1989 Chevrolet Beretta GT review from North America

Ignition switch broke at about 65K miles. Had to be replaced at a cost of nearly $300.

The paint (blue) peeled badly. This is why I eventually got rid of the car. GM refused to acknowledge this was a problem. Even though I didn't buy the car new, it was well cared for and the paint looked new. I tried the dealer and even called GM. They all acted like this was a total surprise and that it had to do with how I cared for the car. That didn't sit well with me so I later sold it at a loss rather than repaint it. I understand there were several class action lawsuits regarding this problem.

Windshield mysteriously cracked. I think this was caused by running the defrost at full on a particularly cold morning.

Needed muffler at only 60K miles which is a little early.

Dash started to creak and warp a little. Driver's seat started to wear. Door panel started to come loose, no doubt from pulling those ridiculously big and heavy doors closed - typical for GM cars.

Very fun car to drive. Very nice looking. Engine had good pickup. Transmission needed an overdrive and a lockup defeat to prevent gear hunting. Excellent freeway car - would easily hold 80 mph and was relatively quiet and very comfortable. Good stereo.

Cheap and plasticky feel to everything. Crude and clunky controls, numb steering, cartoonish dash (non digital). The turn signal felt like it was going to break every time I used it. Not the end of the world, but I expected better from the first car I spent quite a bit of money to buy.

Generally got 18 mpg in the city and about 27 on the highway, with the automatic, which didn't have overdrive.

Very comfortable seats. The best I've ever had in a car. I'm considering finding a pair for a classic car I'm restoring.

Handled very good, but was too firm on rough roads. Should have had independent rear suspension, but alas. Also handled very well in the snow if tires had good tread.

Except for the paint, a rather decent and reliable car. Compared well to my current '92 Honda Civic. As a used car they're fine if the paint has been dealt with. I would recommend a 5 speed manual as the automatic lacked a lot of refinement that year.

I sold the car to a friend who gave it to his mom as a commuter car. She's got close to 200K miles on it and it's still going strong. The car was never painted and is now starting to rust and really looks bad, but she doesn't care.