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Comments
but, unlike all of you--my cavalier is an '89 sedan- which i have had since '96, and never done a thing to besides new tires until this week! it has 135K and runs great (with all it's new parts!)
perhaps they used to make cavaliers better than they do now!? is that possible?
everyone else i know w/older cavaliers say they've been great too!!
i am however selling it now! just graduated from college, got a job--thinking a used honda???
Try to get the 2.4 if you can. It's pricier and probably more difficult for you to get, but I've never heard people complain about that one.
Trim and other problems plague my dad's S-10. The window keeps popping off its track, requiring him to leave the door panel off in order to roll up and down the window. The famous cheap, loose Chevy door handles that continue to be used in some cars to this day. The driver's door has problems staying shut. The AC expansion valve, located deep inside the instrument panel, has blown 3 times, 2 of which happened a few days apart. The radio won't work due to some wiring problem. The exhaust manifold gasket is a known design flaw that requires replacement every year or it produces a bad exhaust leak. The brakes require a few inches of travel before they start to work, and than when they do, they bite very hard all of a sudden, causing more frequent unneeded lockup (a well known GM brake problem that they are only now beginning to get right). The only thing the damn truck has going for it is a reliable engine (though the carbureator is messed up, causing the idle to stick too high and requiring 4 tries to get it started when cold).
Anyway, I have to disagree with you about squeaks being a problem. If a car is not built solid enough to keep from sqeaking on a bump, than that lack of build quality will only continue to get worse wth age, leading to loose or broken trim pieces and other annoyances. GM needs to address their build quality issues. The whole reason my brother chose a Nissan Maxima over the Olds Intrigue was because he was concerned with the shoddy bild quality of the Intrigues he sat in. Examples: bare wires were showing as they went into the map lights at the rear seats, the front map light fell out as he went to turn it on, and the headliner was pulled loose where it connected to the side trim panels. These are minor problems but just imagine what happens as the car get older.
A squeak has absolutely nothing to do with build quality. It hasnothing to do with things being bolted on correctly or whatever you call it. Get out of that 80s shell you are talking about a 1984 S-10 for crying out loud. Is squeaks are bad quality issues then I guess the following vehicles have quality issues:
1) Fathers Nissan maxima ( squeaks when going over the bump, the glove box actually)
2) My co worker's Civic ( squeaks when the passenger door is opened)
3)Mitsubishi Mirage I rented while on vacation ( rattles from under the dash)
They were good cars but they had little squeaks here and there so by your theory they are lousy quality cars.
Besides we are talking a basic transportation car here which has proven to be a great little car even with the aging design. So the Chevy being a rust bucket comment, really stick your head out the window and look at the cars made NOW not the ones from 1984. Hey did you know that break dancing is no longer in style?
anyways thanks everyone for helping me out!
As for squeaks, I have 0 in my 99 Cavalier. The only thing that rattles is the tape when it's not in the tape player. Easily removed.
Boy, this Cavalier forum is busy all of a sudden. Must be the higher gas prices. ;-)
Malibu99, you obviously failed to read my entire message. I was simply stating that Chevys of the 80s had a rusting problem in response to your comment of 80s Accords having rust issues that you deemed falling apart. You acted as if Honda is the only car that had rusting problems in the 80s. I was merely showing that Chevy had just as many problems. I am fully aware that just about every car made today is very rust-proof. So why not drop the "holier-than-thou because I drive Chevy's only" attitude and make proper comparisons? Secondly, when I mention squeaks, I tend to include rattles in that classification. Rattles are signs of things not being properly bolted together (this makes since because how can something rattle if its securely bolted in place). I NEVER once said that because a Cavalier squeaks, it is a lousy quality car. It is good basic transportation. I simply stated that squeaks and rattles are signs of poorer build quality when they occur at an early age. I am talking of serious squeaks and rattles of the structure and dashboard, not petty squeaky doors that simply need some lubricant sprayed on them or a rental car that I would expect to squeak based on how poorly they are taken care of. Next time, I suggest actually reading a post before you reply with words I never spoke.
lngtongue18- Never in my post did I imply that Hondas were the only cars with rust problems back then that brnad poped in to my head because it's the only car I can clearly remember seeing on the road with fenders hanging by a string. I lived in the Carribbean for a while and people there would tie the fenders on with wire because they rusted away. So it was the example that came to mind first. Your post did insinuate that the car was of lousy quality but since now I know what you mean and you know what I meant we can get along and move on. :-).
Good luck Matty, enjoy the car!
Nearly three years ago, I celebrated my 16th birthday and used my life savings (at the time) to buy my first car, a brand new 1998 cavalier. That may very well have been the worst decision I ever made.
Within the car's first 4,000 miles, it contracted a very annoying and rather dangerous stalling problem, and just to clarify it's an automatic. Though GM claimed to have fixed the problem, it continued on and off for the next two years. Finally, the whole thing culminated when I was driving home from my college orientation last June. The car not only stalled but died on me in Columbus, OH (about an hour and half drive from my house in Dayton). After having to drive home in a rental car, yet again, and then having to drive an hour and a half back, I was informed the car's entire computer was replaced, in addition to a plethora of other things.
The stalling problem was not, however, an isolated thing. Other repairs included the muffler, the gaskets, the seatbelts, two recalls, and the radio (twice). I don't believe I'm leaving anything out, but it's difficult to keep track of them all.
While my Cavalier was a particularly bad one (I can't imagine you'd have that kind of trouble), it's indicative of the type of car the Cavalier is. Every friend I have who owns the 1995- redesigned Cavalier has had some sort of serious problem with their car. The car, for the most part, just isn't reliable. Granted, the car is cute, it lacks substance and build quality. And it doesn't drive badly, but other cars in its class drive much better. If you want to stick with Chevy, check out the Prism, it's not as cute, but a much better driving and more reliable car.
As for my Cavalier, I traded it in after the last incident, I had had enough and GM was unwilling to even acknowledge the problems. So towards the end of June, I traded in the Cavalier and bought a 2000 Mazda Protege. I couldn't be happier. The car drives very very well and has a nice solid feel to it, as well. I couldn't believe the difference between it and my Cavalier.
Take it from someone who was your age not too long ago, spend your last few years in high school having fun, not in the repair shop.
-Matt
MAtty, regardless of what people say buy what YOU like, what YOU feel is a good choice. Then again you can go ahead and follow the whiners who complain but keep in mind that the Cavalier is a great car, sells like hotcakes even in it's old age, and most buyers buy another one when they are done with theirs. Either way do what YOU want not what the lemmings do. Good Luck! :-)
Good point: I had a 1996 Cavalier with lots of problems. I will never have another Chevrolet. If that car would have been reliable and a good car, I would have perhaps thought about a Tracker or Monte Carlo or something in the Chevrolet lineup next time. Make sense?
Since GM's greatest weakness is their sub-compact/compact model lines (Exception: Chevy Prizm)and most future GM models in this size range will come from Opel in Europe (Where they have had successful small cars).
Ford followed the same approach of sourcing their newest small car from Europe, the Focus.
Also, Cavalier's sibling, the Pontiac Sunbird will be discontinued after the 2002 model year as well as the Chevy Prizm (Bad move for Chevy). The Toyota Corolla will be re-designed for the 2003 model year and Chevy will not get the newer model. Instead, Pontiac will get an all new entry level hybrid sport wagon that will be built off the platform of the all new 2003 Corolla in an effort to improve Pontiac's current performance/value image in the entry level market. The 2003 Pontiac Sportwagon will be built in the same assembly line as the 2003 Corolla, in the NUMMI Fremmont, California GM/Toyota plant.
The Chevy Metro (a.k.a Suzuki Swift) will be finally discontinued after the year 2001.
So let's wait an see how this all new 2003 Cavalier will fill the 'holes' left off by the Metro and Prizm model lines.
Interesting times at GM....
Not sure about the entry level thing keeping a buyer in a car line. Even if that is the case the Cavlier as it is is still an excellent choice for a first time buyer who just wants to get from A to B. I wanted a bit more of a personality so I jumped in the Berreta, best choice I ever made best car next to my Malibu. I take time buying my cars. Took 3 month to decide on the Beretta and 2 for the Malibu. Picked the best ones in the lot and they have never failed. Same with the Cavalier. We test drove 4 of them. Found things here and there that we didn't like until we found a nice white LS with the 2.2 engine and the 4spd tranny. Best little car I have driven. It's fun to drive, cute, easy to wash, simple, user friendly, and has enough passing poser to drive here in Boston. Great little bug. I guess we are just picky when choosing cars and we always get teh best. Good luck! :-)
And if you happen to get a lemon, you are less likely to go back to that particular manufacturer. Your above-stated logic makes no sense to me.
I always treat my cars very carefully and service and maintain them myself. I did my first oil and filter change on the Cavalier at 1000 miles. I did 2 more oil and filter changes and at 5000 miles I switched over to Mobil 1 Synthetic. For me the car runs sweetly and is a pleasure to drive. I really believe that it will last me a long time.