1995 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 review from North America

Six months after purchasing the vehicle used, the water pump failed. Handily, the car was still under warranty, and the pump was replaced quickly and with no hassle.

The engine acquired what I've heard called a "wandering idle" after I'd owned it for about 2 1/2 years (about 5 months ago). For no apparent reason, the engine idle will jump to about 1000 RPM, drop to 500, then go up to 1000, again. Annoying, but not a serious problem.

A week ago, the sunroof had a problem that I couldn't readily identify. The motors sounded strained and the glass wouldn't close flush with the roof. After examination at a dealership, I was informed that one of the sunroof tracks was broken. Total parts price amounts to about $1300, covered under an extended warranty.

The factory Delco CD player tends to skip for no apparent reason, regardless of road quality or disc quality.

On the whole, my Cavalier has been extremely cheap to maintain. I've changed the oil at the normal time, gotten new tires once since purchase, and had a complete brake job.

As with the Hondas in my family, wash it, take care of it, and it will take care of you, as well.

I tend to prefer the front end, front light clusters and rear spoiler of the '95-'99 Z24's over the '00 & '01 models, but that hasn't stopped me in looking at the new models as prospective next cars.

One thing that I really enjoy about this particular car, and the driveline in particular, is the amount of torque to be found in the Z24, which far outdoes any torque numbers from stock Hondas, Fords and similar brands within the same car class segment.