1994 Chevrolet Beretta Base review from North America

Water leaks into the passenger compartment through the heater box during heavy rain.

The transmission is a little hesitant to shift out of overdrive, making highway acceleration a bit sluggish.

My A/C system has a slow leak and the compressor clutch is noisy, it rattles and scrapes until it heats up.

An excellent vehicle for the money. In only 18 months of ownership, I have put over 53,000 miles on this car (and am currently driving it through its second Western New York winter), and aside from normal maintenance (brakes, fluid changes, etc) I haven't had to fix a thing - reliability has been unbeatable.

The oxide coating used on these bodies makes them unbelievably weather resistant (there are parts of my under-body that have had the paint scraped away, and yet after one salty Northern winter and another underway, there's not a speck of rust on the bare metal, nor anywhere else on the car). Also, it appears that GM fixed the peeling paint problems that plagued earlier models, because my original coat, though badly scratched in some areas, is still intact.

The 3100 V6 runs like a dream, a perfect blend of power and fuel economy; I use this car to pull a twin jet-ski trailer in the summer and it doesn't bat an eye.

The body and interior are smooth and aesthetically pleasing, not those of a full-blown sports car, but much more tasteful than a bare-bones economy vehicle.

The cargo area is surprisingly roomy for a mid-size sedan, and the front legroom is ample. The rear seat is cramped for the average adult, but all seating in the car is comfortable and supportive.

All in all, this is an excellent general purpose vehicle that appears to be very durable and well designed; I have driven this car extremely hard, and it has not required a thing in return except for a minimum of normal maintenance. I'd recommend one to anyone who wants a step up from a pure economy car without paying a lot more.