1990 Pontiac Sunbird SE 2.0 Non-turbo
Summary:
I am in love with my Sunbird and I am the coolest gal on my block!!!
Faults:
When I bought the car, it came with the following problems:
-front shocks
-ball joints
-front right axle
-head gasket
-general oil and filter changes
-exhaust manifold
-back seat had a tear in it
-front seats had minor rips
-2 holes on floor - driver and passenger feet area
-slight rusting out on bottom of doors, frame under doors and fenders
-holes in the visors
-glove box needs to be slammed to stay shut
-passenger seat doesn't feel like it is properly in place
-wheel alignment
-crack in gas line.
After I was driving the car for a while, I ran in to more problems:
-muffler fell off
-catalytic converter fell off
-alternator died
-sunroof started to leak and then the roof lining started to sag from water damage
-trunk leaks
-oil gauge broke.
General Comments:
Although it seems like a long list of problems, I got them all fixed at the same time, and it really didn't cost that much. Many of those problems are cosmetic and I was able to easily fix them on my own.
Example: Ripped seats got seat covers, and ripped visors got CD holders. The rust got rust paint and the leaks got silicon.
This car has a very smooth ride. You cannot tell when it is changing gears. You could be doing 140 on the highway and not even realize you are going so fast.
This car is amazing on corners if you know how to handle a car whose tail end tends to come out even without the hand break.
It's economical on gas especially with highway driving.
Parts are cheap and very easy to come by.
You can put a Knight Rider light in the front! It fits so well!!
The eye-lid lights are unique.
I like the fact that the turn signal, wipers, and lights are not on the same stick... the design of this dash makes it impossible to turn on the wipers when you mean to turn left!!
The radio was a bad design. You will need a creative professional to design you a new way to add a CD player that doesn't look bad.
No cup-holders!!
For you smokers, the ashtray is so small that it's not even worth it to use. If you put your index and middle finger together, it's about that big.
It has a good size trunk and it's got a good interior size. This coming from a tall family.
When I drive my car, it sounds like a race car which is really cool. I added a modified muffler system when the old one fell off and I am just in love with driving through tunnels and under over-passes.
I am one of those drivers that is hard on her car, and I haven't run in to any major engine problems or transmission problems. I think the transmission on this car is beautiful.
The factory speakers are really good. People think I have a 10" sub-woofer in there and it's just the 6x9's in the back which are stock. I had 2 sub-woofers in the trunk and the design of the trunk is in such a way that you can have your subs and still plenty of room. The trunk stays really hot though, so a small fan is required for your amp.
If you turn off the car and leave the lights on, the car buzzes at you. You can't forget the lights on. You can't leave the defroster on for too long either because that will also buzz at you.
The fog lights are in a really good place... I don't keep banging them on sidewalks when I drive up too close.
This car is PERFECT for new drivers.
I love my sunroof and spoiler and my 2 door car. It was an amazing deal for such a sweet looking car!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 30th September, 2005
16th Dec 2005, 11:37
I own a 1990 sunbird and I have a review posted on this site also. I totally understand the whole CD player issue you talked about, but I have managed to replace the rear 6x9's with ones made by Ultimate and I put a 15 inch Rockford Fosgate subwoofer in the trunk. I mounted my amp so when I fold the biggest section of the backseat down you can see the amp and the stereo pounds way harder. I took the dash out of another Sunbird to assist me in the CD player problem and now I have a Sony deck.