1988 Chevrolet Beretta review from North America
"Nice car, too many problems"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Transmission Pump Blew: replaced transmission (left me stranded).
Leaky transmission lines (believe to be mechanic's fault).
Leaky vacuum tubes (believe to be mechanic's fault).
Heater Core went (was able to make it close enough to home without overheating).
Alternator went twice (left me stranded both times).
Insulation on spark plug was burnt through after it was left leaning against hot manifold (failed emissions test).
Car would stall sometimes when first started up, would often stall in stop-and-go traffic, especially during the summer.
In winter, brake lights would stay on much longer after I had stopped breaking.
Cruise Control buttons fell off, then metal contact fell off too.
Dashboard was warped and cracked.
Ceiling cloth fell down (dangling from its corners-very annoying for someone who is 6'3").
Radio played fine, but cassette deck played very unbalanced right and left-side tracks (one would cut in and out, but the other was much quieter-sometimes mashing the player's buttons would solve the problem temporarily).
Developed a quite serious oil leak.
During snow storm, wiper motors were damaged, causing wipers to slide much too far, sometimes even ending up on my side window.
Replaced muffler twice.
Hood was damaged before I purchased it (couldn't use regular hood prop). There was some other minor body damage to the vehicle (both before and while I was driving).
Accelerator and brakes were mushy.
Brakes blew out while on highway-no accident, thank God.
General comments?
I liked the power, handing, quick acceleration. Could only get it to 105 mph. Started shaking at around 70 mph.
Fortunately I knew the guy who sold me the car, and he helped me fix everything that went wrong for free.
Got frustrated with so many failures (in only four years and reasonable miles) and the difficulty I would have to get it inspect-able. I gave it away for parts.
I had a lot of fun with the car-could have taken better care of it. Miss it, but not sure if I would get another one.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.8 V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 3/10 |
| Comfort marks | |
| Dealer Service marks | 2/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Distance when acquired | 83000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 130000 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Spectrum |
| Date of Entry | 22nd September, 2004 |