1996 Chevrolet Beretta review from North America
"Inexpensive car, lots of little cheap, unpredictable maintenance, rainy day wreck waiting to happen"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Fuel pump (replaced at 11k miles)
Alternator (replaced at least once a year)
Water Pump (replaced once a year)
Engine (head gasket started leaking around 40k miles, but dealer couldn't or wouldn't find it. It finally blew at 140k miles which leaked coolant into the crankcase ruining the bearings in the engine.)
Power steering (replaced at 150k miles and needs it done again at 200k miles)
Radiator (twice, 90k and 150k miles) the tanks on the sides needed replaced at 50k miles)
Paint chips off easy.
Suspension (200k miles. Besides the transmission its the only thing that lasts on this car)
General comments?
The car handles like its on ice in the rain at highway speeds even with AquaTreds. Governor limits car's top speed at 110 and no mod chip or reprogram to fix it (this is only with 1996 3.1 engines). When the car was new it had fast acceleration and same when I replaced the engine. Repairs are cheap except the for the engine replacement ($3000 for new 3.1) which isn't too bad for a new engine.
Overall fast car (3 tickets over 100) that corners bad, brakes bad, and leaves me stranded on the road with a bad alternator on homecoming night (hehe...). I would buy again, but replace factory suspension with Eibach and get wheels because the factory setup is a fatality waiting to happen while driving in the rain.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.1 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 2/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 10000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 202000 miles |
| Previous car | Dodge Caravan |
| Date of Entry | 5th July, 2004 |

