalier, even as a last year model, is a neglected, old style construction model.
The one issue I HAVE had is the quality of handling - vagueness in the steering, wallowing when changing lanes. I thought this was due to soft springs and lack of a rear sway bar, but the other day I changed out my tires and the handling is now greatly improved - much more precise, more like a Focus ZX3, with enough springiness for a comfortable ride. Appararently the sidewalls on the stock tires (Goodyear Conquest) were quite flexible and were degrading handling, even with a 2 psi overfill (32 psi instead of factory 30 psi).
I replaced the stock 195/70x 14 with 205/60x15 Bridgestone 950's. For wheels I used steel wheels with wheel covers - according to Tire Rack, which provided the package, their steel wheels (usually sold as part of their snow tire packages) are made by the OEM for GM which reassures me. Total cost of the 4 tires, wheels, with free mounting and balancing, and shipping, was $560, very reasonable for an upgrade in tire quality and size. Installation ran another $10 at a local tire store.
The car now drives like its on rails, and freeway driving feels much more secure. I had planned on installing Eibach springs, but now I will wait a while.
new 2002 Cavalier last year.
Salesman said, "You'll only have to change the
engine oil every 3,000 miles. That's all the
maintenance this car will need for the first
100,000 miles."
I thought, "Huh?" (I started to walk away, but
the $3,000 factory rebate kept me there.)
I bought the car, a base coupe with 2200 push rod
engine and 4 speed automatic. Paid $12,000.
Right away, I read the owners' manual, and ordered the factory service manuals reverenced
in the back pages available from Helm. These
cost $120 plus $6 for shipping and are well worth
the price.
I felt that I was ready to do all my routine
maintenance.
Time came for the first oil and filter change. I was stumped. I had to go to the dealership and
ask for help. The shop foreman said "No, you
don't take off the filter from above. It can be worked on from underneath the car." I walked
out and went to a quick lube place. They were
nice enough to raise the hood and showed me
exactly what parts to remove in order to have
access from above. After they showed me, it
was easy. (If anyone can change the oil filter
from underneath on this particular model, they
probably have removed the right wheel and the inner fender well. That would be very time consuming. And, the shop foreman at the dealership had given poor instructions.)
Needless to say, I intend to avoid my dealer
any way that I can for maintenance and repairs.
side) and a 17" blade (passenger side).
Factory blades are poor quality. Mine started
"scraping" noises after only one year.
The local "high quality" auto parts store sells
Anco brand. These are MUCH better quality, and
give added visability during operation. Complete
arm assemblies with blades snapped on in just
a couple of minutes. Cost was under $20.
Wow. What an improvement !
Packer" plastic tool chest (made by Rubbermaid).
Think I'll pick up some of those wiper blades and
stick them in the chest along with all my other
handy things to carry along.
Thanks again...
The odomoter is digital; mostly illuminated letters on a dark backgound. But, if the sun is shining on it, the letters DON'T wash out...they become reflective and behave like an lcd (reflective) instead of like an led (illuminated). Neat trick, impresive to see.
The radio keeps playing when you turn off the ignition, until you open the driver's door. (The Focus ZX3 let's you turn the radio back on, for up to an hour of play, after turning off the ignition, but of course for a moment it goes dead and you "lose the moment." Other cars typically require you to put the key in, and turn on accessory mode. The VW lets the music play on, but dies when you take out the ignition key.)
The speakers in my "special value package" $10,700 Neon...oops I meant Cavalier... are the premium coaxial variety, and sound better than (a) the six speakers in my former VW Golf; (b) the six speakers in my Scion xA (despite having a Pioneer unit from the factory with a rating 160 watts); and (c) most other cars I have had, ESPECIALLY the Honda Civic which really was pretty bad.
Trust an American car to have an awesome radio, a unit that would probably pull in signals from a moon probe, kick a** acceleration, and an incredibly cheap sound on cold start up. It's a classic '56 Chevy - gets you to where you are going fast and cheap, with a radio.
Now I just need to find the levy to park (shades of Don McLean...).
forum), I'm asking for any advice on how this
problem might be prevented.
(I realize the heads are alloy and they mate with
a cast iron block which would have different
heat expansion rate, and this is probably the
primary cause of the gaskets to fail.)
For example, should I be more careful while the
engine builds to normal operating temperature?
when the metals are straight and clean at installation.
Do you, or anyone, know of a source for this kind
of gasket for our Cavaliers?
(I remember using these on a hopped up 283 years
ago, and they were VERY expense. So be it.)
There's a lot of misinformation about this type of
headgasket.
No, they don't have to be "o-ringed" if the engine
is stock and run on pump gas.
Yes, they are reusable.
Yes, they have to be re-torqued a time or two after installation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The biggest problem, they are expensive and hard
to find anymore.
Then press the 'HR' arrow until the correct hour
appears.
Press and hold the 'MIN' arrow until the correct minute appears.
The clock may be set with the ignition on or off."
scegaskets.com
Will replace Eibach ProKit Springs added 800 miles ago with stock springs. Ride was too harsh. (I do like the lowered look, though.)
Will replace factory "base" valved shocks with KYB GR2's (which are valved like the LS Sport or Z24 shocks).
Getting at least 33 mpg on daily commute. No long haul experience to report yet, though the higher average speeds of interstate runs seems to drop mileage in most cars I have driven by 3-6 mpg.
Also a better flowing muffler. I tried Magnaflow, but too loud. The inexpensive IMCO Turbo Muffler my shop had did the trick - a little louder, but workable.
Best trick, though, is to be patient, the engines tend to open up better after 3-5,000 miles.
Also keep in mind that the original 2.2, though not "rated" 130 HP like the stock Dodge Neon engine, displaces 200 cc more and always had a lot of low end torque.
BTW, all this assumes you have a stick. If you have an auto - imo they are all cursed, you need 30 more hp to compensate for an auto in almost any small car.
If you have no coolant in the oil, and it is just exiting the way you describe, I'd first try one of those cooling system additives that is supposed to seal small leaks. A friend tried this years ago, and although it sounds both mickey mouse and too good to be true, the stuff worked! (Bar's?) At least if the coolant isn't making it's way into the engine, it's hard to see how the additive can really hurt.
Good luck!
behind my 2002 Cavalier (2.2L push rod engine and
4 speed automatic).
People, like at U-Haul say, "No problem". Well,
they want to rent me trailers. So, I need some
"actual" advice from Cavalier owners.
Am I asking too much of a Cavalier ?
Does anyone know the lightest trailer for carrying only one motorcycle ?
U-Haul did say they can install a permanent hitch
that bolts to the underside of the body
platform. Their hitches are usually good. Does
anyone already use theirs on a Cavalier ?
Thanks !!
S-10 Sonoma pickups ?
Are the pickups restricted ?
If not, I'm beginning to wonder if the rear
body of the Cavalier is not structurally
sound for towing with ANY engine ?
Gearing has a LOT to do with towing...
Thanks again...
put the car in neutral. At that point, idle does not fluctuate. This only happens in gear, in motion, no throttle, city speeds.
Car is otherwise drivable.
Thoughts?
The hitches that I've seen bolt to the spare tire
wheel well under the car. (Not a sturdy way.)
BUT, you can weld more flat metal to one of those
hitches.
Then WELD the hitch to the wheel well and ALSO the
body floor pan.
Rough guess is this would bring the towing capacity from 1,500 # to around 2,000 #.
Happy welding my new Draw Tite hitch. Looks like
it will be a WINNER.
___
I typed a long post and it doesn't show up. I purchased a 1993 in March of 1993. I sold it this year. Please feel free to email me regarding the head gasket issues and coolant issues. As a Cavalier owner, I am quite familiar with these issues:
Bett1e at yahoo dot com
(that's a ONE and not an "L")
___
Okay, I will try this again. I bought my FIRST car in March of 1993. It was a 1993 Cavalier. The only problems from 1993-1995 was a cassette tape got caught and there was a recall on something. In about 1995, the temperature gauge broke. From that year on, either the temperature gauge was breaking, the coolant was missing or some hose had a hole in it. From 1995 to about 2000, I was actually driving around with coolant because my car never had coolant.
During the years from 1999-2003, the car's brakes failed, the head gaskets had to be replaced, the ignition switch had to be replaced, the water pump, alternators (too many times to count), about 3 batteries (the alternators and batteries were under warranty though), various other modules and parts I have never heard of.
From 1999-2003, I would say I spent about $3,000.00 at most on the car. I was attached to the car and didn't want to let it go. I decided to keep it. THEN, in November of 2003, the issues started again, the temperature gauge was in the "HOT" area, the heater core needed to be replaced, the brakes started to shimmy.
I couldn't take it anymore and bought another car. When you have a Cavalier (built by the disgruntled or lazy employee), you get double whammied. The issues are frequent but inexpensive. Expensive but infrequent. In other words, you just never know with this vehicle. With other cars, you know whether the car will not work or not. With my Cavalier, I wasn't sure if the repair would be the last for that year or only the beginning for that year.
For me, the decision came to buy anothe vehicle when I no longer felt I could trust the vehicle on long trips. In my view, one should never have to rent a car if they have a car that has been taken care of properly. I was taking care of my car yet I had gotten to the point where I didn't want to drive it for trips longer than 1 hour. If you feel this way as well, I would go ahead and sell the car. The best time to buy a car is when you don't NEED one.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/040206/autos_gm_3.html
Is this normal or is there something wrong?
Thanks