2002 Chevrolet Cavalier Reviews - Page 4 of 11

Nothing major to report from a reliability stand point; front left transaxle seal went at 96 000km, fuel pump went at about 98 000km.

The Cavalier is a little like that senior co-worker that never gives up; even though it's getting old, tired and long over due for retirement, it finds a way to hang on for a bit longer despite its advanced age and still manages to do the best job it possibly can.

There's a limit to what one can achieve with a 25 year old platform and these limits have been reached in 1982; the steering feels overly light and is highly imprecise at high speeds. Body roll is overly present and the car becomes almost uncontrollable the second you go above the speed limit. In every day driving these limitations are barely noticeable, but were a major source of disappointment.

The 2.2L OHV valve engine is as old as time itself and it's ancient push rod design make it seem as if this car was designed by a cave man. Despite it's average 114 horses, this engine seems like it was stolen from a tractor; its loud, rough and simply out dated. Once again in normal city driving its limitations aren't as obvious. On the bright side of things these engines are built like tanks and are a breeze to service.

On the bright side of things the car is a looker and is very well equipped for it's price range; ABS, Traction Control and remote keyless entry for a price of 7500$. The Cavalier's fit and finish is and has always been it's weakest point; the interior plastics are GARBAGE and seem like they recycled from the 1980's. The exterior panels fit poorly with one another and the interior is filled with mysterious noises. Overall it serves it's purpose as an economy car, but if you can spare a bit more change, check out the Cobalt or Kia Spectra 5; you'll get more bang for your buck.

ABS are strange. Makes a LOUD grinding noise and crunches under your foot.

Has stalled on occasion (not my fault), I don't drive it like it's a sports car, just normally, and it will stall.

Starting the car sometimes is a hassle, can take 2-3 seconds to kick-in while turning the key.

Trunk lid sometimes takes a couple of slams to shut properly.

Front seats are thin, can feel kids kicking your back very easily from the backseat.

Drives fairly well.

Gets good gas mileage on the highway, not so much in the city.

Not too noisy.

No serious problems yet.

Got in a couple of small accidents, (not my fault!) paint is thin and easily damaged.

Only the rear reverse lights wouldn't work on it, had to replace those at 82,500 ks.

Great car, its good on gas, its quick responsive, handles quickly, picks up speed fast, good shifting, sound of a champion, handles superb in winter, fwd is definitly handy in the winter, controls the same as if it were summer in the cold Canadian winters.

I have owned the Cavalier since new, and the only thing I have done to it has been a front and rear brake job. I am very particular about maintenance and, if properly maintained, the Cavalier will last as long if not longer than any car on the road today. Parts are cheap and available and the car is easy to work on for do-it-yourselfers.

Over the past 20 years, I have owned three Cavaliers. Each one has gone over 150,000 trouble free miles, and I expect this one to be no different. My biggest complaint is the lack of support in the seats. On trips longer than an hour I begin to get lower back pain due to the lack of support. GM could have done a better job and put Saturn SL type seats in it. Cavalier LS seats from the local wrecking yard should eliminate this problem, as they are considerably nicer seats. The Cavalier has been very reliable and I highly recommend it to anyone on a budget who has to depend on their car.