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Comments
The quality doesn't shine in this area. I also been in the higher end of this car.. I have to admit the power is good but the engine sound still quite loud.. The smaller domestic cars seem to lack the quality of their japanese competitor don' you think?
Comparing well-maintained, two year old cars, with the same features (ABS,higher HP engine, 4spd auto, traction control) however, is a different matter in Canada at least. The price difference can be $4000. I can pay somebody else to put a rebuilt engine in for that amount of money! And if that was LITERALLY necessary for EVERY 2yr old Cavalier, but not for ANY 2yr old Civic/Corolla it would still be a financial break-even.
It's a huge price difference, resulting from the perception I see throughout this forum and elsewhere. Which is fine by me, because it allows me to get decent cars at very competitive prices.
I would like to know from a commute standpoint if anyone has a comment on this car for it will be with me for a while with miles racking up quickly.
Thanks
Yes the dash rattles
And yes the engine is loud
I change my oil every 3,000 and also use prolong engine treatment at every oil change.
We also own a 97 Chevy Venture. Both vehicles have noisy brakes. It ain't the pads folks. GM built themselves a braking system that collects dirt and stores it. I found that if I take the vehicles down to the spray foam and hit the back side of the brakes real good with the high pressure spray when they start making noise that it will stop the noise until they accumalate more dirt.
If you think it is the metallic pads, which was the case on my Corvette, you can buy small plastic spacers at most parts stores to put on the pads to stop the noise.
Also, if anyone else has the stalling problem with their Cavalier (it is a 2.2 engine w/3 spd. auto) let me know. I tried fuel injector cleaner, but that didn't work either.
Finally, I would gladly purchase another Cavalier. For the price, you get a lot of safety, room, comfort, and cheap maintenance costs. Great for a young person like me. I just hate seeing someone else with the same car everytime I turn around. But I guess that is a good thing, eh?
I factory ordered a '97 Pontiac Sunfire and the following work was done while under warranty:
Towed back to the dealer 5 times
New oil pump
New Catalytic Converter
New water pump
New stereo
New rack and pinion steering gear box
New front brake discs (three times)
New ignition coil
Recall for air bags
Recall for rear suspension
Most of these repairs required 2 or more attempts by Mr. Goodwrench to fix. Not to mention the countless trips that I was turned away because they where too busy to work on it. So my social life seemed to depend upon my ability to schedule everything around the dealer visits.
When my car was towed back to the Pontiac dealer one Monday morning I was told by the Pontiac service writer that Mondays are a very bad day for a break down because their service department is back logged with all of the Pontiacs that where towed in during the weekend.
I do not even take it back to the dealer for wheel spin balancing; they can not do that simple thing right and I have found an independent shop in town that can spin balance both correctly and 33% cheaper.
Two of the Pontiac salesmen eventually went to the Nissan "side" of the same Dealer and they both said that they where very, very happy not to sell any more Pontiacs.
On the positive side, the Dealer always tried to give me a loaner (not always possible - I was riding my bicycle at times). Also, I bought it because the insurance is real cheap and the financing was 3.9% and the deal was $170 over invoice.
Next time I will pay a premium on the price and insurance for either a Mazda or Toyota or Honda but I will get a better bargain that way.
Some people have purchased the GM J-car and it has been a very good car for them. Use your own judgement - its your own or your parents or your spouse's or your grandparents money. In my case, it was my own money so it really hurts.
So far no major problems. Locked up the ignition module by hanging too many keys on it. Went through a battery (under warranty).
This is my first automatic, 4 speed is much better than 3 speed, but I miss snicking the gears. Wish a manual was available for the LS.
Like many others, I wish I'd paid the extra bucks for the 2.4 engine. Reving the 2.2 is not a pleasant experience.
Two key things which bug me about the '98.
1) Rattle in dash above instrument cluster which only seems to go away after running heat.
2)Occasional rattling of door windows.
Interesting that an occasional "rap" on the dash seems to help stop the mysterious rattle. I believe the rattle is caused by the plastic vent baffles either not fitting correctly or expanding/contracting based on climate. (hot/cold)
Ultimate fix, crank up the radio.
Other than that, the car has run well and provides good basic commute transportation. The ABS and traction control are nice safety features. I would recommend this car for someone who wants a dependable, economy car with low maintenance costs. The rattles are at times annoying, I have brought the car back in once to the dealer under warranty, and will do so again to try and have them insulate the dash.
After I first got it, I was disappointed with the fit and finish of the assembly. The back seat was mounted crooked, none of the doors closed properly and needed adjusted. The door seals don't fit properly. The chip-guard in the fender wells looked like it was applied by a drunk. The dash board is crooked. Now, after 2500 miles, the paint is pealing off the front bumper, the dash makes a whole bunch of different noises when the car is cold and my front wheels screech continuously. Maybe all these things can be corrected by the dealer but it makes me wonder about the engine and drive-train assembly and how many things will break after the 3/36 warranty. I don't care about the little things but what about the trans-axle and engine?
Above all these things, that I may forget about after a year or so, the one thing that I really hate about this 2000 Cavalier is the road noise. When you get rolling up around 65 MPH, it resonates inside the car. On a noisy road surface, you may as well turn the radio off.
I will most likely trade this car in before too long. I was content with the last 4 Cavaliers I had and figured it was a no-brainer buying another, but this newer body stile has disappointed me.
and I would like to find another one
as inexpensive and dependable as my
1990 Chevy Cavalier has been.
I bought it new and hate to part with it,
but it's getting up there (it has 229,124 or so
miles on it right now) and I know it won't last forever.
Any recommendations?
What is it that you don't like about the
2000 Cavalier?
I am very happy with it. Through all my own test driving - it is alot more comfortable that other cars to sit in. I am 6'1 say a 51 chest - and I sit in it fine - unlike Saturns. The trunk space is no bigger or smaller than other similarly classed cars. The only thing I wish was changed - was the front dash - instead of making it sloping, they could have maybe put a recess in it for soem papers or what not, and I only noticed that after I already bought it - so the other classed cars could be just the same way - when I test drove - I didn't pay attention to dash board shapes.
Too many people are gaging the car against the old one which did have it's downfalls. Maybe I am the lucky one, but so far so good. For the extras you get in the LS model compared with the prices of others in it's class, its not a bad little car!! BTW, I am getting 32 road, and 25 mpg city on a consistant basis, matching what is boasted on the sticker.
Happy Shopping!!