1997 Chevrolet Cavalier review from North America

Overheating - The day I purchased "Callie", the temperature gauge went right up while on the highway, and the coolant light came on. Pulled over to discover coolant all over the road and engine of my car. Filled the coolant back up and took it back to the dealership. Turned out it was the thermostat that blew.

Rear defroster - Since day one the rear defroster hasn't worked. It has been in the shop 6 times now in less than 3 months - switches have been replaced, wires have been fixed etc, and yet to this day it still doesn't work - the car is going back next week for round 7.

Wheel bearing - Last week the front passenger side wheel bearing started making an incredible whining sound when driven at any speed. Car is going in next week for that to be replaced as well (no longer covered on the 30 day warranty, so that is out of pocket)

Fuel leak - Car had 4 fuel leaks in the lines in the first month of owning - fuel lines have all been since replaced.

Rear brakes - When braking the car has this "jarring" feeling; turns out my rear drums need to be replaced (also out of pocket).

Fan speeds - I see this is common in the Cavaliers; out of 4 settings for my heat/ac fan speed, only the top 2 work, so it's either full hurricane winds or nothing at all.

I absolutely LOVE this car. GREAT on gas and honestly, the repairs are not crazy expensive. I do keep in mind that the car is now 11 years old, so things do break over time.

She runs with the best of them, is quick in traffic and handles the highways with ease.

The wind noise at highway speeds is a little excessive however, but turning up the stereo helps.

The insurance is pretty reasonable for a young guy like myself, and there are plenty of aftermarket parts and accessories to dress her up nicely.

My friends are surprised when they see that she has nearly 265,000kms, because with the way she handles and drives, you'd never know it.