2002 Chevrolet Cavalier LS Sport Coupe 2.2 DOHC Ecotec

Summary:

Great car that is stylish and fun to drive

Faults:

There is a popping noise coming from the front end when you turn left or right onto a transition. Mainly occurs in wet weather conditions.

There was a problem where the rear heat shield would scrape the rear axle when you hit bumps. Modification of the heat shield fixed that problem.

General Comments:

I love this car. It is the most expensive, and most equipped cavalier they make. The sport suspension put on this car makes it handle great. The bigger tires help it hold the road, and the chrome wheels add more style. The interior is a bit plain, pretty much the same as any other year cavalier. The standard equipment that comes with this car is OK. The engine really has some power to it, with dual overhead cams pushing 16 valves, and cranking out 140 horsepower, and 150 ft. lbs. of torque. It gets up and goes pretty quick. Although if you are in for speed, the car shuts off at 107 mph., not fast at all. The sport bucket seats are a bit uncomfortable at times, no big deal. The stock cd/tape receiver with 6 speakers sounds great. At some points it sounds like aftermarket sub-woofers. The cavalier also has plenty of capabilities to improve performance and style, which I am already in the process of. This makes the car even more enjoyable to drive. I would recommend this car to anyone looking for performance and style at not so "sports car" price.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th June, 2003

2002 Chevrolet Cavalier VLX 2.2

Summary:

A reliable car for city driving

Faults:

The button on the shift lever started sticking, especially in cold weather. This wouldn't be much of a problem except that it is impossible to remove the key from the ignition when the button is depressed. Although the dealer couldn't reproduce the problem they still replaced the handle on the shift lever. This seems to have fixed it.

During the winter the engine light came on. The dealer looked at this and found that an air intake was packed with snow. Clearing out the snow solved the problem. This was caused by driving on unplowed roads and probably isn't very common.

Makes a whining sound when started in very cold weather. This only lasts about one minute.

General Comments:

So far this has been a pretty good car for the price.

Starts reliably even in -30C (-15F) temperatures.

The salesman was great and didn't put any pressure on us at all.

The dealership has been great with our two minor problems.

This care is fine for zipping around the city and its top-end is fine for any North American highway (I have driven it comfortably at 150km/h) but it lacks in the acceleration department. I've found myself close to redlining the engine when passing on two lane highways or turning right on red lights.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th April, 2003

2002 Chevrolet Cavalier LS Sport Coupe 2.2L V4 ECOTEC

Summary:

Affordable compact car with loads of standard features

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

A reliable small compact car with great standard features and a cheap price.

Fairly good acceleration.

Cheap interior design and materials.

Extremely poor handling.

Harsh braking.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd March, 2003

2002 Chevrolet Cavalier Base 2.2 Vortec MFI

Summary:

A very good deal

Faults:

The wheel covers make an annoying squeaking sound.

The transmission makes a "clanking" sound sometimes when at low rpm in a gear.

General Comments:

The transmission was easily fixed with a few quarts of saturn gear oil.

This car has poor handling around corners.

The cabin of the car makes a lot of noise... dash rattles and such.

This car is quite comfortable inside.

I've had no really major problems with this car and I drive it hard.

They make "performance" upgrades to fix most of the current problems the car has and they are at a reasonable price.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th February, 2003

2002 Chevrolet Cavalier VLX

Summary:

A nice little car for the money!

Faults:

There is an unpleasant smell coming from the vents. Not sure what is causing it... Occurs when using the air conditioning or the heater.

Front passenger seat belt locks at odd moments and sounds like the ratchet needs to be replaced.

The brakes seem to stick if applied while going over bumps.

The engine is "whiny" when cold. Not a major problem, just annoying.

General Comments:

Quite a nice car. Much better gas mileage than previous car, but it's like comparing apples and oranges - I previously drove an 86 Ford LTD.

Interior console is nicely laid out. Lots of storage under the radio, beside driver's seat and in glove box. Items seem to slide out of the glove box when it's open because there's no lip or ridge to keep things in.

I like the remote keyless entry/locking system, very secure. The remote trunk opener is very handy too!

Cruise control and power windows would have increased the price considerably, but would have increased my satisfaction - just too expensive to upgrade.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 7th November, 2002