1994 Chevrolet Beretta Coupe V6 from North America - Comments

The transmission was a little funny at first. Dealer serviced it on request prior to purchase and we never had another problem with it.

The A/C failed about a week before we traded it in, after two years of perfectly frigid operation. We were told that it needed a new compressor. GM wanted $796, our mechanic wanted $500-$600.

Alternator failed, a common issue on most GM cars. The alternators are not strong enough. We bought a replacement from Auto Zone that came with a lifetime warranty for a little over $100.

A lot of fuses blew due to the person at All-tel plugging the phone system into the wrong fuse causing an overload. Fixed easily though, and not the fault of the car.

I wasn't interested in this car when I first looked at it because most of the Berettas that I had seen were beat-up trash cars. However, mine was an ultra-clean one-owner car.

Mine had EVERY option except for the flip-up roof, and they all worked without error! I had power everything, cruise control, ABS, 4-speed automatic, 8-speaker sound, CD player, A/C, theater dimming interior lights, rear deck lid spoiler, power trunk release, and it was a non-smoker. (All of these things are big for a 15 year-old). It was also bright red. I enjoyed the front reading lights in the rearview mirror too.

Upgrades by the previous owner included 17" Cobra R rims, and a K&N air filter. The car did not need anything else. It had the looks and more than enough performance to back them up. It never returned less than 27 MPG with me either, and I had, and still have, a heavy foot. I typically got more like 29-30 MPG out of this car.

I beat so many Mustang GTs and Camaros off of the line that it was insane. The car seemed to have a perfect power/weight ratio because it had no problem hauling ass. It was smooth and quiet while doing so, too.

My friends always wanted me to drive when we went out because I had the best car, and mine did not even cost as much as some of their cars did! People used to think that we'd paid 3 times as much as we did because the car looked like it was brand new!

You probably took a few V6 Mustangs and Camaros, but try not to over-state the performance of this car. It might say the K&N filter can add up to 20whp on the box, but it doesn't actually do that.

To the comment above: Are we a sore Mustang or Camaro owner? 1994 happened to be the year that GM stepped up the performance for all Beretta engines. The V6 increased in horsepower by about 45 since its introduction in the late 80's. My Beretta held it's own against my friend's Mach 1 Mustang, especially around the curves.

I also have a 1994 Beretta, and I have also beaten my share of mustangs and camaros including my dad's 1973 SS camaro.

Bravo! Yes, my Dad used to tell me when he drove my Beretta how it was such a huge improvement on the concept of the sporty American car. Not only was it a much more refined piece of machinery than the sporty cars of the 1960's that he grew up knowing; it also offered the effortless, yet efficient power that simply was non-existent in the fake muscle cars of the 1970's and 80's. I'm not saying that the old sports cars are not worth having for fun, I am simply stating my opinion on how far GM has come in offering better performance in a more refined manner with six cylinders instead of eight. My new BMW is a terrific car that I love very much, but I still miss the Beretta once in a while.

27 MPG minimum? You must mean on the interstate, Dow did you calculate that?

My 94 3100 V6 used to give me a max of 19 MPG (usually 17-19) in the city.

I know this because I put together an excel sheet of the amount of gas I put in each time and the difference in odometer readings.

Its true about the performance though, Car & Driver compared the GTZ to a BMW M3 at that time.

When I filled the car up, I took the mileage on the trip odometer and divided that by how many gallons the car swallowed, and the quotient was usually 28 or 29. And yes, I DID reset the trip meter at every fill-up. The engine in my Beretta ran absolutely perfectly, and it used to draw compliments from my friends who owned Japanese/Korean cars on how quiet it was. These engines are quite fuel-efficient when they are in good order. I was a 16-year-old when I owned this car, so the fuel economy truly was remarkable.

I still own my 1994 Beretta 3.1L V6 that I bought new. It also gets 27 to 29 mpg combined city/highway driving. I check it at every fill up.

I also had some transmission concerns at about 80,000 miles, and the alternator has been replaced twice now.

Both lower a-arms needed replaced last year due to the bushings separating with age, which is common.

My AC compressor started making a noise and leaking last year, so I replaced that.

The oxygen sensor was replaced last week (also common).

Front brakes lasted until 65,000 miles.

I paid about $10,000 or so for it new, and put less than $2000 in it since I had it for all of the above.

It has 98,000 miles on it now, and runs great, so it has been a great car.

Both of my kids learned to drive on it, and it went to college with my oldest for the last year.

I bought a 1999 Mustang V6 coupe new. The Beretta has always been quick, but the Mustang had lower gears, more horsepower and was faster off the line. I traded it in on a new 2002 Monte Carlo SS 3.8L that was the fastest of all. I still have it also.

Wow, such wonderful imaginations about beating cars that are way out of your league. Hey, my Toyota Camry smokes Corvettes all the time. That power to ratio sure makes up for that silly V8 it has..see, I can make believe too.