1994 Chevrolet Cavalier review from North America

I had to replace the alternator twice in three years of ownership.

The radiator had to be replaced.

The water pump had to be replaced.

The headlights stopped functioning, and a $150 part of the dashboard had to be replaced to make them work again.

...and a myriad of other problems. Finally, the head gasket blew a few months ago, killing my car once and for all and putting both it and myself out of our mutual misery.

This car was an endless source of headaches and a serious drain on my already meager savings. However, considering that it was rolled into a ditch by my frat-boy cousin, rear-ended, front-ended, sideswiped by a deranged immigrant, used to deliver pizzas for three years and that I bought it for $500, it's amazing that I was able to finish college before the thing finally crapped out earlier this summer.

Near the end of its life, my car burned oil and leaked antifreeze at such a rate that I was forced to check and refill both fluids before every single time I got in the car. This went on for eight months before the head gasket finally blew.

The appearance was heart-wrenchingly pathetic. Aside from the cheesy early-'90s aesthetic design and chlorinated-green paint job, every single surface of the car was dented and/or rusted in some way or another. No hubcaps, bald tires, upholstery worn to the hilt. After the aforementioned incident involving the ditch, one of the doors had to be replaced and I was forced to drive a green car with one white door... which was also rusted.

My car was thoroughly dilapidated - bordering on grotesque. And yet, this utter pile of junk endured years and years of abusive driving. The previous owner was a Catholic priest - no joke - but divine intervention aside, I think it's just a tough little bugger of a car, which is why you still see thousands of them on the highways.

Bottom line: If you keep a little money tucked away for emergency repairs now and then, this car will easily aid your transition from poverty to a lower middle-class lifestyle. It did for me!